Cramer's 'Mad Money' Recap: Port-Tending Big Business

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When Jim Cramer reads about senators in a huff over port security, he thinks it's time to own OSI Systems(OSIS Quote), he told viewers of his "Mad Money" TV show Thursday.

Maybe you've never heard of this U.S. company, but Cramer said that it could be a great name in the homeland security space, along with such others as Raytheon(RTN Quote) and L-3 Communications(LLL Quote), Viisage Technology(VISG Quote) and FLIR Systems(FLIR Quote).

Hidden beneath its health-care business, OSI Systems has the technology to make our ports safe, he said, since it offers systems under the Rapiscan Systems brand that can inspect anything, including baggage, cargo, people and vehicles.

"The real juice is in its security business," Cramer said. "This is where I think all the upside is going to come from."

He added that the Congressional Budget Office has earmarked funds for equipment purchases in security, and he thinks a lot of this will go to OSI.

The company has a baggage screening product called the HBS System, and is working on a PFNA system, which stands for Pulse Fast Neutron Analysis, that bounces neutrons off large containers to find out if their contents are safe, he said.

There are still bugs, but when this is perfected it will be used everywhere, Cramer said.

OSI is doing $60 million in its security business, and he said that number could balloon on contracts and government orders.

As far as its Spacelabs Healthcare unit is concerned, OSI owns it at practically book value, Cramer said. It's doing $200 million a year in health care revenue, and has a $350 million market capitalization. The unit has 40% operating margins and is resistant to a slowdown in the economy, he added.

OSI is losing money, he warned, but that's because it's spending so much on research and development.

"Ignore the losses in the near term," he said, because this should be big money in the long term.