Scott Mlyn | CNBC. Jim Cramer still says to hold Apple, not trade it, but shares why he feels indifferent to its upcoming quarter. ·CNBC
Abigail Stevenson
Updated
With a strong employment number reported on Friday, Jim Cramer still considers the market to be just crazy town. Most investors have been conditioned to believe that good news is bad news because that meant the Fed would raise rates. On the contrary, the market actually liked the strong employment number and rallied in response.
"We regard this strong jobs number as a sign that things are good enough for the Fed to tighten, so, bring it on," the "Mad Money" host said.(Tweet This)
So, now Cramer is operating under the assumption that everyone with a pulse knows the Fed will raise rates, and everyone will just have to wait to see what it says in its commentary when it happens. If it's a "one and done" rate hike, then Cramer anticipates the market will rally like it did on Friday.
Until then, he will proceed as usual. With this in mind, Cramer outlined the stocks and events he will be watching next week.
Wednesday: Lululemon Athletica Lululemon (NASDAQ: LULU): Many investors want to own this stock because they think it could be taken over. But then, if the earnings are not good, investors sell the stock again. Going into the quarter on Wednesday, Cramer considers this stock guilty until proven innocent.
"My problem is that I can never recommend a stock on a takeover basis if the fundamentals are suspect, and I think they remain suspect at Lululemon," Cramer said.
There is a reason why Cramer always preaches to investors the importance of digging in the weeds with conference calls, listening to management and devouring insights from a company.
This is the information that will let investors predict trends and prepare for opportunities before any of Wall Street's algorithms and analysts figure them out.
Just as a coach on a football team will study a replay film of the game, Cramer does the same for stocks.
"I don't know about you, but I wouldn't have those insights without looking at the game film of these conference calls. It is a boring, nerdy game to play. But it gives you the edge you need," Cramer said.
It was these insights that allowed both Kroger and Dollar General's stocks to make money on one of the worst days of the year.
With an environment of strong employment where the Fed is poised to take action, Cramer wondered what to do with a small-cap growth restaurant stock like Zoe's Kitchen.
Zoe's is the Mediterranean themed fast-casual chain with 165 locations in 17 states. The stock was a former market darling that roared to $45 in July, but then the CFO suddenly resigned and same-store sales started to decline. The market also developed higher standards for all high-flying not yet profitable growth stocks out there.
However, when Zoe's reported approximately two weeks ago, the stock jumped 3 percent on the news. Could Zoe be getting her groove back? To find out, Cramer spoke with Zoe's Kitchen CEO Kevin Miles.
"We are really focused on the day-to-day. We are very honored to be a public company and we have been very well received. We're focused on the day-to-day in the long run. Our traffic was really fantastic, we were very proud of our quarter … and the best thing is that we didn't take price. We gave that back to our customer and we continue to grow," Miles said.
Retail can be a confusing world for Cramer. Why the heck are investors willing to pay up for a stock like Ulta Salon (NASDAQ: ULTA), and then completely give up on a stock like PVH Corp (NYSE: PVH) even if they both beat quarterly guidance?
"It all has to do with destiny: Ulta is in charge of its own, while PVH is hostage to the environment," the "Mad Money" host said. (Tweet This)
When Ulta reported its 12 percent same-store-sales gain on Thursday, Cramer was struck by how little stands in the way of this company. It doesn't have to fight the weather, strong dollar or e-commerce. Women buy cosmetics and get their hair done regardless of how hot or cold it is.
That is how this company has the best comparable sales ever in history of being public. CEO Mary Dillon has cracked the code on customer loyalty, and Cramer thinks she could even just be scratching the surface.
Back in October when the biotech group was stuck in a house of pain, there was a slew of poorly timed biotech IPOs that were crushed right out of the gate. That is why Cramer decided to sort through the rubble to figure out which ones are worth buying into in undeserved weakness.
Novocure is a company with a novel, proprietary anti-cancer therapy called Tumor Treating Fields. It basically uses alternating electrical fields to disrupt key molecules inside cancer cells. Some consider this a much less invasive way to stop tumors from growing than surgery, chemo or radiation.
And while Novocure is up 55 percent in the past two months, the stock still remains less than $3 above its IPO price. Given its robust pipeline, Cramer spoke with its executive chairman of the board, Bill Doyle, to find out what could be in store for the company in the future.
"When we surround the area that has a tumor … With our transducer rays and create an electric field inside the cells, we pull apart the proteins that are necessary for cell division. If the proteins can't go in the right place at the right time, instead of one cancer cell becoming two, one blows up and becomes zero. That is how we treat cancer," Doyle said.
In the Lightning Round, Cramer gave his take on a few caller favorite stocks:
Chevron: "We are tired of the oils. We are battling and battling and battling. There are so many other good companies. I think Chevron you sell, sell, sell at $93. Take three more points and then go."
Geron Corporation: "So speculative. We have got stocks like Biogen, which my charitable trust owns, and Celgene down so much. How can we not go with quality?"
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