Why Microsoft Just Doesn’t Have It

Microsoft just doesn’t have it, Cramer said during Thursday’s “Stop Trading.” The company doesn’t have Apple’s snazzy products or its loyal fans. And in an industry where plenty of other companies are doing it right, Microsoft isn’t doing it “right enough.”

“I don’t think there’s anything there at all,” Cramer said of the company.

At most the stock might pop a dollar after a strong earnings report, the “Mad Money” host said. But largely, Microsoft either isn’t operating in any of Cramer’s favorite tech spaces or it’s an also-ran in those spaces.

“No matter what they try to do,” Cramer said, “it doesn’t seem to move the needle.”

One company that he does endorse is Akamai Technologies , whose services speed up content transfers and applications on the Web. He praised the quarter and pushed back against critics who cite Akamai’s reduced gross margins as a problem. Cramer said the company is throwing as much money as possible into its growth, and that’s why the margins appear low.

“Do not be dissuaded by how much money they’re spending,” Cramer said.

Cramer also likes Celgene’s new CEO, Robert Hugin, calling him “the right guy” for the job. He thinks CELG is “an all-systems-go stock.”

If you doubt the demand for coal these days, take a look at Norfolk Southern’s latest conference call. Cramer said the coal story presented on that call was “unbelievable,” and it should make investors immediately reach for Peabody Energy . While there was some concern that Peabody’s domestic business was lagging its overseas operations, the NSC seemed to lay those fears to rest.

Investors might also consider Berkshire Hathaway as well, because it owns Burlington Northern.

“I like coal more than I like Microsoft,” Cramer said.

When this story published, Cramer’s charitable trust owned Apple.

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