During Mad Money’s episode on October 1, host Jim Cramer urged investors to remember the market’s strong performance over the past quarter, making note of the rising tensions in the Middle East, which led to a decline in major stock indices on Tuesday.
He pointed out that the landscape has shifted beyond just the major technology companies, and shed light on the top performers of the S&P 500. Cramer observed that the last three months have witnessed what he described as “the revenge of the little guy companies.” He said:
“When you look at the 10 best performers of the third quarter, we discover that this formerly narrow market has totally changed its stripes.”
Cramer emphasized that the current market rally is driven by companies that are often overlooked. He said:
“It is a remarkable list that represents a real broadening out of the winners. Some would say it’s a sign of where we’re headed. I might not go that far, but clearly, we need to start digging a lot deeper to find winners going forward.”
In his recent commentary, Cramer highlighted that the major winners of the third quarter were unexpectedly obscure, primarily comprising a group of ten stocks focused on power generation and interest rate cuts.
He pointed out that these stocks diverged from the well-known Magnificent Seven and traditional FAANG names, with an absence of fast-growing medical or cybersecurity companies, many of which have faced challenges recently.
Cramer suggested that investors look to the bottom of the S&P 500 for insights into market trends. He noted that Super Micro finished last for the quarter, plummeting 49%. It serves as a reminder that backing the wrong AI investment can lead to significant losses. Despite this, Cramer emphasized the need for the market to focus on new stocks for long-term growth rather than relying on past leaders.
Our Methodology
For this article, we compiled a list of 10 stocks that Jim Cramer mentioned during his episode of Mad Money on October 1. We listed the stocks in ascending order of their hedge fund sentiment as of the second quarter, which was taken from Insider Monkey’s database of more than 900 hedge funds.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
Jim Cramer Says Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (NYSE:SWK) ‘Has Come Back With A Vengeance’
Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (NYSE:SWK)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 24
Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (NYSE:SWK) is a manufacturer of hand tools, power tools, outdoor products, and associated accessories, serving a global market that spans the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, and Asia.
Through the Tools & Outdoor segment, it offers a comprehensive selection of professional-grade power tools and equipment, which are all marketed under well-known brands such as DEWALT, CRAFTSMAN, and BLACK+DECKER. Its Industrial segment offers specialized fasteners and tools.
Talking about his charitable trust’s portfolio, Cramer mentioned the company and commented:
“We wanted to invest in a company that tends to outperform when mortgage rates go lower and people fix up their homes. After years of lagging the market, Stanley Black & Decker has come back with a vengeance, up 37.9% in the third quarter. It was rallying in anticipation of the rate cuts.”
In light of recent economic challenges, including sustained high interest rates that have pressured the housing market, Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE:SWK) has taken proactive measures to overcome the challenges.
A comprehensive restructuring plan launched in 2022 seeks to streamline operations by consolidating facilities, reducing management layers, and improving the supply chain. It is designed to reduce costs significantly, targeting a reduction of $2 billion in run rate costs between 2022 and 2025.
As of mid-2024, Stanley Black & Decker’s (NYSE:SWK) global cost reduction program remains on track, with an anticipated savings of $1.5 billion by the end of 2024 and a total of $2 billion by 2025. By mid-2023, the actions taken had already achieved $1.3 billion in run rate savings.
Overall, SWK ranks 9th on our list of Jim Cramer’s best performers. While we acknowledge the potential of SWK as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than SWK but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.