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'Mad Money' Recap: Illinois Tool Nails It

TheStreet.com Staff

05/29/08 - 07:52 PM EDT

Click here for an archive of Cramer's "Mad Money" recaps.

"I'm out to change the way people look at stocks," Jim Cramer told viewers of his "Mad Money" TV show Thursday.

He continued to drive home his thesis that traditional "high-tech" companies are yesterday's news, and what the world -- and the markets -- are really interested in are "new-tech" manufacturing companies working to solve the world's problems.

According to Cramer, its time to stop embracing the traditional Silicon Valley tech companies in favors of real-world manufacturers that are using technology to generate and conserve energy, bolster food supplies and solve global issues. Cramer said these new-tech companies deserve the higher P/E ratios because of their higher earnings visibility.

Cramer said he's not interested in Dell (DELL Quote - Cramer on DELL - Stock Picks), which reported its earnings this evening, but he is interested in Illinois Tool (ITW Quote - Cramer on ITW - Stock Picks).

Cramer explained that Illinois Tool's food packaging equipment business helps process and store food more efficiently, thus reducing waste and helping to feed humanity. The company also has a specialty power business and is increasing its international exposure, with foreign sales doubling over the past three years. Illinois Tool also offers investors great earnings visibility, said Cramer, due to the long business cycles in which it operates.

Cramer: It's Not All Bad

Cramer said the stock is also attractive on a valuation basis. The company is currently in a bidding war with Manitowoc (MTW Quote - Cramer on MTW - Stock Picks) for a food equipment company and is currently off 12% from its recent highs.

Cramer called the situation the perfect time to buy. He explained that as the bidding continues, the share price of ITW will remain artificially low. But as soon as the bidding is over, he predicted, ITW will return to its true multiple.

Pride and Joy

Cramer welcomed Michael Sutherlin, president and CEO of Joy Global (JOYG Quote - Cramer on JOYG - Stock Picks), to discuss his company's stellar earnings call from earlier Thursday.

Cramer last recommended Joy Global back on March 1 and is up a quick 2.2% in the stock. But Cramer wanted to learn more after Sutherlin's raised the company's yearly earnings guidance from $2.96 to $3.22 a share to $3.15 to $3.30 a share.

Stockpickr

Sutherlin confirmed that Joy Global is seeing unprecedented demand for coal, copper, iron ore and oil sands, and is therefore seeing unprecedented demand for its mining equipment. Sutherlin acknowledged that some of the rise in commodity prices may be partially due to speculators and hedge fund manipulation, but felt overall, the rise in prices is simply due to increased worldwide demand.

Sutherlin also confirmed unprecedented demand for coal being used in power generation. He explained that all natural resources are now in high demand, and Joy Global is helping to get the maximum benefit from coal, oil, and natural gas.

Cramer simply told viewers that their opportunity is now. "Pull the trigger," he said.

Sell Block

In the Thursday "Sell Block" segment, Cramer discussed an entire series of stocks that he got wrong. On Feb. 25, Cramer featured five stocks in what he called an international wireless bull market. The stocks included Mobile Telesystems (MBT Quote - Cramer on MBT - Stock Picks), Vimpel Communications (VIP Quote - Cramer on VIP - Stock Picks), Millicom International (MICC Quote - Cramer on MICC - Stock Picks), Telkom Indonesia (TLK Quote - Cramer on TLK - Stock Picks) and Turkcell (TKC Quote - Cramer on TKC - Stock Picks). Collectively, these stocks are down 12%, in a period where even the S&P 500 managed a 1% gain.

Cramer explained that his original thesis was that newfound wealth in emerging countries, brought on by the rising prices of natural resources, would flow to the consumers and into technology like cell phones. But Cramer said he failed to consider the risks involved in making such a prediction.

In the case of Telkom Indonesia, Cramer said he failed to consider the company's substantial wireline business, which like that of wireline here in the U.S., is declining. Despite growth in wireless services, the legacy wireline business dragged down the whole company.

In the case of Turkcell, Cramer explained that a new competitor going public drew attention away from the company and that, along with unfavorable rulings from the government, played a negative hand in that stock.

Cramer said both of these two stocks are a straight "sell, sell, sell," and he would sell the remaining three into any strength. "Wireless is not a basic need," he explained, saying that in countries with increasing wealth, people prefer to spend on food and shelter, not cell phones.

Lightning Round

In the Lightning Round, Cramer was bullish on Transocean (RIG Quote - Cramer on RIG - Stock Picks), National Oilwell Varco (NOV Quote - Cramer on NOV - Stock Picks), Hudson City Bancorp (HCBK Quote - Cramer on HCBK - Stock Picks) and UMB Financial (UMBF Quote - Cramer on UMBF - Stock Picks).

Cramer was bearish on Harley Davidson (HOG Quote - Cramer on HOG - Stock Picks), Hologic (HOLX Quote - Cramer on HOLX - Stock Picks) and Verasun Energy (VSE Quote - Cramer on VSE - Stock Picks).

Jim Cramer writes about all the stock trades in his charitable trust for TheStreet.com in Action Alerts Plus. Recent stocks he's traded in this account include Schering-Plough(SPG Quote - Cramer on SPG - Stock Picks), Yamana Gold(AUY Quote - Cramer on AUY - Stock Picks) and Abbott Laboratories(ABT Quote - Cramer on ABT - Stock Picks).

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

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