Here’s our April rapid-fire update on the stocks in Cramer’s Charitable Trust
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The Club held its “Monthly Meeting” for April on Tuesday, providing a window into our current thinking on the stocks in Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust — including an updated list of the 10 core holdings in the portfolio. Those 10 companies , which we generally view as the best in their respective industries, are Apple (AAPL), Costco Wholesale (COST), Morgan Stanley (MS), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Starbucks (SBUX), Danaher (DHR), Nvidia (NVDA), Linde (LIN), Eli Lilly (LLY) and Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD). In addition to an in-depth look at the core holdings, we’re providing key takeaways here on the other 25 stocks in the Club’s portfolio. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD): Bottoms are increasingly evident in the chipmaker’s key end-markets like personal computers, laying the groundwork for AMD’s business to meaningfully turn around later this year. When AMD reports earnings next week, we’ll be looking for signs that its integration of Xilinx has proven a success. Amazon (AMZN): Investors will be looking closely at profit margins and the growth rate at cloud unit Amazon Web Services when the company reports earnings after the closing bell Thursday. We maintain our view that the ecommerce giant can do more to improve its bloated cost structure. Bausch Health (BHC): For the pharmaceutical company’s stock to gain any traction, Jim said it needs to win the fight over its Xifaxan drug patent . We wish we had more insight into that legal dispute than management has provided. Caterpillar (CAT): A flood of U.S. government spending on infrastructure should provide multiyear tailwinds to Caterpillar’s business starting this year. But in the near term, investor attention will be on the health of its order backlog when the manufacturing company reports first-quarter earnings before the opening bell on Thursday. Salesforce (CRM): Questions continue to swirl about the overall state of enterprise software spending. But at Salesforce, CEO Marc Benioff is ushering in a slimmer, more-profitable version of the company. The newfound cost discipline is what shareholders like us — and the numerous activist investors that have swarmed Salesforce in recent months — wanted to see. Cisco Systems (CSCO): Wall Street seems to believe that Cisco will never see a period of meaningful growth again. The pessimistic attitude has prevented Cisco shares from breaking out, even as the company has reported quality results of late. Its next earnings release, set for May 17, may provide a spark for the stock and give us a chance to sell. Coterra Energy (CTRA): Jim said for those wanting to put money to work in one of the Club’s energy holdings right now, Coterra is his top choice. Management has wisely made stock buybacks a major priority, and the company’s exposure to natural gas should pay off over the long term. Disney (DS): The media-and-entertainment giant’s stock performance has been exceedingly frustrating. But there’s no denying Disney’s franchise value . As the company’s cost-cutting moves under CEO Bob Iger take hold, an inflection point should arrive. Unfortunately, it might not happen when the company reports fiscal second-quarter results May 10 and, instead, may be more of a third-quarter earnings story. Estee Lauder (EL): Shares of the prestige cosmetics firm have climbed more than 30% from early November lows. And there’s more upside ahead for the stock, as China’s economy continues to reopen this year. China accounts for roughly a third of Estee Lauder’s total revenue. Emerson Electric (EMR): We remain frustrated with management at this automation-focused industrial, despite it ultimately reaching an amicable deal to buy National Instruments (NATI) following an initial hostile-takeover bid. Jim said he’s giving the company six months to demonstrate its strategy is working, or else we’ll part ways. Ford Motor (F): The automaker is another Club holding on a short leash. After a disappointing fourth-quarter print, we’re hoping to see evidence that CEO Jim Farley has righted the ship. We remain curious about the potential impact Tesla ‘s (TSLA) aggressive price cuts on electric vehicles could have on Ford and its legacy peers. Foot Locker (FL): We added to our newest Club holding on a pullback Monday. We’re banking with CEO Mary Dillon, whose impressive run leading Ulta Beauty (ULTA) instills confidence in her ability to turn around the sportswear retailer. Alphabet (GOOGL): The tech behemoth has been dropped from our core-holdings list, replaced by Nvidia. Jim said his faith in Google’s parent company has waned because it has failed to capitalize on a range of initiatives outside its core search engine business. Faced with increased competition around artificial intelligence, Jim said he wants to see improving financials at Alphabet, not just talk. Alphabet reported better-than-expected first-quarter results after the closing bell on Tuesday. Halliburton (HAL): Halliburton’s first-quarter earnings, released before the bell Tuesday, fortified our conviction in the oilfield services firm . The results were considerably better than the stock’s 3.5% drop would indicate. Honeywell International (HON): Honeywell was replaced by Linde on our core-holdings list. Our rationale for the switch largely centers around the industrial conglomerate’s upcoming CEO shakeup. With the retiring Darius Adamczyk set to be replaced by Vimal Kapur in June, we’re in wait-and-see mode with the stock. Humana (HUM): The market frequently changes its mind about Humana. One week, the health-care stock will be firmly out of favor. Investors will then return to Humana and its managed care brethren when economic slowdown fears are more pronounced. That’s been the case so far this week, with the stock up more than 2%. We’ll see if the traction sticks after Humana reports Wednesday morning. Meta Platforms (META): CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s “year of efficiency” has propelled the social media firm’s stock more than 70% higher this year, following a brutal 2022. Zuckerberg deserves credit for reining in costs. But now we want to see whether the Facebook and Instagram parent can begin to reaccelerate top-line growth. It reports quarterly numbers after Wednesday’s close. Microsoft (MSFT): After Tuesday’s close, Microsoft issued better-than-expected quarterly numbers and strong revenue guidance, while highlighting its AI prowess — a key pillar of our investment thesis. Palo Alto Networks (PANW): Cybersecurity spending has been resilient despite concerns about an economic slowdown, which is why we continue to stick with Palo Alto. We purchased 25 shares on April 10, gradually growing our position in a company we first bought in February. Procter & Gamble (PG): The consumer products giant on Friday delivered an earnings beat , while raising its full-year guidance. Crucially, P & G’s volumes were down only 3%, despite a 10% price increase. A rollover in chemical prices, along with declining freight costs, should help lift the company’s profitability in the coming quarters. Qualcomm (QCOM): Jim said he remains committed to exiting our Qualcomm position into strength. He acknowledged that the chipmaker’s low price-to-earnings multiple hasn’t been enough for the investment to be fruitful. Constellation Brands (STZ): Wall Street hasn’t seemed to appreciate the quality guidance the Corona beer parent issued in early April. We’re more than wiling to be patient, though, especially knowing Constellation just hiked its dividend by 11% . TJX Companies (TJX): The off-price retailer may prove to be a beneficiary of Bed Bath & Beyond’s bankruptcy . Jim said he’s shocked TJX’s stock price isn’t higher, while urging Club members to be patient with their ownership. Wells Fargo (WFC): When turbulence strikes shares of Wells Fargo, it could be an opportunity to buy the stock, not sell it. With each passing quarter, the bank continues to resolve regulatory issues that have plagued it for years. Wynn Resorts (WYNN): Like Estee Lauder, Wynn Resorts is a play on China’s economic recovery after roughly three years of Covid-19 restrictions. Shares of the casino operator have almost doubled over the past six months, but the turnaround of its business in the Chinese gaming hub of Macao is still playing out. (See here for a full list of the stocks in Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.
Jim Cramer at the NYSE, June 30, 2022.
Virginia Sherwood | CNBC
The Club held its “Monthly Meeting” for April on Tuesday, providing a window into our current thinking on the stocks in Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust — including an updated list of the 10 core holdings in the portfolio.