Quick Read
- Cramer called GE and Wells Fargo mismarked, with GE beating EPS estimates by 9% yet falling 4% and WFC trading at just 12 times earnings.
- J&J dropped $8 on a minor heart unit miss while TREMFYA surged 68% and the company logged its 64th straight dividend increase.
- Are you ahead, or behind on retirement? SmartAsset's free tool can match you with a financial advisor in minutes to help you answer that today. Each advisor has been carefully vetted, and must act in your best interests. Don't waste another minute; learn more here.
On Thursday, July 16, during the broadcast of Mad Money, Jim Cramer pushed back on the market's punishment of several blue-chip companies that just posted strong quarters. He named five companies that he believes deserve investors' attention today.
"It takes a lot of hubris, a lot of guts to disagree with the market's judgment about a stock after it reports," Cramer said. "You're basically saying that the collective wisdom of millions of people and billions of dollars is just plain wrong."
The Dow fell 106 points, the S&P 500 dropped 0.51%, and the Nasdaq lost 1.47% on the day. Cramer argued that in that session, quality names got thrown out with the growth trade.
GE Aerospace: A Guidance Raise Met With Selling
GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE) fell roughly 4% despite a clean beat and a broad guidance raise. In Q2, adjusted EPS of $2.02 beat the $1.86 consensus, revenue climbed to $13.35 billion, up 21.1% year over year, and free cash flow jumped 43% to $3.03 billion. Management lifted full-year adjusted EPS guidance to $7.65-$7.85 and pointed to a backlog of over $210 billion.
Cramer's take: "GE Aerospace remains the best institutional choice right now. You never sell the stock of GE, by the way, before Farnborough. The market's dead wrong here." GE is still up 30.55% over the past year and 12.54% year-to-date.
Wells Fargo: Cramer Calls It "A Steal" At 12x Earnings
Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) is the name Cramer told his Investing Club members was "a steal" at 12 times earnings. Q1 2026 delivered $1.60 in diluted EPS on $21.446 billion in revenue, with $4.0 billion in buybacks and a raised medium-term ROTCE target of 17-18%.
"Wells Fargo's quarter wasn't just good. I thought it was terrific," Cramer said. "The analysts were fixated on the sinkhole net interest income. And also they care about net interest margin. Sometimes it's just so myopic." Under CEO Charlie Scharf, Cramer sees Wells transforming into a merchant bank, with Markets revenue up 19% and Wealth & Investment Management client assets up 11% to $2.2 trillion.
Johnson & Johnson: Look Past the Heart Business Miss
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) took heat because its heart business generated about $150 million less, with the stock falling by $8. Cramer thinks it's smarter for investors to focus on the pipeline: DARZALEX revenue of $3.964 billion (up 22.5%), TREMFYA at $1.608 billion (up 68.3%), and CARVYKTI at $597 million (up 62.1%). J&J also just delivered its 64th consecutive dividend increase.
"ICOTYDE, a recently approved drug for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, may actually become the biggest drug in J&J history," Cramer said, urging viewers to "focus on the forest of green, not the 150 mistake."
UnitedHealth: Margin Recovery, Muted Close
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) closed Friday at just over $426 per share, which is up 29.08% this year. The quarter itself was a step-change: the medical care ratio improved to 86.7% from 89.4%, EPS came in at $6.38, and management raised full-year adjusted EPS guidance to $19.50-$20.00. Buybacks were doubled to at least $5 billion.
Levi Strauss: Four Straight Beats, Skeptical Market Reaction
Levi Strauss (NYSE:LEVI) fits Cramer's mismarked template. Q2 FY2026 adjusted EPS of $0.28 beat the $0.24 consensus by 16.67%, revenue grew 8.0% to $1.562 billion, and DTC hit 51% of revenue with e-commerce up 19%. Yet the stock fell 1.18% on earnings day, extending a pattern in which five consecutive beats have averaged a -2.07% one-week change.
The Broader Message
Cramer’s argument is that the market can overreact to a single weak metric in a company's earnings while overlooking stronger results elsewhere in the business. "I think it's a much better game to find mismarked stocks that analysts don't really care for that... I know better than they do."
He believes that disconnect has created opportunities today in GE, Wells Fargo, J&J, UnitedHealth, and Levi Strauss.
If You’ve Been Thinking About Retirement, Pay Attention (sponsor)
Retirement planning doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. The key is finding expert guidance, and SmartAsset’s simple quiz makes it easier than ever for you to connect with a vetted financial advisor. Here’s how:
Answer a Few Simple Questions.
Get Matched with Vetted Advisors
Choose Your Fit
Why wait? Start building the retirement you’ve always dreamed of. Get started today! (sponsor)
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.