
'Fast Money' Recap: Ring the Register on Wal-Mart
Today's better-than-expected employment data and a resurgence in oil prices left the market with mixed results Friday. The Dow was up 0.4%, the S&P 500 added 0.3%, and the Nasdaq dropped 0.2%.
On
CNBC's
"Fast Money" TV show, Jeff Macke said that no one believed the jobs data. He said that that doesn't matter, because the week on the whole was good. He said that for the year, the market is largely flat, meaning it's a stock-picker's market.
Tim Seymour said he didn't believe this week's data were very good at all. He pointed out that the U.S. is still losing jobs, and he said expectations have been lowered. He recommended taking profits after a good week for the market.
Guy Adami said the S&P 500 has reached the 1410 level, which he says is resistance. He said bearish investors should sell here and bullish investors should buy the breakout. He recommended buying dips in stocks.
The traders observed that the market has been rallying for three straight weeks. Karen Finerman said she's not lightening up on all stocks, but she is selling out of
Wal-Mart
(WMT) - Get Report
after a good run. She said the stock's valuation has moved a lot.
Microsoft
(MSFT) - Get Report
reportedly engaged
Yahoo!
(YHOO)
in talks over its hostile takeover bid today.
Macke urged Microsoft to finish the deal. He said Yahoo! should not expect Microsoft to pay $37 a share. Adami predicted Microsoft stock would go up regardless of the outcome of the negotiations. Finerman said she would buy Microsoft shares if they came down $1. She said Yahoo! is defenseless against Microsoft and doubted the stock could go up much higher than $31.
Oil prices reached $116 today. Seymour said he thought some commodities will hold their ground, and pointed out that supply disruption in Iraq would keep oil higher. He also said fertilizer and copper would be fine, but other commodities probably have some fluff at current levels. He said he likes integrated oil companies, and said he would get long
ConocoPhillips
(COP) - Get Report
and short
Exxon Mobil
(XOM) - Get Report
.
Apple
(AAPL) - Get Report
led the technology sector, going higher this week. Macke said Apple is going to $200.
Adami recommended
Western Digital
(WDC) - Get Report
as a tech play. He said the company's earnings were fine but guidance was "squishy." He recommended buying at $27 and selling at $31.
The Case for Citi
The traders then discussed a bullish case for
Citigroup
(C) - Get Report
. Finerman said that there's a great deal of capital available, and said these levels are great for owning Citi. Adami pointed out
USBancorp
(USB) - Get Report
made a 52-week high this week.
The traders spoke with Dick Bove, analyst at Ladenburg Thalmann. He said Citi will go higher because its underlying numbers are almost all positive. He said the stock could double in the next two to three years. He pointed out increasing deposits and loan volume. He said the core business looks superb. Adami said he wasn't sure about a double, but said the stock should go to $30 after Oppenheimer analyst Meredith Whitney flips her rating of the stock to positive to negative.
Emerging Theme
The Brazilian market was upgraded to investment grade this week. Seymour said that April was a great month for emerging markets. He said investors should look into a rotation into credit names in the markets. He said small-cap stocks have lagged, and he likes tech and tech services names such as
Taiwan Semiconductor
(TSM) - Get Report
and
Infosys
(INFY) - Get Report
.
The traders discussed the viability of video-game plays. Macke said that he doesn't like
Take-Two
(TTWO) - Get Report
, but believes
Electronic Arts
( ERTS), which has made a bid for Take-Two, is going higher. He said Microsoft is his favorite video-game trade if it stops chasing Yahoo!
The traders looked at some good calls they made. Macke had been bullish on
California Pizza Kitchen
( CPKI) and
Darden
(DRI) - Get Report
, shares of which were up more than 7% since his call. Seymour had chosen
Gafisa
(GFA) - Get Report
, which rose 30% in two weeks. Finerman had selected
Flowserve
(FLS) - Get Report
, which jumped 12%. Adami had recommended
Wachovia
(WB) - Get Report
, which surged 20% since his call.
For the Value Crowd
In honor of the
Berkshire Hathaway
( BRKA) meeting this weekend, the traders offered some suggestions for stocks CEO Warren Buffett should buy. Finerman recommended
PMI Group
( PMI). She said the company has great cash flow. Adami recommended
3M
(MMM) - Get Report
. Macke said Buffett should look at Microsoft and perhaps help the company to close its Yahoo! deal. Seymour said
Televisa
(TV) - Get Report
has a fantastic brand and would make a good Buffett buy.
Cisco
(CSCO) - Get Report
reports earnings Tuesday. Macke said he recommends getting long the company. Adami said the stock may be a buy, but he thinks it will go down a bit first. Seymour said he's a buyer of the stock. It's a tough trade but a good long-term buy, he said.
Ads and Subtractions
In honor of the beginning of the blockbuster season, the traders spoke with Anthony DiClemente, a media analyst at Lehman Brothers. He said the recession is hitting the local ad markets, so cable companies like
Discovery Holding
(DISCA) - Get Report
. He said
Viacom
(VIA) - Get Report
could offer a good entry point below $40. He said
Disney
(DIS) - Get Report
is also a buy.
Macke recommended Disney and said
Hasbro
(HAS) - Get Report
has Iron Man and Indiana Jones toys and should do well on the release of those movies. Seymour recommended
Central European Media Enterprises
(CETV) - Get Report
.
Fast Fire
The traders looked at some of their bad calls. Adami had picked
Genentech
( DNA), which was down 14% since his call. He called the stock a "widowmaker." Finerman had said to go short
Capital One
(COF) - Get Report
. She said she overstayed her welcome as shares climbed 17% since her call. Macke had said to sell
Moody's
(MCO) - Get Report
, which rallied 8%. He said he hasn't changed his mind about the ratings companies. Seymour had recommended the the
ProShares UltraShort MSCI EM
(EEV) - Get Report
. He said it was a short-term play.
Final Trade
Macke chose Microsoft. Finerman selected PMI Group. Seymour picked
Unibanco Uniao de Bancos Brasileros
( UBB).









