This is the fourth part of Jim Cramer's series of predictions for the Dow components in 2009. Be sure to read the first, second and third parts.
JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) (Cramer's Take): Jamie Dimon is revered, but we are in a tough market for the consumer in 2009, which truly worries me. That said, the stock has been killed by Dimon's own pessimistic projections, and I don't believe they will pan out as badly as he does.
The dividend appears safe, and I believe that the second half of the year will see some lending improvement and merger activity. I see it going back to where it did a huge equity offering at $39 a share, a nice appreciation from this beaten-down level. It's good, but I believe that Wells Fargo's (NYSE: WFC) (Cramer's Take) performance will give it a run for the money.
My one worry here is the purchase of Washington Mutual. This was another deal that looked great when the Resolution Mortgage Trust part of TARP was still alive -- I don't believe that it would have been worth buying Washington Mutual without it. But that's all too late, and now JPMorgan has to rationalize the two entities and cut costs as aggressively as possible, something Jamie Dimon knows to do better than anyone in the banking world ... with the exception of Wells Fargo.
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Management has gotten religion, and I believe the yield alone -- so bountiful -- can take the stock to $29. This one has potential for more upside than that, but I don't want to go too crazy, because there are better food stocks out there, especially General Mills (NYSE: GIS) (Cramer's Take), which is very cheap given its high-quality portfolio of products.
The problem with all of these food stocks in 2009 will be a sense that we are about to see a turn in the economy, and every time we get that kind of rotation, this one will be beaten up. It deserves better, as the company is rationalizing its assets after years of frittering. It's a mac-and-cheese year.
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McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) (Cramer's Take): Another truly bright spot in the Dow, although one, again, that borrowed from its upside with a terrific end-of-the-year rally. The company performed amazingly, given that the dollar strengthened in the second half of the year. I believe the dollar will weaken throughout 2009, and raw costs should be way, way down. I believe that this stock will trade through its 2008 high of $67 and finish up at $70.
This is one of the best-managed companies in the world and I hope it will come down below $58, where I will buy it back for Action Alerts PLUS. I took a meaningful gain for the charitable trust in MCD and am anxious to make more money with this stock in 2009. This one's a gift if it goes below $55.
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Merck (NYSE: MRK) (Cramer's Take): No real growth, no real excitement, even in a growth-challenged environment for all companies. With a 5% yield representing a floor, but slow growth and continual disappointment representing a ceiling, we have still one more "mark-timer" on our hands.
I do not believe that this one gives you enough upside, especially compared with non-Dow plays Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) (Cramer's Take) and Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) (Cramer's Take). No takeover coming here, but an acquisition or merger with another drug company might be your best help for this play. Merck has been a disappointment for a very long time, and other than a rotation into the drugs -- of which it will be among the worst performers, I believe -- I don't see it finishing much above where is closed out 2008, give or take $4. Let's give it the benefit of the doubt -- and the weak dollar -- and call it $34.
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Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) (Cramer's Take): People have described this equity as a bond, and I can't disagree with that. The dividend is not big enough to attract buyers searching for yield, and the growth remains unexciting. I wish it would buy Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) (Cramer's Take) to reignite its online business. Otherwise, I don't see enough growth in its PC business to excite capital-appreciating mutual funds.
No real growth and no real value equals no real appreciation. I see it at $21 to end the year, because even though it is cheap historically, that has come to mean nothing for stocks, because without catalysts -- and I don't see one here -- it is difficult to move forward in any meaningful fashion. This is a stock to put little faith in for 2009, and one worth selling on strength.
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3M (NYSE: MMM) (Cramer's Take): Here's a rangebounder, with the high yield keeping a $50 floor but a slowing industrial business keeping a difficult ceiling. Its international business, particularly its Asia business, might keep the stock from just marking time. I like it to $63, although if China turns around, you could see a tad more tacked on. This was one of the last companies to feel the decline in worldwide growth and will be one of the first to bounce back.
Given its most recent downbeat forecast, why do I believe that it can rally at all? A weak dollar could really spur sales for this truly international corporation. We need new products out of this company, both in health care and in varieties of liquid crystal displays. For a while, it was poorly run, but that's no longer the case, so I am not ruling out some upward movement as the year progresses.
Be sure to check back all week for the rest of Jim Cramer's 2009 predictions for the Dow components:
- Cramer on BloggingStocks: Cramer bullish on the Dow for '09 -- Part I
- Cramer on BloggingStocks: Cramer bullish on the Dow for '09 -- Part II
- Cramer on BloggingStocks: Cramer bullish on the Dow for '09 -- Part III











Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-15-2009 @ 8:17AM
carol said...
Dear Mr. Cramer,
Thanks for your comments on JPM and KFT good advice in my humble option. I happen to already own shares and am thinking of adding more to ride out the 2009 early days. As an average investor with no crystal ball we do the best we can as you know. Take care and thanks again for the article.
1-09-2009 @ 7:31AM
rodger said...
any one who listens to this person should loose their money. as much as he claims to know he would be another Warren Buffet.
1-08-2009 @ 1:33PM
Kate said...
I believe that if the government would have given each tax payer a share of the $700 billion bail out money, verses Wall Street, the economy would have improved. People could have paid their mortgage payments, credit card payments (banks still would receive money.. but that money would have been applied to consumer debt), and put food on the table. What the banks did with those funds is simply hedge their own liabilities. They did not free up credit. And who can get credit when they're overly in debt or have lost their jobs? Tax payers should have been given "their own money" back to exist during this tough economy.
1-08-2009 @ 1:55PM
Patriot said...
The trouble with Cranmer and people like him is that they are too rich to see what is happening to the average person who struggles to pay bills and keep a paycheck coming in. No money ,no jobs,no spending,no profits,for anyone. My prediction is people will be laughing at his picks a year from now.(or crying)
1-08-2009 @ 4:12PM
Rick D said...
what were the Bonds (& % they pay) that Jim C. recommended monday morning on Morning Joe Show?