Cramer's week ahead: Covid market scares are buying opportunities

CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Friday previewed the slate of corporate earnings reports that are during next week’s holiday-altered trading schedule.

The “Mad Money” host’s comments came after a mixed session on Wall Street, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 finishing in the red as investors globally reacted to new coronavirus restrictions in some European countries. The tech-heavy Nasdaq rose 0.4%.

“Ever since the Delta variant arrived on the scene, every one of these Covid scares has turned out to be a buying opportunity … although few people seem to recognize this in the moment,” Cramer said.

Here’s what Cramer is watching for next week. U.S. markets are closed Thursday for Thanksgiving, and there’s a shortened session Friday. All revenue and earnings per share estimates are from FactSet.

Zoom Video Communications

• Q3 results after the bell; conference call at 5 p.m. ET Monday
• Projected EPS: $1.09
• Projected revenue: $1.02 billion

Zoom Video is no longer the hot stock it was during the early days of the Covid pandemic, but it’s been tough sledding over the past year, Cramer said.

“After this relentless decline, I’m starting to wonder, isn’t there a real buying opportunity here? It’s certainly a terrific hedge if you’re worried that Covid won’t go away. Let’s hear what they have to say when Zoom reports on Monday night,” Cramer said. They’ve got a lot of cash. They’ve got a lot of opportunities, a lot of options. We’ll make a judgment.”

Dick’s Sporting Goods

• Q3 results before the bell; conference call at 10 a.m. ET Tuesday
• Projected EPS: $2.04
• Projected revenue: $2.5 billion

Best Buy

• Q3 results before the open; conference call at 8 a.m. ET Tuesday
• Projected EPS: $1.94
• Projected sales: $11.62 billion

“I’m betting Dick’s Sporting Goods and Best Buy will tell great stories and they won’t terrify you with tales of supply chain woes,” Cramer said.

Dollar Tree

• Q3 results before the open; conference call at 9 a.m. ET Tuesday
• Projected EPS: 96 cents
• Projected revenue: $6.41 billion

“We know that Dollar Tree is under siege from an activist hedge fund that wants them to generate better numbers. Maybe management’s already turning things around, though. We’ll find out when they report Tuesday morning,” he said.

Analog Devices

• Q4 results before the bell; conference call at 10 a.m. ET Tuesday
• Projected EPS: $1.70
• Projected revenue: $2.26 billion

“We need to hear what Analog Devices, one of the great internet of things companies in this era, has to say about the [semiconductor] shortage. I think ADI is in the catbird seat for the moment,” Cramer said.

Dell Technologies

• Q3 results after the bell; conference call at 5:30 p.m. ET Tuesday
• Projected EPS: $2.30
• Projected sales: $27.37 billion

HP

• Q4 results after the bell; conference call at 4:30 p.m. ET Tuesday
• Projected EPS: 88 cents
• Projected revenue: $15.39 billion

Cramer said both Dell and HP keep “churning away with great numbers, even as they don’t tend to get much, let’s say, praise and fanfare.” He added, “I expect them both to put up excellent numbers as usual while continuing to return lots of cash to their shareholders.

“Wednesday marks the unofficial start of Thanksgiving and most companies know better than to report that day. But the government doesn’t stop and we get durable goods orders that might show you there’s no slowdown in the cards for this economy,” Cramer said.

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