For years, investors have been told that stock picking is too hard and the only practical way to invest was using only low-cost index funds. But Jim Cramer told his Mad Money viewers Thursday that if they do the research, there are plenty of ways to beat the averages that don't involve joining the Reddit rebellion.

Just today, we saw a number of easily attainable gains. Shares of Zillow Group  (ZG) - Get Report surged 16.8% as people continue to flee the cities for the suburbs and homes that can support their new stay-at-home or hybrid work schedules. Zillow has become so popular, even Saturday Night Live recently did a parody of the real estate website. Zillow gives home buyers what they want, easy-to-use home buying tools and services that are working to make home buying a one-click purchase, Cramer said.

Then there's Sonos  (SONO) - Get Report, the home entertainment company with shares that also rose 16% Thursday on strong earnings. Cramer said Sonos is another logical winner from pandemic. With people spending more time at home and watching more streaming video than ever, it makes sense that products from Sonos would be in demand.

Finally, Cramer called out the continued rally in the semiconductor equipment sector. As he highlighted Wednesday night, there's a huge semiconductor shortage brewing, which means a multi-year move in Lam Research  (LRCX) - Get Report, KLA Corp.  (KLAC) - Get Report and Applied Materials  (AMAT) - Get Report.

With so many ways to win, you don't need GameStop  (GME) - Get Report, Cramer concluded, you only need to do a little homework.

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Executive Decision: Hormel Foods

In his first "Executive Decision" segment, Cramer spoke with Jim Snee, chairman and CEO of Hormel Foods  (HRL) - Get Report, which today announced the acquisition of the Planters brand for $3.35 billion. Shares feel 3.3% on the news.

Snee said Hormel is very excited to include Planters into their brand family. He said Planters is the clear market leader in peanuts and cashews and is another billion dollar brand for Hormel. The acquisition also gives Hormel deeper penetration in snacks and the ability to diversify their brand portfolio even more.

Hormel has a long history of being a terrific brand steward, Snee explained, and they're experts at building and repairing damaged brands as well. Adding Planters opens a lot of doorways for Hormel going forward.

Cramer said Planters is one of only a few beloved food brands in our country and this acquisition is another great win for Hormel.

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Ready to Rumble: Match vs. Bumble

The online dating wars are heating up, with today's IPO of Bumble  (BMBL) - Get Report rallying 63.5% on its first day of trading. But should investors choose the upstart, or seasoned veteran Match Group  (MTCH) - Get Report? Cramer did the comparison.

Match began as Match.com and has evolved into a portfolio of dating brands that includes both Tinder and Our Time (for those over age 50). The company boasts over 11 million paying members and is the more mature company with higher profits.

Bumble includes its namesake as well as Badoo and a few smaller properties. Bumble's claim to fame is that it only allows women to make the first move on its service. The company is headed by Whitney Wolfe Herd, who today became the youngest female CEO to bring a company public. Bumble has 2.5 million paying members and negative earnings. Cramer said Bumble is where Match was a few years ago.

As for valuation, Match is valued at 16 times sales with 17% growth. Bumble is valued at 17 times sales, which is also expensive, but Bumble has higher growth, which makes it more appealing to investors.

In the end, Cramer said both companies are poised to profit as the economy recovers. If you're a growth investor, Bumble is clearly the stock for you. More cautious investors should also do well buying into Match.

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At the time of publication, Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS had no position in the stocks mentioned.