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Cramer's 'Mad Money' Recap: Could Halliburton Have a Suitor?

TheStreet.com Staff

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Abu Dhabi's move to take a small stake in Citigroup (C Quote) raises the question of what its next move will be, Jim Cramer told viewers of his "Mad Money" TV show Tuesday.

The market saw the purchase of Citigroup shares, which Cramer owns for his charitable trust, Action Alerts PLUS, as a ray of light for the banks, Cramer said.

Now, he said, it's reasonable to assume similar moves will be made in the future. For example, Cramer said it's possible JPMorgan (JPM Quote) or AIG (AIG Quote) could be the next takeover targets for the Middle East, but he said he doesn't want to touch those stocks right now.

Instead, Cramer said he'd rather look at Halliburton (HAL Quote), a company that announced plans to relocate its headquarters from Houston to Dubai earlier this year.

Its relocation, though, isn't the only reason he likes Halliburton. Cramer said the stock looks like an attractive buy for international investors because it has fallen 15% in less than a month.

Wall Street has focused on Halliburton's struggling North American pressure-pumping business, and that is the reason the stock is down, Cramer explained. However, the weakness in that segment is going to be offset by its accelerating international business, he said.

Moreover, the Middle Eastern countries are in a better position than the U.S. to understand what Halliburton is truly worth, Cramer argued. These countries, after all, are "made of oil," he said.

Halliburton, he continued, should prosper in an environment in which oil is becoming increasing difficult to gather. In addition, the company recently had "the most aggressive" buyback of any oil buyback Cramer said he's seen. Halliburton believes its stock is cheap and is not going to let it go any lower.

If Wall Street doesn't boost the stock, Cramer believes money from Abu Dhabi and Dubai could.

Investing in Acuity

Viewers should consider buying Acuity Brands (AYI Quote), a manufacturer of lighting fixtures, Cramer said. It could make people "quite a bit of money."

Recently, Genlyte (GLYT Quote) got a gigantic bid from Philips (PHG Quote), which is trying to boost its wattage in the lighting market, he said.

Cramer believes the next takeover target for Philips could be Acuity. "If they liked buying Genlyte, they'll love buying Acuity."

Cramer likes Acuity because there's a trend to retrofit commercial buildings with much more efficient lighting fixtures.

The stock is also a play on nonresidential construction, a business that is actually stable, Cramer said. About 75% of its business is selling light fixtures to nonresidential buildings.

Acuity, he said, is next on Philips' shopping list, but even if it's not, it's a great play on an energy-saving stock.

Starbucks' Luster Fades

Two analysts are battling it out over Starbucks (SBUX Quote), Cramer told viewers.On the same day an analyst from Friedman Billings upgraded the stock, an analyst from CIBC downgraded it. When two analysts argue, only one can come out the winner, Cramer said. In this case he's siding with the bears, he said. "CIBC is right, FBR is wrong."

According to Cramer, FBR's bullish case sounded like a reason to sell Starbucks. It cited various pressures the company is facing, and said Starbucks could be a nice addition for a few other companies. Basically, Cramer said, FBR recommended Starbucks on the likelihood that either its management changes or that it gets taken over.

If this is the best case for recommending the stock, he said he prefers CIBC's argument.

CIBC says Starbucks isn't a growth stock any more and suffers from a bad case of multiple contraction, Cramer said.

Starbucks once was a fantastic growth story, but the key word here is was, Cramer said. At first glance, people might see the current price as a good entry point for Starbucks, but Cramer sees the stock going lower.

He said he would go as far as to say the stock should not to be owned until it goes well below $16. Starbucks closed at $22.61 Tuesday.

AECOM CEO Speaks

Next, Aecom's (ACM Quote) John Dionisio joined Cramer on his show to clear some confusion earlier in the day that led the Street to think the company had lowered its guidance.

Dionisio said Aecom had not issued guidance until today. He stressed that the company had "a very strong year," with increased revenue and net income. In addition, he said Aecom is forecasting a strong 2008.

The company completed seven significant mergers in 2007, and in the first seven weeks of 2008 it has closed three acquisitions, Dionisio continued.

Moreover, in terms of diversification, Aecom has been able to capture a big part of the foreign market, a buffer for any slowdown in the U.S. market, he said.

"It's a show-me-quarter before I recommend this one again," Cramer said. He said he was disappointed because he didn't see stronger, steadier growth, "but maybe next time."

Lightning Round

Cramer was bullish on Level 3 Communications (LVLT Quote), Tidewater (TDW Quote), Transocean (RIG Quote), AT&T (T Quote), Celgene (CELG Quote), Schering-Plough (SGP Quote) and VF Corp (VFC Quote).

Cramer was bearish on Akamai Technologies (AKAM Quote), Superior Energy Services (SPN Quote), Jones Soda (JSDA Quote), Elan (ELN Quote), Biogen (BIIB Quote), Motorola (MOT Quote), AnnTaylor Stores (ANN Quote) and Under Armour (UA Quote).

Want more Cramer? Check out Jim's rules and commandments for investing from his latest book by clicking here.

For more of Cramer's insights during the Lightning Round, click here.