Mad Money

Cramer's Best Stocks in the Tech Sector

Cramer’s Sector to Watch: Tech

These 14 stocks could be some of the Nasdaq’s best buys for 2010 and beyond.The smartphone revolution will drive tech’s growth for the foreseeable future, Cramer has said time and again. Consumers want what they want when they want it, and all-in-one handsets – complete with voice, video and data capabilities – are bringing their entire lives to the new “small screen.” The Mad Money host has gone so far as to call this “the biggest secular growth trend of my life.” So anyone who wants to play th
Posted 4 March 2010

These 14 stocks could be some of the Nasdaq’s best buys for 2010 and beyond.

The smartphone revolution will drive tech’s growth for the foreseeable future, Cramer has said time and again. Consumers want what they want when they want it, and all-in-one handsets – complete with voice, video and data capabilities – are bringing their entire lives to the new “small screen.”

The Mad Money host has gone so far as to call this “the biggest secular growth trend of my life.” So anyone who wants to play the trend should consider the companies that help to make it happen.

But the mobile Internet isn’t tech’s only booming industry. Social-media gaming and online shopping, which continues to creep into what was once the sole realm of brick-and-mortar stores, are worth a serious look, too. Cramer said he will be watching these themes throughout 2010, and he’s especially bullish about the 14 stocks listed in this slide show.

Click ahead to find out his picks!

Apple (AAPL)

Apple just added the iPad to its list of blockbuster “i” products. The touch-screen tablet will offer Web, e-mail, photo and video capability like the iPhone, but on a much larger, though still portable, scale. Cramer’s a big fan of Apple and its ability to continue delivering game-changing technologies to the market, and he has little doubt that this stock is one of the best ways to play the mobile Internet. His target price for AAPL at publish time? $300 (and that’s a conservative guess, he sa
Photo: Getty Images

Apple just added the iPad to its list of blockbuster “i” products. The touch-screen tablet will offer Web, e-mail, photo and video capability like the iPhone, but on a much larger, though still portable, scale.

Cramer’s a big fan of Apple and its ability to deliver game-changing technologies to the market, and he has little doubt that this stock is one of the best ways to play the mobile Internet. His target price for AAPL at publish time? $300 (and that’s a conservative guess, he says).

Cramer’s charitable trust owns Apple

Google (GOOG)

GOOG is up about 20% since Cramer added it to his Mad Money Mobile Internet Index. That jump would be attributable to, at least in part, brand loyalty, he says. Consumers who have been using the search engine since 1999 will continue to do so on their smartphones, making this space another big growth opportunity for Google. But that’s not the only reason Cramer likes the stock. The company is in the sweet spot of the ad business, both its move online from print and the ramp in spending as the ec
Photo: Alexander Hassenstein | Getty Images

GOOG is up about 20% since Cramer added it to his Mad Money Mobile Internet Index on Aug. 11, 2009. That jump would be attributable to, at least in part, brand loyalty, he says. Consumers who have been using the search engine since 1999 will continue to do so on their smartphones, making them another big growth opportunity for Google.

In addition, the company is in the sweet spot of the ad business, both its move online from print and the ramp in spending as the economy improves. So it's win-win for Google in this space, too. At publish time, Cramer had a $750 price target on this stock.

Crown Castle, American Tower and SBA Communications

Smartphones are “gigantic data hogs,” Cramer says, and they’ve created bandwidth shortages that result in, among other things, dropped calls. The solution? Put up more cell-phone towers to handle the overload. That’s why Cramer likes Crown Castle, American Tower and SBA Communications. These three had seen spectacular runs when he first made it recommendation in September 2009, but he thinks they could go still higher. Of course, do your homework before buying.
Photo: George Diebold | Photographer’s Choice | Getty Images

Smartphones are “gigantic data hogs,” Cramer says, and they’ve created bandwidth shortages that result in, among other things, dropped calls. The solution? Put up more cell-phone towers to handle the overload.

That’s why Cramer likes Crown Castle, American Tower and SBA Communications. These three had seen spectacular runs when he first made it recommendation in September 2009, but he thinks they could go still higher. Of course, do your homework before buying.

Skyworks Solutions (SWKS)

When it comes to smartphone components, Cramer says, investors want Skyworks Solutions. This company makes power amplifiers that boost a cellular signal, thereby allowing for faster downloads. And in this age of gigabyte-heavy data transfers, Cramer says, “You need fast downloads.”
Photo: Comstock | Comstock Images | Getty Images

When it comes to smartphone components, Cramer says, investors want Skyworks Solutions. This company makes power amplifiers that boost a cellular signal, thereby allowing for faster downloads. And in this age of gigabyte-heavy data transfers, Cramer says, “You need fast downloads.”

Altera, Cypress Semiconductor and Xilinx

These chipmakers are responsible for “the guts” of smartphones. “I particularly like Cypress for its Minority Report-style touch-screen tech,” Cramer says.
Photo: MIXA | MIXA | Getty Images

These chipmakers are responsible for “the guts” of smartphones. “I particularly like Cypress for its Minority Report-style touch-screen tech,” Cramer says.

Amazon.com (AMZN)

This Seattle-based firm isn’t just a books and music Internet retailer anymore. Cramer called it “the online Walmart,” with even better prices. And Amazon’s tie-in to the mobile Web is its popular e-reader, the Kindle, which has constant wireless connectivity.
Photo: AP

This Seattle-based firm isn’t just a books and music Internet retailer anymore. Cramer called it “the online Walmart,” with even better prices. And Amazon’s tie-in to the mobile Web is its popular e-reader, the Kindle, which has constant wireless connectivity.

Cisco Systems (CSCO)

Cisco is “the world’s top provider of networking equipment,” Cramer says. The company is the backbone of the Internet, and its acquisition of Starent Networks makes Cisco a key player in the mobile Web space. How so? Starent makes a technology that allows wireless carriers to better deliver mobile broadband to their customers. Cramer thinks this is so important that Cisco is one of his charitable trust’s largest holdings.
Photo: Ethan Miller | Getty Images

Cisco is “the world’s top provider of networking equipment,” Cramer says. The company is the backbone of the Internet, and its acquisition of Starent Networks makes Cisco a key player in the mobile Web space.

How so? Starent makes a technology that allows wireless carriers to better deliver mobile broadband to their customers. Cramer thinks this is so important that as of publish time Cisco was one of his charitable trust’s largest holdings.

Cramer’s charitable trust owns Cisco Systems

Electronic Arts (ERTS)

Cramer switched this video-game maker to buy from sell after it bought Playfish, the social-media gaming company. That’s “one of the fastest-growing segments in the gaming business,” the Mad Money host says, and it’s a big reason why Electronic Arts can thrive while companies that make games only for consoles may not.
Photo: Electronic Arts

Cramer switched this video-game maker to buy from sell after it bought Playfish, the social-media gaming company. That’s “one of the fastest-growing segments in the gaming business,” the Mad Money host says, and it’s a big reason why Electronic Arts can thrive while companies that make games only for consoles may not.

Qualcomm (QCOM)

If Cisco is the backbone of the Internet, Cramer says, then Qualcomm is the brains of the smartphone. “This is the chip designer that developed the technology which makes the mobile Internet possible,” he says, “especially faster.” Think 3G and 4G wireless networks. Qualcomm’s tech is in most of the midrange products that people buy, and the company counts Google, Apple and Hewlett-Packard among its customers.
Photo: Getty Images

If Cisco is the backbone of the Internet, Cramer says, then Qualcomm is the brains of the smartphone. “This is the chip designer that developed the technology which makes the mobile Internet possible,” he says, “especially faster.” Think 3G and 4G wireless networks.

Qualcomm’s tech is in most of the midrange products that people buy, and the company counts Google, Apple and Hewlett-Packard among its customers.

Cramer’s charitable trust owns Qualcomm

Intel (INTC)

The world’s largest semiconductor company makes all kinds of chips, including those for wireless devices. Cramer thinks a rise in PC sales, thanks to the release of Microsoft Windows 7, will boost Intel’s profits in 2010, but he also expects a bump from sales of processors for smartphones and netbooks. This stock is another key part of his charitable trust.
Photo: Getty Images

The world’s largest semiconductor company makes all kinds of chips, including those for wireless devices. Cramer thinks a rise in PC sales, thanks to the release of Microsoft Windows 7, will boost Intel’s profits in 2010, but he also expects a bump from sales of processors for smartphones and netbooks. At publish time, this stock was another key part of his charitable trust.

Cramer’s charitable trust owns Intel