Jim Cramer, the host of Mad Money, recently discussed a number of companies that have surpassed $100 billion in market capitalization this year, noting how these companies seem to reflect the current market mood. According to Cramer, it used to be a significant achievement for a company to reach the $100 billion mark, as most companies would never attain that level of market cap.
He emphasized the immense effort and determination required to achieve such a feat. However, Cramer pointed out that in today's market, the $100 billion threshold has lost some of its significance, given the recent surge in stock valuations. He highlighted that, as of the market close last Friday, 18 companies had crossed the $100 billion mark in 2024, a notable increase that speaks to the current market dynamics.
Cramer acknowledged that stocks, like everything else, had to contend with inflation, which remains a persistent issue. He went on to say:
“I know we’re experiencing a heightened market, with expectations really running so hot that you can’t believe that a presidential rally, or, let’s say, an end-of-the-year rally and a stock shortage rally are all in play at once. Many of these stocks got clocked today as part of a sell-off that seemed to infect the year’s best performers. I don't know how long it'll last, maybe some great buying opportunities already.”
Cramer concluded that the massive influx of capital into the market is a clear driver behind the rise in companies reaching the $100 billion valuation.
“But bottom line: When you get this much money coming in, you can see how all these companies can reach $100 billion, creating a huge amount of wealth, at least on paper. One more reason why it wouldn’t be so bad if some of the winning investors in this market took something delicious off the table.”
Our Methodology
For this article, we compiled a list of 18 stocks that were discussed by Jim Cramer during the episode of Mad Money on December 9. We listed the stocks in ascending order of their hedge fund sentiment as of the third quarter, which was taken from Insider Monkey’s database of 900 hedge funds.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
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Cramer commended Apollo Global Management, Inc. (NYSE:APO) stock’s performance in 2024, saying:
“Next is Apollo Global, a private equity firm that had rallied 93% for the year, joining the hundred billion dollar club as of Friday's close… That's outstanding performance from two firms that truly know how to make money. It's odd to think that they could have such good years without ringing the register by taking their portfolio companies public. Maybe holding onto positions isn't such a bad move… These two private equity firms are part of a trend that allows startups to stay private longer internally because the process of coming public is brutal with a lot of pressure from regulators and then from money managers. Well, I mean, this is a great way to go. Formerly, these companies had to tap the public market for capital. Now they tap outfits like KKR and Apollo.”
Apollo Global (NYSE:APO) is a private equity firm that invests in various markets, including credit, private equity, infrastructure, real estate, and secondaries. The firm focuses on a wide range of investment strategies across multiple sectors. CEO Marc Rowan is optimistic about the opportunities for private market investing with the anticipated changes in the White House administration.
On December 11, he noted that despite a challenging political environment during the Biden administration, the firm has prospered and expects positive changes for private markets. Rowan sees significant potential in leveraging private assets, particularly with investment-grade leverage, and believes that hybrid investments offer the best risk-reward.
He also sees opportunities for banks as the regulatory environment shifts and mentioned that Apollo Global (NYSE:APO) is exploring partnerships with them. Additionally, he highlighted the need for litigation relief to allow private assets to be added to retirement funds like 401(k)s.
Overall APO ranks 7th on our list of the companies that hit $100 billion in market cap in 2024 according to Jim Cramer. While we acknowledge the potential of APO as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than APO but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
