There's no denying that Mad Money host Jim Cramer is entertaining, popular, and passionate. On many occasions, he's even right. So he's smart, funny, and the closest thing to a stock market rock star -- but is he smarter than you?
Cramming for Cramer
The Fool's free investing community, Motley Fool CAPS, aggregates the opinion of more than 145,000 members to rate each stock's likelihood of outperforming or underperforming the market.
Below, we look at some top stocks that Cramer picked and panned during last week's "lightning rounds," and compare them to how the CAPS community sees their future.
Stock |
Lightning Round Show Date |
Cramer's Rating |
CAPS Rating |
---|---|---|---|
Cisco Systems |
Tuesday |
Bullish |
**** |
Allos Therapeutics |
Tuesday |
Bullish |
***** |
Immunogen |
Tuesday |
Bullish |
**** |
Chesapeake Energy |
Wednesday |
Bullish |
***** |
True Religion |
Wednesday |
Bearish |
*** |
|
Thursday |
Bullish |
*** |
GameStop |
Thursday |
Bearish |
*** |
Goldman Sachs |
Friday |
Bearish |
*** |
Sprint-Nextel |
Friday |
Bearish |
** |
Huntington Bancshares |
Friday |
Bullish |
** |
Cramer says:
There's nothing like the President of the United States going after the premise of your company's existence -- particularly while you're giving your earnings conference call, as Cramer said -- to get investors antsy about your future. Financial stocks and the overall market plunged after President Obama unleashed a recent salvo against Wall Street, and as much as Cramer loves Goldman Sachs, even he doesn't think there's anything good that's going to come out of this for awhile.
Goldman Sachs...Oh man, Goldman Sachs. I mean like (pulls out a knife and points it at his heart), you know what I mean? Alright, this is a great company but we now know why it sells at 5 times earnings… it does not seem like it can get out of its own way, because the President attacked its business model directly while the conference call was on… of all the things to do… I own a little bit for ActionAlertsPlus.com, I said that I would never sell it, that is my charitable trust… I said that I would never sell Goldman… I am not selling this little bit… that said, my only forecast for it you own Goldman Sachs is what Mr. T promised to give, to what he promised to give to Rocky… my forecast is, "pain."
CAPS says:
Probably for many of the same reasons as Cramer, the CAPS community has mostly supported the investment banking giant; 88% of those rating Goldman indicate it will outperform the broad market index. As bad as things look for Goldman Sachs right now, CAPS member cahhorn believes it'll still come out on top:
As the economy continues to recover, Goldman's I banking business is sure to come back with a vengeance. I know, I know, the bailout tax, increased regulation etc., but going forward as M&A activity picks up, who are the big boys going to look to first? Plus, not to get all conspiracy theory on you, but I am sure that Goldman’s relationship with the Fed doesn’t hurt. In terms of value, GS is a better is still a better deal than [JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup], etc.
This Fool says:
In this case, I have to agree with cahhorn. The President's move seems timed to capture some of the populist anger currently roiling the country. By tapping into taxpayers' outrage at exorbitant bonuses for big banks just one year after those firms got bailed out, the President may be trying to get in front of the mobs again with his own pitchfork and torch.
I, too, find it absurd that Goldman was able to profit at taxpayer expense with the American International Group
For that reason, I think cooler heads will prevail down the road. Changes may be coming, but I don't believe they'll be as onerous as what the president has proposed, and as a result, Goldman Sachs will live to see another day. Cramer may be right that the immediate future probably holds pain for the investment banking shop, but that will lead to an opportunity for investors to profit.
Your say
While CAPS members may stand with Jim Cramer or on opposite sides of the field, the investor intelligence community is more than what some All-Stars think, even if they are TV personalities. But what do you think? Is Cramer right or off his rocker? The contents are hot over on CAPS, but your view is still needed on the Goldman Sachs CAPS page about what its future looks like.
Motley Fool CAPS is a great place to start your own research on these stocks. Read a company's financial reports, scrutinize key data and charts, and examine the comments your fellow investors have made -- all from a stock's CAPS page. Best of all, it's free.