In this news article, Jim Cramer, the host of “Mad Money,” answers callers’ stock questions in rapid-fire fashion during the lightning round. He gives his thoughts on various companies’ year-to-date stock performance. When asked about Extreme Networks, Cramer states that while he thinks it’s fine, he doesn’t see it as a standout recommendation in the technology sector, which is currently experiencing selling pressure. Moving on to Zimmer Biomet, Cramer acknowledges the difficulty of this stock and suggests considering buying GE Healthcare instead, which he believes is undervalued. When it comes to Sunrun, Cramer highlights First Solar as the more favorable option. He also mentions NRG Energy, expressing his preference for the new management team at Southern. With regards to Ecolab, he believes that Cintas is a better choice due to its similarity in business. Lastly, Cramer recommends Chubb over Old Republic in the insurance sector and suggests avoiding self-driving related semi companies such as Indie Semiconductor. He favors Cisco over Arista Networks when it comes to trading with Nvidia.
Expanding on this information, Extreme Networks is seen as an average stock with Cramer emphasizing that it lacks the proprietary qualities necessary for a strong recommendation. Zimmer Biomet’s poor quarter performance leads Cramer to suggest exploring the opportunity of investing in GE Healthcare, which he believes is undervalued. The renewable energy company Sunrun, according to Cramer, is not up to par with its peers, with First Solar standing out as the preferred option. NRG Energy is acknowledged as a good stock, but Cramer shows a preference for Southern due to its new management team. In the industrial sector, Ecolab is considered acceptable, but Cramer suggests looking at Cintas as he sees it as a more favorable choice. Old Republic is recognized as a reliable insurance company, but Chubb is recommended instead. Finally, Cramer advises against investing in self-driving related semi companies like Indie Semiconductor, and instead, suggests Cisco as a more cost-effective choice compared to Arista Networks when trading with Nvidia.
While providing his insight on various stocks, it’s important to note that the CNBC Investing Club Charitable Trust holds shares of Nvidia and GE Healthcare. This information helps disclose any potential conflict of interest that Cramer may have. Overall, Cramer’s lightning round analysis provides a quick, but informative view on the performance and potential recommendations of several stocks in different sectors.