What follows is Cramer's "Game Plan" for the week of Monday, July 18.
MONDAY, JULY 18
With Halliburton scheduled to report earnings before the opening bell, Cramer will look at all reports predicting how much the company is expected to earn. Instead of making a judgement about HAL, though, he will try to make a call on Schlumberger , which reports earnings on Friday. If Halliburton reports a strong number, Cramer thinks Schlumberger will, too. So if Halliburton does deliver strong earnings, he'll look to buy SLB on any pullback before Friday.
After the bell, IBM is expected to deliver its quarterly results. This technology stock remains cheap on targets the company set for itself, Cramer said. He is so confidant the company will meet its targets, he recommends buying shares Monday and then buy more after it reports.
TUESDAY, JULY 19
Bank of America will report earnings before Tuesday's opening bell. Cramer expects nothing but horrible news, which he said could be a good thing because when everyone expects horror and you get it, the stock may actually go up. Another disappointment may also signal that CEO Brian Moynihan may be on his way out. Cramer would like to see Tom Montag, a terific banker from Merrill Lynch, takeover this Charlotte, N.C.-based financial institution.
After the closing bell, Cramer will look for Apple's earnings results. Analysts got Google's earnings wrong and Cramer thinks they'll get Apple's results wrong, too. There are real concerns regarding CEO Steve Jobs' health and the recent departure of executive Ron Johnson, but investors should really be worried about missing the next move, Cramer said.
Chipotle Mexican Grill will also deliver earnings after the close. After having posted a 125 percent gain, Cramer wants to know if this fast-growing stock has tapped out. He thinks it has multiple years of growth ahead of it, though, especially since raw costs have recently come down. Take any opportunity to buy this high-growth stock, Cramer said.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 20
Amsterdam, Netherlands-based Core Laboratories will report its results after Wednesday's closing bell. An oil and gas equipment and services company, Cramer said it's been crucial to finding oil and gas in the ground before drilling. He expects it to deliver strong results, but doesn't recommend buying shares ahead of the quarter. This stock tends to fall after the company reports earnings, Cramer explained, so wait a day or two before pulling the trigger.
THURSDAY, JULY 21
Two of the most important industrials, Nucor and PPG Industries , will report earnings before Thursday's opening bell. Cramer plans to monitor both companies' results.
"I would love to tell you to pick up some Nucor under $40 ahead of the quarter, but the Chinese have been dumping steel everywhere and I think that, plus the lack of any true certainty in Washington is going to hurt the Nucor story," he said. "PPG, on the other hand, has been so agile at moving overseas that it might be immune from Washington’s shenanigans and I expect an excellent quarter."
Apparel maker V.F. Corp is also scheduled to report earnings Thursday morning. Like Core Labs, its stock tends to sell off after earnings. Cramer said V.F. Corp is a great company and CEO Eric Wiseman is a strong leader, but both the company and Wiseman tend to be misunderstood by the market and analyst community alike. Being as this stock is likely to fall after the company reports, Cramer would wait to buy shares.
FRIDAY, JULY 22
Some of Cramer's "absolute favorite" companies will report Friday.
Before the bell, Schlumberger will deliver its results. Cramer plans to listen to this oil and gas company's call because he thinks CEO Andrew Gould tends to give a great state of the industry. Everyone from the analysts to major oil company executives will be listening to this call, he said.
Caterpillar will also report on Friday morning. Its results will give us a gauge on the world's economy, Cramer said. He thinks this stock is worth looking at because Caterpillar is the best play on the need for more infrastruture and for minerals and mining. This is the first quarter that Caterpillar owned Bucyrus, a mining business. He hopes the company reports a strong number, so the stock can ascend to new highs.
When this story was published, Cramer's charitable trust owned IBM, Bank of America, Caterpillar and Apple.
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