Cramer's 'Mad Money' Recap: Balancing Act (Final)

Private Label Boom

In yet another "Executive Decision" segment, Cramer once again sat down with Joe Papa, chairman, president and CEO of private label drugmaker Perrigo (PRGO), a long-time Cramer favorite.

Papa said that while the economy is improving, and migration to private label brands is slowing, he's focused on the fact that 91% of consumers who try a private label brand stick with it in the future. Even more exciting are the 45 new products that Perrigo will be introducing this year which represent a $190 million opportunity for the company.

Papa was also upbeat about Perrigo's longer-term pipeline, as over $10 billion worth of prescription drugs will be moving over-the-counter over the next five years. Some of the notable brands Perrigo is targeting include Mucinex, Prevacid, Delsym, Claritin-D and Allegra-D.

When asked about the warmer weather and lower birth rates here in the U.S., Papa said that Perrigo's cough, cold and flue segment is down about 8% this season but since that group only accounts for 12% of sales, he's not worried. Likewise with the 3% drop in birth rates this year. Papa said the stronger trend is that of new parents ditching the national brands for Perrigo's private label alternatives.

Papa's final point of interest was the fact that Perrigo manufactures many of its own active ingredients, which often account for 40% to 50% of the overall cost of the product. Because this process is in-house, Papa said Perrigo is not seeing as much commodity price pressure as some other companies do.

Cramer continues his support for Perrigo.

Lightning Round

Cramer was bullish on Harman International (HAR), Covidien (COV), Life Technologies (LIFE), People's Bank (PBCT), Goldman Sachs (GS), Morgan Stanley (MS), Pfizer (PFE), Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY), Ford Motor (F) and Alcoa (AA).

Cramer was bearish on Dendreon (DNDN), VOXX International (VOXX), Pepsico (PEP), Walgreens (WAG) and Linn Energy (LINE).

Special ETF

In a quick "All Request Week" segment, Cramer explained why he recommends the SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) ETFs and not any other exchange traded funds.

He said unlike other ETFs, the "GLD" is not a basket of stocks but rather a fund that tracks the actual price of the commodity. When it comes to baskets of stocks, Cramer said "you can do better" by picking only the best stocks in certain sectors.

So why buy the GLD and not actual gold? Cramer said it's because buying gold is hard, as it requires storage. He said he's a fan of coins, but the markup in coins is often outrageous. And when it comes to gold mining stocks, these companies face many challenges and cannot be relied on.

That's why Cramer said he's always been a fan of the GLD and its cousin, the iShares Gold Trust (IAU), a fun which he owns for his charitable trust, Action Alerts PLUS.

--Written by Scott Rutt in Washington, D.C.

To contact the writer of this article, click here: Scott Rutt.

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At the time of publication, Cramer was long iShares Gold Trust.

Jim Cramer, host of the CNBC television program "Mad Money," is a Markets Commentator for TheStreet.com, Inc., and CNBC, and a director and co-founder of TheStreet.com. All opinions expressed by Mr. Cramer on "Mad Money" are his own and do not reflect the opinions of TheStreet.com or its affiliates, or CNBC, NBC UNIVERSAL or their parent company or affiliates. Mr. Cramer's opinions are based upon information he considers to be reliable, but neither TheStreet.com, nor CNBC, nor either of their affiliates and/or subsidiaries warrant its completeness or accuracy, and it should not be relied upon as such. Mr. Cramer's statements are based on his opinions at the time statements are made, and are subject to change without notice. No part of Mr. Cramer's compensation from CNBC or TheStreet.com is related to the specific opinions expressed by him on "Mad Money."

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