Cramer's Take on the Top 10 Searched Stocks
The numbers are in, and despite the gloomy forecasts by analysts, the earnings reports can generally be described as better than expected.
The major headliners include, of course,
IBM
(IBM) - Get Report
,
eBay
(EBAY) - Get Report
and
(GOOG) - Get Report
. In addition,
JPMorgan
(JPM) - Get Report
,
Coca-Cola
(KO) - Get Report
and
Intel
(INTC) - Get Report
all topped first-quarter projections.
With this in mind, we thought it made sense to take the Top 10 Most Searched Stocks on
TheStreet.com
from the prior trading day and find out
. These stocks could be in the news for a number of reasons, including earnings. Some require immediate attention, while others may not.
But it never hurts to hear what Cramer (or any of the professional investors on the site) has to say about them. The key is to gather as much information as you can in order to make the most-informed investment decisions you can.
Google, eBay and IBM are all over the news recently, but we'll kick it off today with
Altria
(MO) - Get Report
.
Altria, which Cramer owns for his charitable trust,
, recently spun off its Philip Morris International operation, creating two separate companies.
In a
recent episode of "Mad Money"
, Cramer shared what he thought investors should do with these offerings.
The new Altria will consist of 85% domestic tobacco sales; the company's investment in SABmiller Brewing, along with other investments will make up the remainder.
Cramer liked the company's cost-cutting measures, stock-buyback program and 5.2% dividend yield. He also indicated that although the domestic tobacco business declined 5% last year, Altria commands 41% of the market share in that business.
The new Philip Morris International, which is set to trade under the ticker symbol PM, will consist solely of international tobacco sales. "This is where the growth is," Cramer said. He added that the new Philip Morris is expected to grow 10% to 12% annually, provide a 3.6% dividend yield and offer a stock-buyback program.
If viewers are looking for a value stock, then the old Altria, with its dividend, aggressive cost-cutting and buyback program is where they should be. For growth-focused investors, Cramer suggested Philip Morris based on its double-digit growth expectations.
Next on the list is
Schering-Plough
(SGP)
.
Cramer recently apologized to viewers for standing behind Schering-Plough, which he owns for
. The stock lost nearly 20% of its value recently after its anti-cholesterol drug was harshly criticized at a cardiology conference.
Cramer, who got behind Schering early largely because of company Chairman and CEO Fred Hassan, welcomed Hassan to
"Mad Money" recently
to ask him how the company was going to respond to the bad news.
Hassan defended the company, saying that Schering's products and outlook remain the same. He was frustrated that a scientific forum was not conducted to evaluate the drug. Hassan stands behind Vytorin and pointed out the company's strength in Remicade and Organon, two other drugs.
Cramer said he felt that Schering's stock is now "ridiculously cheap," but he advised investors to do their own homework and decide for themselves whether or not to continue investing in the company.
For the rest of Cramer's takes on yesterday's Top 10 most searched stocks,
.
(Editor's note: At the time of original publication of his posts and shows, Cramer owned Altria and Schering-Plough for his Action Alerts PLUS charitable trust. And General Electric owns CNBC, for which Cramer is a featured commentator.)
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