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Jim Cramer Tries Piggybacking Carl Icahn Stocks, Fails

2007-10-29T23:27:00.000-07:00

On the October 12th edition of Mad Money, Jim Cramer interviewed Carl Icahn and congratulated him on the bid by software giant Oracle to acquire BEA Systems (BEAS), which Icahn had been working on for months. Cramer had been recommending BEAS consistently since the summer of 2006 on a takeover possibility. In the December 11, 2006 Lightning Round, Cramer again reiterated his recommendation on the stock stating, "It has obviously been hurt by the options ugly stick, but BEAS should not be punished. That is a legitimate software transaction platform that I think one day, if they don't get the stock up, will be purchased by Oracle (ORCL)."

Again on September 18, Jim recommended BEA Systems (BEAS) on account of billionaire investor Carl Icahn's increasing share of the company, saying a buyout was imminent. Investors pocketed nearly a 40% gain in less than a month when Oracle (ORCL) announced a bid to buy the lesser competitor. (A chart of Cramer's BEAS recommendations is shown below)

Near the end of the interview with Carl Icahn, Jim turned the discussion to Mr. Icahn's ongoing interest in Motorola (MOT), saying that MOT should now be bought (overturning a previously negative view on the stock) because of the activist investor's stellar success with BEAS, calling Icahn the "great value investor of our era." (A chart of Cramer's MOT recommendations is shown below)

Despite the large gains from the BEAS recommendation, however, using the stockTagger database, I set out to discover whether Cramer's piggybacking off Icahn's picks has been a worthwhile activity for Mad Money viewers, or simply a one time opportunity with the BEA Systems (BEAS) buyout. Using the 5 (trading) day, 10 day, 30 day, and 60 day closes after Jim Cramer's recommendation, I examined the performance relative to the S&P 500 of the five stocks he has recommended in the past because of Carl Icahn's activist holdings, including WCI Communities (WCI), Temple-Inland (TIN), Vector Group (VGR), Kraft Foods Inc (KFT), and BEA Systems (BEAS). For each recommendation, the relative S&P 500 gains are calculated from the same date and the cumulative returns for both the stocks and the S&P 500 are calculated below.

Date of Call	Symbol	next day close	next day S&P
1/18/2007	WCI	22	1430.5
3/20/2007	TIN	59.75	1435.04
6/20/2007	VGR	21.31	1522.19
7/17/2007	KFT	35.4	1546.17
9/18/2007	BEAS	13.38	1529.03

Symbol	5 day close/return	5 day S&P
WCI	19.81/ -9.95%	1423.9/ -0.46%
TIN	59.81/ +0.10%	1428.61/ -0.45%
VGR	22.26/ +4.46%	1506.34/ -1.05%
KFT	34.55/ -2.40%	1511.04/ -2.27%
BEAS	13.27/ -0.82%	1517.21/ -0.77%
Cumulative	-1.72%	-1.00%

After 5 trading days, the stocks have underperformed the market, although Cramer has told viewers many times to wait 5 days before buying his recommendations, so we won't get too flustered about this.

Symbol	10 day close/return	10 day S&P
WCI	21.75/ -1.14%	1445.94/ +1.08%
TIN	61.22/ +2.46%	1437.77/ +0.19%
VGR	22.15/ +3.94%	1525.4/ +0.21%
KFT	32.48/ -8.24%	1455.27/ -5.88%
BEAS	13.73/ +2.62%	1546.63/ +1.15%
Cumulative	-0.07%	0.24%

After 10 trading days, the recommended stocks have only slighty underperformed the market, losing only -0.07% versus a gain in the S&P 500 of 0.24% for the period. Of these, Vector Group (VGR) performed the best relative to the index. Overall, not bad, but not good.

Symbol	30 day close/return	30 day S&P
WCI	20.26/ -7.91%	1387.17/ -3.03%
TIN	59.78/ +0.05%	1495.92/ +4.24%
VGR	21.75/ +2.06%	1472.2/ -3.28%
KFT	31.52/ -10.96%	1432.36/ -7.36%
BEAS	18.82/ +40.66%	1548.71/ +1.29%
Cumulative	4.78%	-1.63%

For the 30 day returns, the BEA Systems (BEAS) buyout is included, and the stocks have wildly outperformed the market by about 5%, but take away BEAS and the cumulative return of Cramer's Icahn recommendations are losing you -4.19% versus a loss of -1.63% in the S&P 500. Vector Group (VGR) is again holding up the other three losers.

Symbol	60 day close/return	60 day spy
WCI	22.18/ +0.82%	1471.48/ +2.86%
TIN	61.46/ +2.86%	1522.97/ +6.13%
VGR	23.08/ +8.31%	1484.25/ -2.49%
KFT	34.04/ -3.84%	1562.47/ +1.05%
BEAS	18.82/ +40.66%	1548.71/ +1.29%
Cumulative	9.76%	1.77%

The 60 day returns are again including the BEAS gain of 40% (we are not arbitrageurs!), but without it, we are sitting on a gain of only 2.04% versus a gain of 1.77% in the S&P 500 index! Vector Group (VGR) beats the index by over 10% while WCI Communities (WCI), Temple-Inland (TIN), and Kraft Foods Inc (KFT) are losers.

So, ineffectively, without the BEA Systems buyout, the gains from piggybacking Carl Icahn via Mad Money are merely inline over a three-four month period. From a statistics perspective, 1 out of 5 is not enough to make any sort of reliable future predictions on an 8% lead over the S&P. Viewers will have to decide whether to follow these piggybacking recommendations in the future, but suffice to say, I will not be one of them. And if you waited to buy these stocks after the five day rule that Cramer frequently advises, then your gains only increased by a modest 0.72%. Based on these findings, Cramer should stop recommending stocks based on the Icahn factor. Will investors follow Cramer's latest call to buy Motorola (MOT) on account of Carl Icahn's activities? In later posts, I will unveil more ways that Jim Cramer tries to make you money, and the real performance you won't find anywhere else. Readers are welcome to give their feedback below.

Jim Cramer Pushes Allergan (AGN) Again

2007-10-07T23:58:00.001-07:00

Jim Cramer has been consistently positive on Allergan (AGN), telling viewers to buy the stock since 6/7/2006 when he featured it on Mad Money a little over a year ago. Since then, the stock has risen nearly 30% on the back of its diverse drug portfolio and its signature Botox treatment. On 9/5/2006, Cramer declared the stock "in perpetual mon' back mode."

Chairman and CEO David Pyott has appeared on the show twice, and Cramer gave the stock strong buy calls after each instance. On 12/11/2006, Jim was quoted as saying, "the other day we saw a downgrade of this stock by Thomas Weisel Partners, downgrading on valuation. He's wrong. David's right." Lately, on 10/5/2007, Jim noted again, "Now, I cannot stress enough how remarkable this company is, it's turned itself into a one stop shop for all the cosmetic procedures!"

Cramer Hot on Top Stock NVIDIA (NVDA)

2007-10-02T14:10:00.000-07:00

Cramer has recommended NVIDIA (NVDA) in the past but seems to be riding this recent hot stock's momentum to the moon. Last December 2006, Jim predicted NVIDIA would have an excellent month and the stock was due for a great "mark up week trade." At the beginning of the month he stated, "When a stock comes into December with a full head of steam, when it's got the big momentum, the action will generally continue right through the month, with a vengeance!" On the seventh of the month, he told viewers to stay away from the chip stocks off a bad quarter from National Semiconductor (NSM). Although, the trade hadn't been retracted completely, this negative call might have confused some viewers to trade out of a decent December run. The trade was over by the end of 2006, however, and seasonal weakness in semiconductor stocks lead NVIDIA (NVDA) to lose nearly 25% of its value.

One of Cramer's best trades undoubtedly came this year when he featured NVDA for speculation Friday on 6/15/07. "At about 22x this year's earnings estimates, NVDA is just not that expensive, especially given the earnings momentum and the likelihood that they will keep taking share"..."Are you looking for momentum? I need you to look no further than NVIDIA Corp." Since then, the stock has been on fire (or "en fuego" as Jim would say) as NVDA has gained 43% in just 3 1/2 months.

Jim Cramer calls Goldman Sachs (GS) Best of Breed

2007-09-27T00:21:00.000-07:00

One 9/20/2007, Jim Cramer claimed that he had been behind Goldman Sachs (GS) all the way since the show started. With the stockTagger database in hand, I attempted to figure out if this has been true, and for the most part it has as Cramer rode the stock from 120 to 215 where it currently sits. Cramer has alerted viewers to short term price fluctuations in the past, being correct in almost every short-term instance.

On 5/16/06, in response to a caller's question about CME Group (CME) (Chicago Mercantile Exchange), Cramer said of financial stocks, "I happen to think that this stock is part of a complex of names including BOT, International Securities Exchange Holdings (ISE) and, let's go further, Goldman Sachs (GS), Lehman Brothers (LEH), and Bear Sterns (BSC) that is not done coming down. I see a shift in the market toward the companies that do better when the short rates are done going up, thank you Federal Reserve. And you're stock, and that whole other complex, is going to take a breather. I say, don't buy, don't buy, don't buy." He reiterated his sell on 5/17/06 and then told viewers to buy on 5/18/06 a few points lower.

On 6/14/06, during another dip in the stock, Cramer advised viewers to buy the stock down four days later, but by then it was up almost 7 points.

Most recently, Jim has called Goldman Sachs (GS) the best-of-breed brokerage over its rivals saying, "With the fifty basis point rate cut, this time has finally become the brokers' time"..."I think this stock is going much higher. How high? I think it can earn thirty dollars a share and deserves to sell at ten times earnings. So where does that put it? 30 x 10 brings it to 300 dollars, my original price target."

Jim Cramer Picks Baidu.com (BIDU) as China Favorite

2007-09-17T16:30:00.000-07:00

Jim Cramer has only recently remained bullish on Baidu.com (BIDU) as the price of the stock hit 128 in May 2007. He has commonly rejected owning Chinese stocks, instead recommending high quality American companies that benefit from the growth of the Chinese economy, but Baidu.com (BIDU) has become too hot to ignore. Cramer briefly went positive on Baidu.com in a January 2007 lightning round when he stated, "True confession time. I have been itching to buy this BIDU, to recommend it on the show. I keep waiting for a down day. It is killing me. I am right now sanctioning a small buy in BIDU right here, praying that it will come down so I can say buy, buy, buy on the show. You've got a winner."

Soon after on 2/9/2007, he correctly predicted that the stock would trade dramatically lower after reporting the quarter's earnings. Disappointing Q1 earnings plus a worldwide selloff that originated in China brought the stock as low as 94, giving the confident investor a gift-like entry point for buying. Lately, Cramer has called the stock one of his favorites, and in an 8/2/2007 lightning round, he remarked of Baidu.com, "This company is selling much more cheaply than Google (GOOG). I like Google (GOOG), but Baidu is a winner. I can't fight it. I like Baidu."

Jim Cramer Analysis of Exxon Mobil (XOM)

2007-09-09T20:09:00.001-07:00

Cramer has only been positive on integrated oil Exxon Mobil (XOM) since late 2006, when crude oil continued its undeniable run to 75 dollars per barrel and carried oil and oil service stocks with it. He had previously called XOM the worst integrated oil, referring viewers instead to best of breed name ConocoPhillips (COP). In a 2/2/2006 lightning round, Cramer said of XOM, "That's just a large bank masquerading as an oil company. They have not kept up with reserve growth." He consistently referred viewers to drillers such as Halliburton (HAL). More recently, though, he has been consistently bullish in 2007. In the main segment of the 11/29/2006 Mad Money show, he claimed, "XOM is the worst of the big oils," but called it a stock that has been annointed by mutual funds as a must own holding, and gave it a 100 dollar price target. "Some mutual funds decided to buy it and they won't stop buying it until they're finished setting up their massive positions"..."Catch the most miraculously irrational rally I've ever seen."

Jim Cramer Performance of ConocoPhillips (COP) Picks

2007-09-08T18:09:00.001-07:00

Jim Cramer's performance on ConocoPhillips (COP) has been mostly bullish since October 2005, having called it the best-of-breed integrated oil play over Exxon Mobil (XOM) and Chevron (CVX). Jim's steadfast endorsement of the stock wavered in late 2006 as crude oil plummeted from the mid-70's per barrel to the low 50's. As Cramer proclaimed on 11/17/2006, "COP is an inexpensive stock, but that does not make it a good stock. Oil is at 55, and COP should be at 58." The actual price of ConocoPhillips shares was 62 at the time. In June and July of 2007, he called it a triple buy, an "annointed stock" and responded to an emailer saying he wish he owned it for his charitable trust. Not long after, Cramer bought the stock for his "Action Alerts Plus" charitable trust.

Cramers Favorite Retail Trade is GameStop (GME)

2007-08-24T04:39:00.000-07:00

GameStop (GME) has been one of Jim Cramer's best trades, having been mostly positive on the stock, it could have tripled your money in a little less than two years. After first featuring the company in November 2005, Cramer told viwers to take some profits on January 11, 2006 at the Mad Money Main Event Lightning Round.

On March 20, 2007, Cramer detracted from his bullish stance on the stock saying, "The new products have dried up a little, so I've got to tell you, I would not buy GameStop (GME) until we get closer to Christmas season. I think it does nothing for now." Four days later, GameStop issued Q1 2007 guidance above analyst estimates and the stock gained a quick 10%. Jim went positive the next day.

Cramer's latest call on GameStop (GME) came on August 22, when featured as a trade on the new Halo 3 launch on September 25th. According to Jim, the game would be a huge revenue generator for GameStop, not only selling games but selling new XBOX 360 consoles. "This game will be huge, but it won't be huge for Microsoft (MSFT)."

Jim Cramer Predictions on Research in Motion (RIMM)

2007-08-21T04:35:00.000-07:00

Jim Cramer hadn't gone positive on Research in Motion (RIMM) until June 21, 2006, previously citing patent problems as a reason to stay away. With his first positive outlook on RIMM, Cramer stated "When their 8700 model starts appearing in Verizon (VZ) stores, the stock should take off, and start getting good buzz. That's when you sell."

In mid-January, Cramer included RIMM in a warning to viewers to sell nearly all tech except for Cisco Systems (CSCO), Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), and Google (GOOG).

By April, he was back on the RIMM train as the stock began to push through the 140 level, as one of the new Four Horsemen of Tech along with Amazon.com (AMZN), Apple (AAPL), and Google (GOOG).

Defending Jim Cramer Jones Soda (JSDA) Record

2007-08-19T18:17:00.000-07:00

Aside from spending his weekends drinking cheap scotch and reading transcripts of conference calls on a linoleum floor as he likes to say on Mad Money, Jim Cramer would probably like to spend more time as a gentleman farmer, replacing thoughts of stocks with those of crops while at his Summit, NJ residence. So that's why when I heard Cramer defending himself from the critics of his Jones Soda (JSDA) calls in response to a Mad Mail emailer on August 16, I decided to set the record straight. Jim, get up off that linoleum floor! I propose to save the scotch!

Here's JC's response to that email on August 16, 2007: "I recommended that stock in the single digits, then I re-recommended it in the teens. Then it got to the 20s, and I still liked it. When it got to the 30s, did I say to take it off the table? No, I got that wrong. I did not call the exact top. Then it went back down to the low 20s, and I said I'd like to sell the stock. It got to the teens...I could not pull the trigger again. I do not like the stock... That's the history of it. The journalists who follow that story think that that's a bad record. On Wall Street, that's called 'how to make a million'..."

Cramer first recommended Jones Soda (JSDA) after the stock had already gained a significant amount of interest on Wall Street, noted by a rising stock price and trading volume, on December 21, 2006 as a regional to national retail story. After Peter Van Stolk appeared on the show for the first time on January 29, 2007, Cramer advised viewers not to buy, as the stock had already run up nearly 5 dollars from his first recommendation. The call didn't last long, as on the next day Cramer advised a caller to buy JSDA down at 14, a small dip from the then current price.

Peter Van Stolk appeared on Mad Money again in March 2007, and Cramer proclaimed "This is one of the greatest quarters I've ever seen!" The stock quickly doubled as it ran into the low 30s in nearly a month.

It's true that Jim Cramer missed the exact top of Jones Soda, but his first bearish call came on April 4, 2007 with the stock down 8 points from a high of 32.60 to 24.60, saving viewers a drop to 10 smackers where the stock sits today.

So how might the avid "Mad Money" watcher have performed if they followed every Cramer recommendation. For greater accuracy, I'm using next day open prices to calculate performance and nullify the after hours "Cramer effect." Let's see - 12/22/2006 buy at 11.99/ 1/30/2007 sell at 14.59 (+21.68%), 2/1/2007 buy at 14.00 / 5/1/2007 sell at 23.50 (+67.86). Without even trying to catch an after hours price, the viewer may have captured a gain of nearly 90% in six months (not to mention a great short opportunity after May 2007)!

Sorry "Leonard the Monkey," this one's for Cramer.

Cramer Stays Bearish on Starbucks (SBUX)

2007-08-15T14:10:00.000-07:00

Jim Cramer pushed Starbucks (SBUX) throughout 2006 citing strong overseas growth, especially from a growing presence in China, but the stock couldn't push past 40 as worries about decelerating domestic growth and a weakening brand presence frequented the news. Cramer went bearish on Starbucks (SBUX) at the beginning of 2007 and has stayed negative, saving viewers from a 28% decline during a drop from nearly 35 to 27, where the stock sits today. Jim often includes Whole Foods Market (WFMI) as another former high growth darling that should not currently be owned. Howard Schultz, billionaire Chairman and Founder of Starbucks, has been a friend of the Mad Money show, appearing four times as a guest.

Jim Cramer Accuracy of Level 3 Communications (LVLT) Calls

2007-08-07T07:16:00.000-07:00

Jim Cramer has been recommending Level 3 Communications (LVLT) as early as March 2006 when the stock was at 4 dollars in change. He began to push the stock more heavily beginning in September 2006 when he featured it in the main segment of Mad Money saying it could be a double in the next 18 months. The stock was at approximately 4.5 so we will be looking for 9 dollars by March 2008. Since that call, we're currently sitting on an 11% return of which about 8% came from the first day after Cramer's initial recommendation. Between September and December of '06, Cramer announced that Level 3 Communications (LVLT) could or would double a total of four different times. On December 5, 2006, he changed his outlook to "will double within the next two years." On January 5, 2007, LVLT was placed highest among Savient Pharmaceuticals (SVNT) and Rite Aid Corporation (RAD) as the number one speculative stock of the year, citing the coming bandwidth shortage from rich media sites such as YouTube. He has no longer been claiming that the stock will double, but persistently refers to LVLT as one of his favorite speculative names.

Cramer Celgene (CELG) Mad Money Picks

2007-08-06T08:50:00.000-07:00

Celgene (CELG) is one of the stocks with the most bullish mentions on Mad Money with Jim Cramer. It has been featured 13 times as a stock to buy in the special section. Cramer has called it a favorite of his and has predicted that it could be a possible takeover target a total of 3 times as lately as 4/30/2007. Bob Hugin, President and CEO of Celgene has been a guest on Mad Money's "On The Line" segment 3 seperate times, including once on Mad Money's Back to School Tour at University of Virginia's Darden Business School.

Cramer Finally Bullish on Elan Corporation (ELN)

2007-08-01T07:30:00.000-07:00

Jim Cramer has been negative on Elan Corporation (ELN) through 2005 and 2006 but when recently queried in the June 18, 2007 lightning round, he reported "I've been too negative on Elan (ELN)"..."At $21 bucks, it's got that great relationship with Biogen Idec (BIIB)"..."The safety of Tysabri is no longer in question as far as I'm concerned. That stock is going higher!" The stock has pulled back recently but Cramer has mentioned healthcare and drugs as industries that will benefit from the financials' downturn.

Jim Cramer Google Inc (GOOG) Track Record

2007-07-31T05:30:00.000-07:00

Google Inc (GOOG) is consistently the most mentioned stock on Mad Money (currently with 143 mentions) and one of the most popular stocks among retail and institutional investors. Jim Cramer has been mostly positive on Google from its recent rise to nearly 560 from 300 not less than two years ago. By far, this has been one of Cramer's best recommendations.

Since Jim has been consistently positive on Google (GOOG), I'm listing here some of his more interesting calls, including many of his negative comments that seem to be uncanny in their timing. Does it ever pay to be bearish on Google stock?

1/25/2006: Take profits ahead of quarter

3/6/2006: Don't buy until old low. "Tough story"

3/13/2006: Yahoo (YHOO) downside more limited than GOOG

3/23/2006: Gets added to S&P after the close. "Goes up another 25"

3/29/2006: "Wait for a pullback to do a 'mon-back"

7/18/2006: "Everything high multiple is shrinking" referring to Panera Bread (PNRA), Starbucks (SBUX), Whole Foods Market (WFMI), and Google (GOOG)

7/25/2006: "I wouldn't give up"..."GOOG is good. I want to own GOOG"

8/8/2006: Recommends IAC/InterActiveCorp (IACI) over Google (GOOG)

9/12/2006: "Really cheap" - cites the calendar, autumn being historically strong for tech - Strong Buy

2/2/2007: "The only thing that matters is what the big mutual funds and hedge funds will pay for it"..."The big boys don't like decelerating revenue growth" - Sell

Lately, after the most recent quarter, Jim suggested getting into Google (GOOG) stock at 200, but just said it was done going down yesterday. He also has recently called it a "Cramer-favorite" and a stock he'd like to own for his charitable trust.

So can Google capture enough pay-per-click dough to get the stock back to its old highs and beyond?

Jim Cramer Track Record on NYSE Euronext (NYX)

2007-07-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

NYSE Euronext (NYX) has been a debacle for Mad Money viewers ever since Jim Cramer named it his growth stock of the year for 2007 on January 4th in front of second place Apple (AAPL) and third place Cisco Systems (CSCO).

The closing price was 95 on the day that Jim proclaimed it the growth stock of the year. The stock then climbed to an intraday high of 112 just four days later and hasn't recovered since, now sitting near the mid-seventies, a full 20% or more loss for loyal Cramericans who bought after the "stock of the year" recommendation.

Back on March 17, 2006, Cramer was calling NYSE Euronext (NYX) (before the Euronext acquisition) overvalued on an earnings basis. Just a month later, Jim changed his mind giving the stock one thumb up on merits of being in the same company of such high flying exchanges as CBOT Holdings (BOT). A month after, in May 2006, he told viewers "Don't Buy, tough judgement." In August 2006, he gave the stock a passionate "Sell, sell, sell, they're going to overpay for that Euro thing [Euronext]." Just a month later in September, Jim told viewers of Mad Money that he was going positive on NYX: "I thought NYX was going to spend too much on Euronext. Now I think NYX should buy more exchanges around the globe"..."How about a 25x multiple on those $4? You've got a $100 stock. If they can deliver just 15% growth over the next couple of years, they deserve that multiple, and this stock could go to $100!" Well the stock did eventually make it to $100 and beyond, but was hype primarily to blame?

On December 9, 2006, Cramer gave an even more extravagant price target for NYX, "What would you do if I told you I'd found an $87 stock that I think goes to $250 a share in a couple of years?" and gave several reasons that the stock would reach the price target. Reason 1: New computer systems will speed up trading. Reason 2: The New York Stock Exchange probably won't overpay for Euronext. Reason 3: Management at The New York Stock Exchange is finally getting it together. Reason 4: The Euronext deal will bring unexpected savings to The New York Stock Exchange. Reason 5: NYX is going to be a global exchange. Reason 6: New computer systems will prove to be more cost-efficient.

Finally, Cramer christened NYSE Euronext (NYX) as the growth stock of the year and announced a price target of 240. "The New York Stock Exchange is my growth stock of the year for 2007 because it should make you more money than any other growth stock I follow."

Since then, NYSE Euronext (NYX) has traveled nearly straight downhill, no doubt contributing to Cramer's daily "existential crisis" as he likes to say of his life on the Mad Money show. While holding NYX for his charitable trust, Cramer continues to defend NYX saying that he's "sticking by it" when no one else will. He has called it the most hated stock on wall street and even brought Duncan Niederauer onto the show, NYX's Co-President and Co-COO, apparently to ask him why his stock wasn't going up. Shown below is the complete history of Jim Cramer's NYSE Euronext (NYX) track record on Mad Money since the inception of this database.

Jim Cramer Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) Mad Money Performance

2007-07-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) is one of the most mentioned stocks on Jim Cramer's Mad Money as well as one of the most asked about stocks by callers to the show, so I decided to see how well Jim Cramer was able to navigate trading of this stock over its last two bumpy years from the XBOX 360 rollout, to the Windows Vista launch and its competition in search advertising with Google Inc (GOOG).

Cramer had owned Microsoft until July 2006 for his "Action Alerts Plus" charitable trust where he apparently sold at the bottom after the delay of Windows Vista and an earnings disappointment. His calls leading up till then would be a bit confusing to the casual watcher of the show: 3/6/2006 "Going higher" - Buy, 3/17/2006 cites Vista Blowup - Don't Buy, 4/4/2006 "Buy before it gets to 30" - Buy. At the bottom, the calls are mostly bearish: 5/15/2006 "I would no longer sell Microsoft, its just too darn low" - Buy, 5/16/2006 "Paddles, clear!" - Don't Buy, 5/24/2006 "One cautious thumb up" - Buy, 5/30/2006 Don't Buy, 6/20/2006 "Probably done going down" - Buy.

Cramer did eventually jump on the Microsoft (MSFT) momentum train when it became clear that the Vista launch was not completely botched, but he became less bullish when the stock broke through 30. His calls in 2007 include: 2/12/2007 "One of America's greatest companies at a discount" - Buy, 2/15/2007 "There's nothing to offer in software" - Don't Buy. However, he recently turned positive on MSFT on 7/13/2007 recommending it along with the Four Horsemen of Tech Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOG), Research in Motion (RIMM), Amazon.com (AMZN), as well as other tech names Dell (DELL), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Cisco Systems (CSCO), SanDisk (SNDK), Texas Instruments (TXN), EMC Corporation (EMC), QUALCOMM (QCOM), and Intel (INTC). For the technology sector, according to Cramer, "this is 1995, not 1999."

Jim Cramer Rides Harley Davidson (HOG) Momentum

2007-07-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

Jim Cramer has mentioned Harley-Davidson (HOG) 21 different times on Mad Money but consistency lately leaves something to be desired. Cramer's latest call on Harley-Davidson (HOG) is bearish, after riding along with bullish momentum in 2006, the stock has since languished in 2007. On November 14, 2006, Cramer called this stock a triple buy, but his latest call cited a risk-reward of 6 points down and only 4 points up. Cramer's calls on this stock so far in 2007 have lost viewers money.

Cramer Insists on Alcoa (AA) Takeover in 2007

2007-07-13T14:40:00.000-07:00

Jim Cramer first mentioned Alcoa Inc (AA) as a possible takeover target by private equity in the January 31, 2007 "Sudden Death" segment of Mad Money. While previously, he had referred callers to best-of-breed steel company Alcan (AL), since his first recommendation of Alcoa (AA) in 2007, the stock has climbed 46%, beating the S&P 500 return of 7.7% over the same time period. On March 13, 2007, Cramer again reiterated his view that Alcoa (AA), as well as The Dow Chemical Company (DOW), were ripe for a potential acquisition by a private equity firm. Since then, Jim has been quoted many times as saying that Alcoa (AA) will not be public by the end of 2007, and now that Alcoa (AA) has retracted its bid for Alcan (AL) and Rio Tinto (RTP) looks to be Alcan's true acquirer, Alcoa (AA) may well be acquired by the end of this year.

Jim Cramer Turns Positive on Energizer Holdings (ENR)

2007-07-13T13:20:00.000-07:00

Jim Cramer has recently turned positive on Energizer Holdings (ENR) as one of his 80 to 100 to 120 stocks. That is the emperical observation that typically stocks in this bull market that make it to 80 are winners and then power their way to 100 and eventually to 120. On July 7, 2007, Cramer touted Energizer Holdings (ENR) with a price target of 120. The stock traded up approximately 1.6% in after hours trading, and the next day it traded up another 4%. Viewers who bought the morning of the show saw a gain of nearly 7% in the three days after. Though this stock has been one of the least mentioned on the show, expect interest in the name to pick up as ipod adapter batteries and Energizer's association with Apple Inc (AAPL) may well power the stock to this recent price target of 120.

Cramer Buys Whole Foods Market (WFMI) High and Sells Low

2007-07-12T14:50:00.000-07:00

Apparently this has been Jim Cramer's stategy for trading Whole Foods Market (WFMI) stock: Buy High, Sell Low. Lately, he has been consistently negative on the stock after being burned by a long stretch of disappointing quarters calling the stock a "bearish story" citing multiple contraction and slowing growth. He has called it too risky and too expensive. After a disappointing quarter at the beginning of 2006, Cramer was right back on the wagon with Whole Foods Market (WFMI) proclaiming that it had "paid its dues" on April 18, 2006 and recommending it all the way to June 2006 when he called it secular growth story. Since then, though, WFMI no longer has a nosebleed multiple and its attempt to buy smaller rival Wild Oats Markets (OATS) may be blocked by the Federal Trade Commission. Thankfully, though, viewers of Mad Money have missed WFMI's precipitous slide to the high 30's from 55 when Cramer abandoned it in July 2006.

Cramer Misses Big Gain in Rio Tinto plc (RTP)

2007-07-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

Jim Cramer first recommended Rio Tinto (RTP) in the main block of Mad Money as one of six mineral stocks on February 21, 2006 along with Manitowoc Company (MTW), Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (FCX), BHP Billiton (BHP), Caterpillar (CAT), and worst-of-breed name Terex (TEX). Viewers would have captured a small gain of nearly 8% until January 8, 2007 when Cramer briefly proclaimed "The commodity boom is over" and suggested the larger Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (RIO) as the only large-cap metals play he was willing to endorse. Well, the commodities boom is certainly not over yet and since March 2007, the large-cap metal miners have been some of the best performing stocks out there. Viewers of Mad Money would have missed a gain of 48% in Rio Tinto (RTP) by the time it was recommended again in May 2007, but if they had swapped into RIO as Cramer had recommended, they could have captured an even more impressive gain of 56% in just four months.

Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (RIO) and the Four Horsemen of Mining

2007-07-11T15:30:00.000-07:00

Last night on Mad Money, Jim Cramer outlined his Four Horsemen of Mining, including Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (RIO), BHP Billiton (BHP), Rio Tinto (RTP), and new favorite Teck Cominco (TCK). Cramer has called Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (RIO) or just "Rio" for short, a favorite of his, undervalued, and has twice cited monopoly power as a reason to own this mining conglomerate. His call to double down in February 2006 worked well until the market plunged in April 2006. Investors didn't see previous highs again until 2007. Cramer has been consistently positive on the stock except for a don't buy call in the September 13, 2006 "Sudden Death" when he suggested America Movil (AMX) over RIO because of its higher growth.

Cramer Sees New Highs for The Boeing Company (BA)

2007-07-11T14:30:00.000-07:00

The Boeing Company (BA) is one of the most mentioned stocks by Jim Cramer on Mad Money, currently with seventy-five mentions overall. This stock has also been highlighted fifteen times as a stock to buy since January 2006. Most recently, Jim has predicted for this high flyer to reach 120 while the bull market still rolls. Cramer's first prediction that Boeing stock would go to 100 came on April 21, 2006, when it was climbing towards 90, before a bearish market pulled it down towards 70. Viewers can appreciate the performance of Cramer's calls here, as all but one buy dip call have been well timed.

Virgin Media Inc (VMED) Takeover Predicted by Jim Cramer

2007-07-02T16:50:00.000-07:00

Jim Cramer has been consistently positive on Virgin Media Inc (VMED) since May 2006, back when it was NTL Inc (NTLI), when he featured it in a special section, citing the triple play and Richard Branson's soon to be leadership after the acquisition of Virgin Media (VMED). Virgin Media was again featured on the January 23, 2007 show when Cramer speculated that it could be a takeover target. Now, with a bid from Carlyle Group, Cramer is getting his wish with Virgin Media trading up 15% to 28 in pre-market trading, improving a very ostentatious but hardly impressive takeover targets performance record.