Quick Read
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Cramer backs Vale as a crypto-grade inflation hedge with a forward P/E of 8, staying long Apple on Cook’s endorsement of incoming CEO Ternus.
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Cramer defended Cisco’s strong $17B quarter despite conservative guidance knocking shares down $8, and flagged Becton Dickinson’s 33% gain since his prior call.
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Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Apple didn’t make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.
On a recent edition of CNBC’s Mad Money Lightning Round, Jim Cramer fielded questions from viewers. Two of Cramer’s clearest calls were to buy Vale (NYSE:VALE) as an inflation hedge comparable to cryptocurrency and to stay long Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) through an upcoming leadership change.
“Just as Good as Crypto”: Cramer’s Inflation Case for Vale
Asked about the Brazilian miner, Cramer said, “This is if you believe, as I do, that we could have rampant inflation down the road. This is one of the best places to do it. And I would actually use it as a great hedge. Just as good as crypto.“
Cramer is placing an iron ore, copper, and nickel producer alongside crypto as an asset for purchasing-power protection. The setup matches Vale’s actual Q2 FY26 mix. Iron Ore Fines generated $6.64 billion, Copper $1.56 billion (up 62%), and Nickel $1.24 billion (up 23%) in the quarter, with iron ore reference prices up 11% year over year, copper up 40% on the LME, and gold up 53%.
Vale reported revenue of $10.50 billion, up 19.2% YoY, and pro forma EBITDA of $4.07 billion, and the board approved $1.7 billion in dividends and interest on capital payable on September 1, 2026, alongside a buyback for up to 100 million shares over 18 months. Vale trades at $15.31, with a one-year gain of 56.52% and a year-to-date gain of 20.9%. Shares carry a forward P/E of 8 and an analyst target price of $16.74.
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Cramer Backs Apple’s Next Chapter
On Apple, Cramer said, “I do think it’s still a good buy. I would own this, not trade it. I know we’ve got a new CEO coming in, and I have made no secret of how great I think Tim Cook is. I do want to get to know the new CEO, and I don’t know John Ternus. However, I do think the company is going to be in good hands if Tim Cook says it’s in good hands, because he has never been anything other than true north for me.”
Cramer admits he does not know the incoming executive and treats Cook’s endorsement as sufficient. On Apple’s Q3 FY26 call, Cook said of new CEO John Ternus, “I couldn’t be more confident in his leadership, in our executive team, and in the extraordinary people at Apple.”