Jim Cramer Blog

Here are 7 stocks for traders for Thursday from TradingMarkets.com:
Kinder Morgan Partners (NYSE:KMP - News) beat earnings on Wednesday afternoon, reporting $0.50 EPS over an expected $0.45 EPS. KMP's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
Blockbuster (NYSE:BBI - News) rallied 22%, after JP Morgan said that Apple competition worries could be overblown. BBI's PowerRating (for Traders) is 6.
BB&T Corporation (NYSE:BBT - News) reports earnings on Thursday before the market opens, with traders looking for $0.78 EPS. BBT's PowerRating (for Traders) is 2.
Continental Airlines (NYSE:CAL - News) announces quarterly results on Thursday morning; watch for $0.03 EPS. CAL's PowerRating (for Traders) is 2.
International Game Technology (NYSE:IGT - News) is expected to post $0.36 EPS on Tuesday morning before the bell. IGT's PowerRating (for Traders) is 5.
Analysts will be watching for Merrill Lynch (NYSE:MER - News) to report -$4.57 EPS before the market opens tomorrow. MER's PowerRating (for Traders) is 3.
Novartis (NYSE:NVS - News) should report $0.73 EPS tomorrow morning. NVS's PowerRating (for Traders) is 6.

Labels: BBI, BBT, CAL, Hot Stocks, IGT, KMP, MER, NVS

Bullish:
China Mobile (CHL) instead of KONG
Enterprise Product Parners (EPD)
Schering-Plough (SGP),
Celgene (CELG),
Sanofi-Aventis (SNY): likes Novartis (NVS) and Schering-Plough (SGP) better
Manulife (MFC), Prudential (PRU), Metlife (MET): Likes all three
E-Trade Financial (ETFC): It's a buy.
Furmanite (FRM): Cramer prefers ITT.
ITT (ITT),
Transocean (RIG),
Schlumberger (SLB)
Hudson City (HCBK): Better than NYB.
Bearish:
KongZhong (KONG): Cramer recommended China Mobile (CHL) instead.
Pioneer Drill (PDC); Cramer wants you to sell this driller
NightHawk (NIHK): Don't buy
New York Community Bank (NYB): Cramer thinks Hudson City (HCBK) is a better bank.
MDU (MDU): Don't buy.

Labels: CELG, CHL, EPD, ETFC, FRM, ITT, Jim Cramer, Lightning Round, Mad Money, MET, MFC, NVS, PRU, RIG, SGP, SNY

Here are 7 trading ideas for today. These lists come directly from the TradingMarkets Stock Indicators page and are based upon our latest quantitative research.
Bullish
5+ Consecutive Down Days: These are stocks that have closed down for five or more consecutive days and are trading above their 200-day moving average. Our research shows that stocks trading above their 200-day moving average that close down for five or more days have shown positive returns, on average, 1-day, 2-days and 1-week later. Historically, these stocks have provided traders with a significant edge.
Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA - News) & Platinum Holdings (NYSE:PTP - News). LEA's PowerRating is 7, and PTP's PowerRating is 7.
5+ Consecutive Lower Lows: These are stocks that have made a lower low for five or more consecutive days and are trading above their 200-day moving average. Our research shows that stocks trading above their 200-day moving average that make lower lows for five or more days have shown positive returns, on average, 1-day, 2-days and 1-week later. Historically, these stocks have provided traders with a significant edge.
Northrop Grunman (NYSE:NOC - News). NOC's PowerRating is 6.
2-Period RSI Below 2: These are stocks that have a 2-period RSI reading below 2 and are trading above their 200-day moving average. Our research shows that stocks trading above their 200-day moving with a 2-period RSI reading below 2 have shown positive returns, on average, 1-day, 2-days and 1-week later. Historically, these stocks have provided traders with a significant edge.
Axis Capital Holdings (NYSE:AXS - News) & The Travelers Company (NYSE:TRV - News). AXS's PowerRating is 7, and TRV's PowerRating is 6.
Bearish
5+ Consecutive Up Days: These are stocks that have closed up for five or more consecutive days and are trading below their 200-day moving average. Our research shows that stocks trading below their 200-day moving average that close up for five or more days have shown negative returns, on average, 1-week later. Historically, these stocks have provided traders with a significant edge. Historically, these stocks have provided traders with a significant edge.
Novartis (NYSE:NVS - News). NVS's PowerRating is 4.
5+ Consecutive Higher Highs: These are stocks that have made a higher high for five or more consecutive days and are trading below their 200-day moving average. Our research shows that stocks trading below their 200-day moving average that make higher highs for five or more days have shown negative returns, on average, 1-day, 2-days and 1-week later. Historically, these stocks have provided traders with a significant edge.
Pinnacle Entertainment (NYSE:PNK - News). PNK's PowerRating is 3.
PowerRatings are courtesy of PowerRatings.net

Labels: AXS, Hot Stocks, LEA, NOC, NVS, PNK, PTP, TRV

Stocks moved modestly to the downside today on profit taking in the wake of Friday's strong advance despite the announcement of big merger deals in the banking and biotechnology sectors. Oil prices also rose sharply, topping $65 a barrel in New York trading as traders reacted to instability in Nigeria following national elections in the oil-producing nation that opponents claim were rigged in the government's favor. The 10-year Treasury note moved higher to begin the week.
Today's news was dominated by M&A activity. As anticipated, Britain's Barclay's (NYSE: BCS - News) announced that it has agreed to acquire Dutch bank ABN Amro Holdings (NYSE: ABN - News) for just over $91 billion. As part of the deal, ABN Amro said it would sell its Chicago-based LaSalle National Bank subsidiary to Bank of America (NYSE: BAC - News) for $21 billion. Proceeds from that sale will be distributed to shareholders of the combined banks after the sale is concluded. The offering price is slightly below last Friday's close, but represents a more than 30% premium over the price ABN shares were trading at when the talks began.
The Barclay's-ABN combination will create the world's fifth-largest bank and world's largest institutional asset manager. The two companies had been locked in exclusive negotiations for the last month. Recently, Barclay's rivals Royal Bank of Scotland and Santander Central Hispano (NYSE: STD - News) sought to offer their own bids of ABN. The Dutch bank said it favors Barclay's offer, but has not ruled out a competing bid should one arise. The other banks want to see details of the LaSalle transaction before deciding whether to proceed with bids of their own.
In other merger news, Britain's AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN - News) said it would buy biotech MedImmune (Nasdaq: MEDI - News) for $15.2 billion, or $58 a share, which is a 21% premium over Friday's closing price. MedImmune's board had put the company up for sale under pressure from major shareholders. Its top products include the FluMist influenza treatment and Synagis, a treatment for respiratory problems in infants, and it has a solid pipeline of drugs in development. MedImmune's shares rose 17.8% on the news. Subscribers may read our take on this deal and its implications for other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in today's edition.
In earnings news, Kimberly Clark (NYSE: KMB - News), which makes Kleenex tissue and other paper products, said its Q1 profit jumped 70% on strong sales growth and cost cutting. Revenue rose 8%. The company, however, also noted that rising pulp prices could impact future results. Its shares declined -1.2%. Like other companies with significant overseas sales, Kimberly Clark's results were aided by the weak U.S. dollar, which makes its products cheaper overseas.
Novartis (NYSE: NVS - News) reported an 11% increase in first-quarter earnings. Its profit rose to $2.17 billion, compared with $1.96 billion in the same quarter last year. Strong sales of its hypertension drug Diovan and its leukemia treatment, Gleevec, helped to fuel an 18% increase in revenue to $9.8 billion. Shares of toymaker Hasbro (NYSE: HAS - News) added 7.7% after the company reported a profit of nearly $33 million, or 19 cents a share, for the quarter that ended April 1st, compared with a loss of -$4.9 million, or -3 cents per share, in last year's comparable period.
By the BullMarket.com Staff

Labels: ABN, AZN, BAC, BCS, HAS, KMB, MEDI, NVS, STD

Here are 7 stocks for traders for Monday from TradingMarkets.com:
Arch Coal (NYSE:ACI) reports earnings on Monday before the bell; watch for $0.16 EPS. ACI's PowerRating is 8.
Hasbro (NYSE:HAS) is expected to report $0.00 (flat) EPS on Monday before the market opens. HAS's PowerRating is 5.
When Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) announces earnings on Monday morning, be looking for $1.01 EPS. KMB's PowerRating is 5.
When L-3 Communications (NYSE:LLL) reports earnings before the bell Monday, watch for $1.28 EPS. LLL's PowerRating is 4.
Analysts are watching for Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) to report $0.82 EPS before the market opens on Monday. NVS's PowerRating is 5.
Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) and Texas Instruments (NYSE:TXN) both report earnings after the bell on Monday, so watch for heightened price action and volume ahead of the close. BSX's PowerRating is 4, and TXN's PowerRating is 5.
PowerRatings are courtesy of PowerRatings.net

Labels: ACI, BSX, HAS, Hot Stocks, KMB, LLL, NVS, TXN

Stocks rebounded from a volatile morning session to essentially close flat. A change in U.S. tariff policies towards some goods from China put a scare into investors in the morning who feared the start of a trade war, but stocks were gradually able to rebound in the afternoon and push into positive territory. Crude oil prices eased modestly. Overshadowing crude was a sharp drop in corn futures prices following an upbeat corn crop forecast from the government. The 10-year Treasury note closed unchanged.
Stocks dropped sharply in the morning after the Commerce Department announced it was reversing a long-standing policy and that tariffs will be imposed on some Chinese goods. The Bush Administration also said it is considering a request from the U.S. paper industry for protection from cheaper imports from China. In economic news, the Commerce Department earlier reported February personal income rose at a seasonally adjusted rate of 0.6%. Personal consumption grew 0.6% from the prior month.
Corn futures fell sharply on the Chicago Board of Trade after the federal government released its crop forecast. The Department of Agriculture said farmers will plant 90.5 million acres of corn this spring, above its earlier estimate of 87 million acres, and about 15% more than the 78 million acres of corn planted last year. Ethanol producers like Archer Daniels Midland (NYSE: ADM - News), who are expected to be buyers of the additional corn output, will benefit from the lower prices.
Shares of drugmaker Novartis (NYSE: NVS - News) shed -3.9% after the Food & Drug Administration asked the Swiss company to stop selling its irritable bowel treatment Zelnorm after it was linked to an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. Zelnorm generated $561 million in sales in 2006, about 80% of which came from the U.S. market. The drug had been approved for the short-term treatment of constipation in women with IBS, and for patients younger than 65 with chronic constipation.
In merger news, two Los Angeles billionaires joined forces to bid for Tribune Co. (NYSE: TRB - News), which owns the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, numerous broadcast and other media properties, and the Chicago Cubs baseball team. Eli Broad and Ron Burkle submitted a bid valued at $34 a share that includes an employee ownership provision, according to reports. Tribune was pushed to seek a buyer by its disgruntled major shareholder, the Chandler family. Tribune shares gained 1.9% today.
Shares of game maker Take-Two Interactive Software (Nasdaq: TTWO - News) slipped -4.6% after a group of shareholders that control 46% of the company's stock succeeded in efforts to replace the current board with six new directors. The maker of the "Grand Theft Auto" game was caught up in an options back-dating scandal that resulted in a guilty plea to related charges from former Chairman and Chief Executive Ryan Brant.
PC maker Dell (Nasdaq: DELL - News) traded lower after the company said an internal investigation of its accounting practices had revealed evidence of misconduct, but the company did not say what it found. Dell, which faces federal investigations into its finances, said it will likely need to restate prior financial results once its internal probe is complete.
By the BullMarket.com Staff

Labels: ADM, DELL, NVS, TRB, TTWO

Google Inc. (NasdaqGS:GOOG - News) Chief Executive Eric Schmidt said Monday that Google and Apple Inc. (NasdaqGS:AAPL - News) are working together on "many more" new projects, which he did not identify. Schmidt made his comments at a technology conference in San Francisco. Google has nearly doubled the annual salaries of Chief Financial Officer George Reyes and three other top-level executives, the company said in a regulatory filing.
Health Management Associates Inc. (NYSE:HMA - News) was upgraded to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
The International Securities Exchange (NYSE:ISE - News) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Banc of America Securities. "The recent spike in volatility has driven surging option volumes. We expect volatility to remain at elevated levels in the near-term, and we could be at the start of a cyclical turn to a higher volatility environment, so we are raising ISE's volume growth forecasts to 24% in 2007 and 25% in 2008," the broker said.
Landauer (NYSE:LDR - News) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Hilliard Lyons.
Lifetime Brands Inc.'s (NasdaqGS:LCUT - News) fourth-quarter net income rose to $9.46 million, or 62 cents a share, from $7.22 million, or 60 cents, a year earlier. A Thomson Financial survey of analysts, on average, projected earnings of 64 cents a share for the quarter. Analysts' estimates usually exclude items. The Westbury, N.Y., maker of consumer products said revenue rose 26% to $157.3 million from $124.4 million in the year-ago period. The company forecasts 2007 earnings of $1.40 to $1.70 a share on revenue of $540 million to $575 million. Analysts are looking for earnings of $1.58 a share for the year.
Maidenform Brands Inc. (NYSE:MFB - News) reported fourth-quarter net earnings of $3.22 million, or 13 cents a share. During the same period a year ago, the company posted a net loss of $209,000, or a penny a share. The Bayonne, N.J.-based marketer of intimate apparel reported revenue of $85 million vs. $79.5 million. For 2007, Maidenform said it expects per-share earnings growth of 15% to 18% on total net sales growth of 6% to 7%.
Microchip Technology Inc. (NasdaqGS:MCHP - News) said it still expects fiscal fourth-quarter earnings of about 33 cents a share, or 36 cents a share excluding items. The Chandler, Ariz., provider of microcontroller and analog semiconductors also said it expects net sales to be flat to slightly up from third-quarter sales of $251 million. In January, Microchip said it expected fourth-quarter revenue to be flat from the third quarter.
Monsanto (NYSE:MON - News) was upgraded to buy from hold at Citigroup, which cited expectations of a Latin American recovery and a key regulatory change in Brazil. Citigroup said it expects Brazilian farming to recover due to higher grain prices, a greater share of the soybean market as U.S. production declines and the ability to turn more land over to agriculture. It added a recent regulatory change will speed up the process for approval of biotechnology traits.
Nissan Motors (Other OTC:NSANF.PK - News) said it has appointed Mark McNabb to head its global Infiniti luxury car division, effective April 1. McNabb, 45, is returning to Nissan after a one-year stint at DaimlerChrysler where he was vice president of marketing at Mercedes-Benz USA.
Novartis (NYSE:NVS - News) upgraded to neutral from underperform by Credit Suisse after winning approval from the FDA for Tekturna. "With Galvus and Tekturna catalysts out of the way, and the shares having profoundly underperformed and with last night's close being below our 68 francs a share price target, we raise our rating to neutral and our price target to 70 francs," the broker said.
Pozen Inc. (NasdaqGM:POZN - News) shares rallied after the Chapel Hill, N.C.-based pharmaceutical company announced positive results for its PA 325 proof-of-concept study. PA 325 is a formulation of 325mg of aspirin surrounded by a 20mg coating of an immediate release formulation of a proton pump inhibitor.
ResCare Inc.'s (NasdaqGS:RSCR - News) fourth-quarter net income rose sharply to $8.99 million, or 27 cents a share, from $596,000, or 2 cents a share, a year earlier. The Louisville, Ky., healthcare company's revenue grew to $337.1 million from $270.9 million. For 2007, the company expects to earn $1.24 to $1.28 a share on revenue of $1.43 billion.
Retalix Ltd. (NasdaqGS:RTLX - News), the Ra'anana, Israel, producer of software and solutions of supermarkets, food-service firms, and goods distributors, reported fourth-quarter net income fell 38% on 5.7% higher revenue. Earnings were $3.4 million, or 17 cents a share, compared with $5.5 million, or 28 cents, in the year-earlier period. Adjusted net for the period was 27 cents a share against 32 cents. Revenue reached $56.8 million from $53.7 million. In 2007, Retalix expects to earn about $9 million to $16 million, or an adjusted $15 million to $22 million. Revenue should range $220 million to $230 million, the company estimated. In 2006, Retalix earned $1.3 million, or 6 cents a share, on revenue of $203.8 million.
Ruth's Chris Steak House Inc. (NasdaqGS:RUTH - News), a New Orleans upscale steak house operator, will replace New Century Financial Corp. (NYSE:NEW - News) in the S&P SmallCap 600 index March 7. The market cap of the mortgage real estate investment trust fell to about $253 million, below the minimum of $300 million, S&P said.
Ryerson Inc. (NYSE:RYI - News) shares rallied after the Chicago-based steel distributor postponed its annual meeting, saying it continues to consider a possible sale or other options for the company.
Santarus Inc.'s (NasdaqGM:SNTS - News) fourth-quarter loss narrowed to $7.47 million, or 15 cents a share, from $15.8 million, or 36 cents a share, a year earlier. Earnings for the most recent period included stock-based compensation expenses of about $2.2 million, or 4 cents a share, the company said. The San Diego pharmaceutical company's revenue surged to $20.5 million from $5.68 million a year ago.
Spirit Aerosystems Holdings (NYSE:SPR - News) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
Sykes Enterprises Inc. (NasdaqGS:SYKE - News) reported fourth-quarter net earnings of $8.14 million, or 20 cents a share, down 5% from $8.6 million, or 22 cents a share, during the year-ago period. The Tampa, Fla.-based provider of customer management products and services posted revenue of $158.6 million vs. $128.8 million.
Topps Co. (NasdaqGS:TOPP - News) agreed to be acquired by Michael Eisner's Torante Co. and private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners for $385.4 million, or $9.75 a share in cash. The bid for the sports-related cards maker represents a 9.4% premium to Topps' Monday closing price of $8.91. As part of the agreement, Topps can solicit better bids from third parties during the next 40 days. The deal is expected to close during the third quarter.
TransMontaigne Partners L.P. (NYSE:TLP - News) said it expects to increase its quarterly distribution to unitholders by about 7 cents to 50 cents per unit by the end of 2007. The current quarterly distribution to unitholders is 43 cents per unit. Denver-based TransMontaigne is a refined petroleum products terminaling and pipeline company
Visicu Inc. (NasdaqGM:EICU - News) was upgraded to buy from hold at Jefferies & Co.
Xilinx Inc. (NasdaqGS:XLNX - News) raised the low end of its fiscal fourth-quarter sales outlook, and now expects sales of flat to down 4%, sequentially. The San Jose logic chip maker had predicted sales to be flat to down 5%, sequentially. Xilinx also reiterated its gross margin forecast, which is expected to be about 61%.
Published By MarketWatch

Labels: AAPL, GOOG, HMA, ISE, LCUT, LDR, MCHP, MFB, MON, NEW, NVS, POZN, RSCR, RTLX, RUTH, RYI, SNTS, SPR, SYKE

Shares of Arris Group (NasdaqGS:ARRS - News) tumbled 9% Monday after the company's bid to acquire Norway's Tandberg Television was trumped by Ericsson (NasdaqGS:ERIC - News), which made a SEK9.8 billion ($1.4 billion) cash offer Tandberg in an effort to position itself to capitalize on the rise of demand for television over the Internet.
Shares of Cytori Therapeutics (NasdaqGM:CYTX - News) slid 6.5% after the company said it's raised roughly $21.5 million through a direct stock offering. The San Diego-based biotechnology company said it's agreed to sell 3.75 million common shares for $5.74 per share. The deal also includes five-year warrants covering the purchase of up to an additional 1.87 million common shares for $6.25 each. Cytori plans to use the funds for clinical trials of its Celution Systems for cardiovascular disease and breast reconstruction post lumpectomy as well as general working capital and other purposes.
Instituform Technologies (NasdaqGS:INSU - News) shares fell 8.9% after the company was downgraded to hold from buy at Stifel Nicolaus.
Moody's Corp. (NYSE:MCO - News) shares slipped 3.1% after the company was downgraded to underperform from neutral at Credit Suisse. The firm also lowered its price target on the stock to $64 from $79, citing concerns about fallout from weakness in the subprime mortgage market.
Novartis (NYSE:NVS - News) shares dipped 2.6% after the Food and Drug Administration said it wants the company to conduct another study about a key diabetes drug. The company said the FDA is seeking further study of Galvus, designed to treat Type 2 diabetes, in specific patient groups with kidney problems.
Published By MarketWatch

Labels: ARRS, CYTX, ERIC, INSU, MCO, NVS

WellPoint (NYSE: WLP - News), MedcoHealth (NYSE: MHS - News), Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX - News), Schering-Plough (NYSE: SGP - News), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ - News), Pfizer (NYSE: PFE - News) Merck (NYSE: MRK - News), Novartis (NYSE: NVS - News), GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK - News) - Cramer notes that drug stocks are having a post-election rally and are screaming "buy, buy, buy!" with the exception of Pfizer, a "challenged company" which has fired a lot of people to "create an upside surprise by lowering its bar." Cramer likes MHS, DGX, SGP, JNJ, MRK, NVS, GSK and adds that WLP is best of breed.

Sacked Citi: Citigroup (NYSE: C - News) - Cramer comments that since CEO Chuck Prince protected Citibank against New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, shareholders have been "brain dead and happy" and fail to realize that there needs to be a change in leadership. Concerning suggestions that Citibank should be broken up, Cramer said, "I believe that breakup calls make sense, but not until you have someone at the helm who can make a difference." Cramer suggested selling Citibank.
Housing, General Motors (NYSE: GM - News), Ford (NYSE: F - News) and Exxon (NYSE: XOM - News) - Cramer notes that in housing, sellers are "desperate", are cutting prices, and buyers should take advantage of the current inventory excess. "There is not an industry in the world that can finance nonproducing inventory except oil, which is why I like that business so much," Cramer said. "Its inventory goes up in price as it sits because of a developing multiyear storage." Homebuilding is a cyclical rather than a secular grower, explains Cramer adding that they "downgraded the cyclicals at the bottom of the cycle because the price-to-earnings ratios soared." Cramer notes the pullback of the auto and housing sectors and predicts a "big decline" in the economy, adding that GM and Ford are laying off workers. Cramer does see some momentum in energy with Exxon as the "annointed stock."
Bullish calls:
Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS - News) and MasterCard (NYSE: MA - News): Although these stocks are "beaten down" Cramer declares that they are going up and would pull the trigger if they go down five or six points because "even the best ones need to take a breather."Saks (NYSE: SKS - News) and Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN - News): Saks is "in the midst of a major turnaround" and should join ranks with JWN.Bank of America (NYSE: BAC - News): This company knows how to treat its shareholders, according to Cramer.Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO - News): Cramer says he is a "Cisco guy" when it comes to telecom.AK Steel (NYSE: AKS - News): Cramer likes this company but prefers Reliance Steel (NYSE: RS - News).
Neutral/Bearish calls:
Continental (NYSE: CAL - News): Cramer likes this airline, but since the sector has had a "tremendous" run, he would take profit now.JPMorgan (NYSE: JPM - News): "Fine," says Cramer, but not a "must own."RF Micro Devices (NASDAQ: RFMD - News)Coldwater Creek (NASDAQ: CWTR - News): When a caller complained about being in the "house of pain" with Coldwater Creek, Cramer replied, "That's because it's a huge mistake."

Labels: AKS, BAC, C, CSCO, DGX, GM, GSK, Jim Cramer, JNJ, JWN, LVS, MHS, MRK, NVS, pfe, Real Money Radio, SGP, SKS, WLP, XOM

New York Times (NYSE: NYT - News) and Tribune (NYSE: TRB - News) - Cramer would use the news of Hank Greenberg's purchase of NYT stock as an opportunity to sell, since the company has two classes of stock which will " stop just the kind of maneuvering that is being done now to get The Times to do something to make itself more profitable," Cramer said. "So, why try to force a takeover when you can't?" With its A class and B class shares, NYT is like a "a private institution masquerading as a public stock," comments Cramer, who says that Greenberg would be more successful buying a university. Cramer takes the extension on the sale of Tribune's newspaper as a sign that it doesn't generate cash flow; "The private equity guys will ditch the papers fast, bring TV public quickly and sell the Cubs for much more than Tribune would know how to." Cramer also criticized Tribune's "stupid, highly leveraged buyback."
Related: Lon Juricic notes the jump in NYT's shares on the news of Hank Greenberg's purchase.
Something's Brewing: Anheuser-Busch (NYSE: BUD - News) - Contrary to popular belief, BUD says that it is not in decline, and after finding that the news was better than he expected, Cramer agrees. Although The Wall Street Journal reported problems in the BUD's international brewing, Cramer points out another article mentioned the stock was up 75 cents after reiterating its earnings-per-share growth projections. "Buy it today, the press got it wrong," he said.
Bogus Perceptions: Verizon (NYSE: VZ - News) and Tiffany (NYSE: TIF - News) - In spite of the "bogus perception" that Verizon is clueless and is spending too much money on wireless, Cramer comments Verizon is a "low-risk stock to play some really terrific stuff," such as its mobile deal with YouTube, its ringtone downloading business and "terrific" dividend. Another "bogus" idea is that oil's rise is behind recent selloffs, but Cramer pointed out that both oil and the market are up, and the real culprit is in an "incredible amount of shorting" by hedge funds. For example, hedge funds were bearish on Tiffany on Monday because of talk about its weakness in Japan. However, the U.S. business has compensated for this weakness and the stock is up.
Related: Steven Towns discusses Tiffany's comments on its Japanese business.
Bullish calls:
McGraw-Hill (NYSE: MHP - News): Cramer called MHP a "phenomenal" diversified stock with the the "best business model of any media company," and recommends buying up to $67.Level 3 Communications (NASDAQ: LVLT - News): Cramer likes this company better than CHTR.Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ - News): JNJ has a "fantastic story," says Cramer, and has been unjustifiably hammered because of its stent business.Schering-Plough (NYSE: SGP - News): The credit belongs to CEO Fred Hassan, a "bankable guy" who has improved SGP "brick-by-brick."Companhia Vale do Rio (NYSE: RIO - News): "Don't sell it here, it's too darn cheap."
Neutral/Bearish calls:
Charter Communications (NASDAQ: CHTR - News): This company needs to refinance its debts so its shareholders can make money.Novartis (NYSE: NVS - News): This stock is not best-0f-breed, according to Cramer, who prefers JNJ and SGP.
Published By SeekingAlpha

Labels: CGTR, Jim Cramer, JNJ, LVLT, MHP, NVS, Real Money, RIO, SGP

Here are 7 options to watch for today. This list comes directly from the TradingMarkets Options Indicators page. The list is created using OptionVue options analysis software.
Most Under Priced Calls: These are the most under priced calls of all stocks in our database. While the Equities Explosion List finds groups of calls for individual equities that are under priced, this list finds the most under priced individual calls. Thus, the options listed here will tend to be more severely under priced.
GuessInc. (NYSE:GES - News) Jan 70.0. GES' PowerRating is 6.
Most Under Priced Puts: These are the most under priced puts of all stocks in our database. While the Equities Explosion List finds groups of puts for individual equities that are under priced, this list finds the most under priced individual puts. Thus, the options listed here will tend to be more severely under priced.
Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - News) Jan 60.0. NVS' PowerRating is 6.
Most Overpriced Calls: These are the most overpriced calls of all stocks in our database. While the Equities Implosion List finds groups of calls for individual equities that are overpriced, this list finds the most overpriced individual calls. Thus, the options listed here will tend to be more severely overpriced.
Bank of America Corp. (NYSE:BAC - News) Jan 55.0. BAC's PowerRating is 6.
Most Overpriced Puts: These are the most overpriced puts of all stocks in our database. While the Equities Implosion List finds groups of puts for individual equities that are overpriced, this list finds the most overpriced individual puts. Thus, the options listed here will tend to be more severely overpriced.
FrontlineLtd. (NYSE:FRO - News) Jan 35.0. FRO's PowerRating is 5.
Stocks with Abnormal Call Volume: These are stocks which showed unusual call option volume not easily explained by arbitrage operations. The appearance of a stock on the Call Volume Alerts list suggests a possible takeover, extraordinarily good earnings report, or other news which may favorably affect the stock.
Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ:ORCL - News). ORCL's PowerRating is 6.
Stocks with Abnormal Put Volume: These are stocks which showed unusual put option volume not easily explained by arbitrage operations. The appearance of a stock on the Put Volume Alerts list suggestsan extraordinarily negative earnings report, or other news which may negatively affect the stock.
CBS Corp. (NYSE:CBS - News). CBS' PowerRating is 6.
Abnormal Put/Call $ Volume: These stocks have the highest dollar put volume in relation to their call volume. These high ratios are indicative of extreme bearish sentiment in the underlying stock.
EMC Corp. (NYSE:EMC - News). EMC's PowerRating is 6.
PowerRatings are courtesy of PowerRatings.net

Labels: BAC, CBS, EMC, FRO, GES, NVS, ORCL

Here are 7 options to watch for today. This list comes directly from the TradingMarkets Options Indicators page. The list is created using OptionVue options analysis software.
Most Under Priced Calls: These are the most under priced calls of all stocks in our database. While the Equities Explosion List finds groups of calls for individual equities that are under priced, this list finds the most under priced individual calls. Thus, the options listed here will tend to be more severely under priced.
GuessInc. (NYSE:GES - News) Jan 70.0. GES' PowerRating is 6.
Most Under Priced Puts: These are the most under priced puts of all stocks in our database. While the Equities Explosion List finds groups of puts for individual equities that are under priced, this list finds the most under priced individual puts. Thus, the options listed here will tend to be more severely under priced.
Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - News) Jan 60.0. NVS' PowerRating is 6.
Most Overpriced Calls: These are the most overpriced calls of all stocks in our database. While the Equities Implosion List finds groups of calls for individual equities that are overpriced, this list finds the most overpriced individual calls. Thus, the options listed here will tend to be more severely overpriced.
Bank of America Corp. (NYSE:BAC - News) Jan 55.0. BAC's PowerRating is 6.
Most Overpriced Puts: These are the most overpriced puts of all stocks in our database. While the Equities Implosion List finds groups of puts for individual equities that are overpriced, this list finds the most overpriced individual puts. Thus, the options listed here will tend to be more severely overpriced.
FrontlineLtd. (NYSE:FRO - News) Jan 35.0. FRO's PowerRating is 5.
Stocks with Abnormal Call Volume: These are stocks which showed unusual call option volume not easily explained by arbitrage operations. The appearance of a stock on the Call Volume Alerts list suggests a possible takeover, extraordinarily good earnings report, or other news which may favorably affect the stock.
Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ:ORCL - News). ORCL's PowerRating is 6.
Stocks with Abnormal Put Volume: These are stocks which showed unusual put option volume not easily explained by arbitrage operations. The appearance of a stock on the Put Volume Alerts list suggestsan extraordinarily negative earnings report, or other news which may negatively affect the stock.
CBS Corp. (NYSE:CBS - News). CBS' PowerRating is 6.
Abnormal Put/Call $ Volume: These stocks have the highest dollar put volume in relation to their call volume. These high ratios are indicative of extreme bearish sentiment in the underlying stock.
EMC Corp. (NYSE:EMC - News). EMC's PowerRating is 6.
PowerRatings are courtesy of PowerRatings.net

Labels: BAC, CBS, EMC, FRO, GES, NVS, ORCL