Cramer's week ahead: Stocks may be in for more punishment

CNBC’s Jim Cramer said on Friday that next week’s market events could offer signs of a late December rally after a highly volatile week that saw many smaller technology stocks slip during rising investor concern about the omicron Covid variant.

“I think we may be in for more punishment because the valuations got so out of control, but given the crushing blows we’ve seen so far, there’s reason to believe that we’re getting closer and closer to the light at the end of the tunnel,” Cramer said.

Here’s what the Mad Money host will be watching during the coming week. All revenue and per-share earnings estimates are pulled from FactSet.

MongoDB

• Q3 2022 earnings release after the bell; conference call at 5 p.m.
• Projected Loss: Loss of 38 cents per share
• Projected revenue: $205.3 million

Coupa Software

• Q3 2022 earnings release after the bell; conference call at 4:30 p.m.
• Projected EPS: 3 cents
• Projected revenue: $178.3 million

Cramer said that technology companies MongoDB and Coupa Software have been “crushed” lately as money managers dump risky stocks for safer bets amid omicron worries. “MongoDB and Coupa also find themselves in the unenviable position of having to report right after what will no doubt be one of the very biggest weekends of when we’re going to hear about the omicron variant,” Cramer said.

SentinelOne

• Q3 results after the bell; conference call at 5 p.m. ET Tuesday
• Projected Loss: Loss of 18 cents
• Projected revenue: $49.6 million

Cramer said cybersecurity company SentinelOne is a good test case for investors to determine if technology stocks have been oversold. “I was shocked to see that this stock had already come down from $76 to $46, for no obvious reason aside from the broader stock market rotation,” Cramer said.

Toll Brothers

• Q4 results after the bell; conference call at 8:30 a.m. ET Wednesday
• Projected EPS: $2.48
• Projected revenue: $2.9 billion

Toll Brothers, the high-end homebuilder, has several tailwinds that have helped it put up “amazing numbers,” Cramer said, including low mortgage rates, strong profit margins, and the hybrid work environment that’s boosting home sales. “Will Toll Brothers be hurt by today’s weaker-than-expected jobs report? I doubt it,” Cramer said.

Stitch Fix

• Q1 results after the bell; conference call at 4:30 p.m. ET Tuesday
• Projected Loss: Loss of 14 cents
• Projected revenue: $571 million

Stitch Fix is more of an apparel play than a tech stock, Cramer contended, but he said next week’s earnings might indicate that it and similar stocks with a heavy digital component have hit their bottom and are ready to rise again.

UiPath

• Q3 results after the bell; conference call at 5 p.m. ET Wednesday
• Projected EPS: Loss of 4 cents
• Projected revenue: $208.3 million

Cramer also believes that UiPath, a software company specializing in automating repetitive tasks, is a key test case for technology stocks.

Campbell Soup

• Q1 results before the bell; conference call at 8 a.m. Wednesday
• Projected EPS: 81 cents
• Projected sales: $2.28 billion

“Think the world’s coming to an end? All right, then I’ve got something for you” in Campbell Soup, Cramer said on Friday, noting that he sees its performance as more of a leading indicator on slowdown-related names than a reflection on the company’s management.

RH

• Q3 results after the close; conference call at 5 p.m. ET Wednesday
• Projected EPS: $6.62
• Projected revenue: $983 million

“I think CEO Gary Friedman has a long-term view,” Cramer said, adding that in the past, every sell-off in RH shares have “been a reason to buy, not sell.”

Gamestop

• Q3 results after the bell; conference call at 5 p.m. ET Wednesday
• Projected Loss: Loss of 52 cents
• Projected sales: $1.2 billion

Cramer says GameStop is the “king of the meme stocks” despite the fact he hasn’t seen a “real turnaround plan” from the company’s new management. “I can’t justify owning it up here and I think the Wall Street Bets cohort has run out of firepower of late … but there’s tremendous prurient interest here,” Cramer said.

Broadcom

• Q4 results after the bell; conference call at 5 p.m. ET Thursday
• Projected EPS: $7.74
• Projected revenue: $7.36 billion

Chipmaker Broadcom has been “remarkably consistent in an inconsistent world,” Cramer said.

Costco

• Q1 results after the bell; conference call at 5 p.m. ET Thursday
• Projected EPS: $2.62
• Projected revenue: $54.1 billion

Costco often gets hit after big runs higher, Cramer said, offering investors a buying opportunity.

Hormel

• Q4 results before the bell; conference call at 9 a.m. ET Thursday
• Projected EPS: 50 cents
• Projected revenue: $3.22 billion

Cramer said that Hormel is a “tried and true” name that’s down from its highs despite savvy management moves.

Lululemon

• Q3 results after the close; conference call at 4:30 p.m. ET Thursday
• Projected EPS: $1.40
• Projected revenue: $1.43 billion

Cramer said he believes Lululemon will turn in a “fantastic” report next Thursday, making it an aggressive play.

Chewy

• Q3 results after the close; conference call at 5 p.m. ET Thursday
• Projected Loss: Loss of 3 cents
• Projected revenue: $2.21 billion

“I also want to hear from Chewy,” Cramer said. “The online pet food retailer that’s seen its stock get cut in half. … You get the pattern here? It’s called a bear market, people: Anything digitized is getting pulverized.”

Centene

• Investor meeting 8:30 a.m. ET

Centene’s analyst meeting could deliver good news for investors in the form of bountiful cash flow and buybacks, Cramer said.

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