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It’s that time again! “Mad Money” host Jim Cramer rings the lightning round bell, which means he’s giving his answers to callers’ stock questions at rapid speed.

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Nvidia Corp: “Nvidia is a terrific company but it sells at a very high price-to-earnings multiple. … We have pulled back a little bit [for the Charitable Trust].”

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Blackstone Minerals Ltd: “I do not know Blackstone Minerals. I am going to have to do some more work on that situation.”

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EVgo Inc: “Our biggest fear is, again, losing money, and it does not fit our criteria anymore for what we’re recommending.”

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Energy Transfer LP: “ET is actually a very good stock. … Times change and it’s become a better, better stock.”

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Medical Properties Trust Inc: “This one, I don’t like that particular part of the real estate investment trusts. I think that they are too high-yielding, which therefore causes me to be concerned that they will not be able to make the distribution.”

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Axcelis Technologies Inc: “Some of these companies in this business are doing amazingly well. And you’ve got to hand it to them.”

Disclaimer: Cramer’s Charitable Trust owns shares of Nvidia.

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Stephanie McMahon has served as WWE co-CEO since July.
She returned to the company after taking a leave of absence in May when Vince McMahon retired amid sexual assault allegations.
Vince McMahon has returned to WWE as its executive chairman to prepare the company for a potential sale.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 02: Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H attend the UFC 276 event at T-Mobile Arena on July 02, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Jeff Bottari | Ufc | Getty Images

Stephanie McMahon has resigned as WWE co-chief executive officer and chairwoman after her father, Vince, was unanimously re-elected as the company’s executive chairman.
Stephanie McMahon returned from a leave of absence in July to take over as co-CEO after Vince retired amid allegations of sexual misconduct. She informed staff Tuesday that she is again stepping down as Vince McMahon returns to facilitate a potential sale of the company.

“I cannot put into words how proud I am to have helped lead what I consider to be the greatest company in the world and I am confident WWE is in the perfect position to continue to provide unparalleled creative content and drive maximum value for shareholders,” Stephanie McMahon said in a statement.
Nick Khan, formerly co-CEO alongside the younger McMahon, will serve as the company’s sole CEO. Stephanie McMahon’s husband, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, will continue to run WWE’s creative division.
Stephanie McMahon announced in May she was taking a leave of absence from her prior role as chief brand officer to focus on her family.
“I’d like to express my full support for Stephanie’s personal decision,” Vince McMahon said in a statement Tuesday. “I’ll forever be grateful that she offered to step in during my absence and I’m truly proud of the job she did co-leading WWE. Stephanie has always been the ultimate ambassador for our company, and her decades of contributions have left an immeasurable impact on our brand.”
Vince McMahon, former CEO and controlling shareholder of the company, rejoined the WWE board of directors last week and said he would help to facilitate a sale of the company.

WWE has been considered a sale target for some time, CNBC previously reported, as the company owns intellectual property that could be valuable to streaming service, merchandising and theme park businesses.
The company has hired JPMorgan to advise on the potential sale, CNBC previously reported.
— CNBC’s Lillian Rizzo contributed to this article.
WATCH: WWE transitions from pay-per-view to streaming

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Bed Bath & Beyond’s latest round of layoffs have begun, according to a company memo obtained by CNBC.
CEO Sue Gove said in the email that the chief transformation officer role has been eliminated.
The struggling home goods retailer shared its third-quarter results on Tuesday.

A “Store Closing” banner on a Bed Bath & Beyond store in Farmingdale, New York, on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023.
Johnny Milano | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Bed Bath & Beyond has begun its latest round of layoffs, as it fights to stay in business, according to a memo sent to employees Tuesday that was obtained by CNBC.
The home goods retailer told employees that it is eliminating the chief transformation officer role, which is held by Anu Gupta, on the same day it reported disappointing fiscal third-quarter results.

In the email to employees, CEO Sue Gove said the company is reducing its workforce “across our corporate, supply chain and store portfolio.” She did not say how many employees would be affected, but said it is necessary to ensure Bed Bath’s future.
“While we have taken several important initial steps in our turnaround plan with strong execution, our Q3 2022 results signal that it will take longer to translate actions into outcomes,” she wrote.
Gupta did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement to CNBC, the company said it is “resetting elements of our foundation.”

“As our strategic direction changes and we streamline our operations, it is necessary to right-size our organization to ensure we are equipped for the future. Unfortunately, this has necessitated making the difficult decision to say goodbye to some of our colleagues,” the statement said.
The retailer has been working with advisors in recent months to stave off a bankruptcy filing while its financial position worsened.

Initially, Bed Bath was working with Berkeley Research Group, but opted to replace the firm with AlixPartners recently, said people familiar with the matter, who declined to be named because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter.
Bed Bath said it doesn’t comment on “specific relationships.” The company instead referred to earlier comments from Gove: “We have a team, internally and externally, with proven experience helping companies successfully navigate complex situations and become stronger. Multiple paths are being explored and we are determining our next steps thoroughly, and in a timely manner.”
AlixPartners declined to comment. A representative for Berkeley Research Group didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Bed Bath & Beyond is approaching a potential bankruptcy, as its sales decline and losses grow. The company’s store shelves have gotten barer as suppliers demand upfront payment, stop shipping goods or change other payment terms. Bed Bath issued a “going concern” warning last week, saying it may run out of funds to cover expenses.
Bed Bath had about 32,000 employees, as of Feb. 26, 2022, according to a company filing.
But since then, the company’s employee count has gotten smaller. In August, it said it would cut about 20% of its corporate and supply chain workforce and close about 150 of its namesake stores.
Earlier Tuesday, Gove told investors that Bed Bath has made progress in reducing its operating expenses and will cut costs by an additional $80 million to $100 million, with some of those savings coming from a reduced workforce.
Gove said in the memo Tuesday that Bed Bath will hold a town hall on Wednesday to discuss its future.

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Monday – Friday, 6:00 – 7:00 PM ET

CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Tuesday said that investors still have a chance to buy homebuilder stocks before a possible run-up.
“The charts are screaming that it’s not too late to buy the homebuilders. In fact, you should still be buying them hand over fist,” he said.

CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Tuesday said that investors still have a chance to buy homebuilder stocks before a possible run-up.
“The charts, as interpreted by Dan Fitzpatrick, suggest that we’re looking at a truly counterintuitive bull market in the homebuilders, and even though that’s not supposed to happen at this point in the business cycle, the bulls keep running anyway,” he said.

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The Federal Reserve has raised interest rates over the last year to tamp down inflation, hammering stocks of every industry from tech to retail to financials. However, the action in homebuilder stocks from recent months suggests that they’re going against the tide, according to Cramer.
To explain Fitzpatrick’s analysis, he examined the daily chart of the Dow Jones U.S. Home Construction index.

Arrows pointing outwards

The chart shows a classic reversal pattern resembling an upside-down person, according to Cramer, he said, adding that this pattern could turn into one of sideways trading as it did in April through late November.
“As Fitzpatrick sees it, the homebuilders bottomed in June and the group finally formed a new uptrend in December,” he said.
Adding to the bull case for home stocks is the relative strength of the Home Construction Index versus that of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, featured at the bottom of the chart. The comparison shows that the home stocks have been an “incredible outperformer” in the last couple of months, he pointed out.

“The charts are screaming that it’s not too late to buy the homebuilders. In fact, you should still be buying them hand over fist,” he said, adding that Fitzpatrick’s pick is Lennar.
For more analysis, watch Cramer’s full explanation below.

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Monday – Friday, 6:00 – 7:00 PM ET

CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Tuesday went over a list of do’s and don’ts for investors ahead of a busy period of earnings.
The upcoming earnings season, which kicks off this week, features quarterly updates from the nation’s largest banks, manufacturers and airlines.

CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Tuesday went over a list of do’s and don’ts for investors ahead of a busy period of earnings.
The upcoming earnings season, which kicks off this week, features quarterly updates from the nation’s largest banks, manufacturers and airlines.

Here are the five rules for investors to remember, according to Cramer:

Don’t succumb to instant analysis. Investing isn’t a time-sensitive act.
The first move is often the wrong move. That means investors shouldn’t make investing judgments solely based on how many companies perform compared to analysts’ consensus estimates.
Don’t take your cue from the tape. In other words, investors shouldn’t buy a stock unless they’ve done the homework themselves to research the company.
Read the conference calls, thoroughly. The question and answer portion is especially important since it shows if analysts are truly happy with the quarter.
Make a considered decision if you buy. Weigh whether Wall Street misinterpreted the quarter – which could result in a buying opportunity.

Cramer added that a chief executive’s willingness to buy back stock after the company reports earnings is yet another sign that investors should buy the stock themselves.
Above all, investors must be cautious and measured, he said. “This is a tortoise and the hare situation, so take it slow.”

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Disney is making a number of modifications to its reservation and ticketing system, as well as its annual pass membership perks, at its domestic theme parks.
At Disneyland Resort, park hopper ticket buyers will be able to change parks at 11 a.m.
At Walt Disney World Resort, annual passholders can enter the parks at 2 p.m., with some restrictions, without a reservation.

Disney World celebrated its 50th anniversary in April 2022.
Aaronp/bauer-griffin | Gc Images | Getty Images

Disney is making some changes at its theme parks this year, prompted by feedback from guests who have complained about rising prices and longer wait times.
In a letter Tuesday, parks and resorts Chairperson Josh D’Amaro told employees about a number of modifications to its reservation and ticketing system as well as its annual pass membership perks.

“As we step into this bright future it is important that we continuously evolve to help deliver the best guest experience possible,” D’Amaro wrote. “Many of you know that I’m in the parks fairly often and I listen to you and to our guests about the things that are working as well as the things that might need some change.”
These updates to park operations come less than two months after CEO Bob Iger returned to the helm of the company, promising a two-year stint that would spark renewed growth. The moves at the parks are said to be unrelated to Iger’s return, however.
Disney made sweeping changes to operations when the pandemic hit in 2020, just after Bob Chapek took over as CEO, and forced the long-term closure of its domestic and international parks. This included the integration of an online reservation system, which required guests to plan visits in advance of arriving at the parks, and a reduction in capacity.
During this time, Disney also pushed guests towards no-touch payment options, like its magic bands and mobile order and pay. While contactless payments are no longer required, guests can once again pay with cash, many guests have made the transition to these new methods.

Additionally, Disney launched its Genie and Genie+ itinerary programs alongside its line skipping initiative called Lightning Lane. These digital offerings were designed to optimize guests experiences in the parks, allowing them to schedule their days more effectively, with access to estimated wait times and restaurant reservations. They also gave guests the option to pay to have a shorter wait for Disney’s top attractions.

While many guests have embraced these new programs, others have complained about the rising cost of tickets for Disney’s domestic theme parks. It has also been reported that so many guests are purchasing Lightning Lane access, that the special line often still means waiting time for those looking to get on rides fast.
Tuesday’s announcement addresses some of these concerns, but not all, D’Amaro told park employees in his letter.

Disneyland Resort

At Disneyland Resort in California, the company is increasing the number of days it will offer its lowest-priced one-day, one-park ticket, adding nearly two months’ worth of days in 2023. These tickets are $104 and they allow guests to enter either Disneyland or California Adventure.
For those who purchase park hopper tickets, which allow access to both California-based theme parks, the ability to swap from one park to the other will open at 11 a.m. starting Feb. 4. Previously, guests would have to wait until 1 p.m. to move to the second park.
In celebration of Disney’s 100-year anniversary, the company is providing complimentary Disney PhotoPass digital downloads of attraction photos for all ticketed park guests beginning Feb. 4.
The company will also be opening up its Magic Key program more often during the year, as inventory becomes available. This annual pass program has four levels, each a different “key.” It also offers admission to the parks, sometimes with blackout dates, and savings on food, beverages, merchandise and food, depending on the key.

Walt Disney World Resort

In Disney’s Florida-based parks, annual passholders will be allowed to visit after 2 p.m. without a park reservation. The only exception is on Saturdays and Sunday for Magic Kingdom. Blackout dates will continue to apply based on the tier of the program guests have selected.
Guests who book a stay at one of Disney’s resort hotels starting Jan. 10 will be granted complimentary self-parking.
Additionally, Disney is set to add free digital downloads of attraction photos for guests who have purchased the Genie+ service.
“I’m excited about all of these changes and offers and want you to know that we are committed to listening, adapting, and staying relentlessly focused on making the guest experience at our Disney parks even better,” D’Amaro wrote.

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Amazon ‘s (AMZN) soon-to-be widely available Buy with Prime service, which allows Prime members to use their Amazon accounts to shop with other online merchants, could be a profitable revenue channel for the e-commerce giant. However, the Club holding’s stock is still expensive, a high multiple compared to the broader stock market. Amazon on Tuesday said it’s making Buy with Prime, which launched as an invite-only program last year, available to all U.S. online retailers by the end of January. The service allows Amazon Prime members the ability to shop directly on other retailers’ websites , in turn helping those outlets to tap into Prime’s roughly 200 million members. The service also guarantees free, 2-day delivery. The company said it expects Buy with Prime to increase shopper conversion from browsing to buying by around 25%. Buy with Prime “allows merchants to build customer relationships and brand loyalty while offering conversion-driving benefits,” Amazon said in a statement. Shares of Amazon, which closed out 2022 down more than 50%, have rebounded somewhat at the start of this year. The stock was trading up roughly 2.7% midday Tuesday, at $89.69 a share. The news comes as Amazon faces slowing sales growth and gathering macroeconomic headwinds. At the same time, the company has been plagued by ballooning expenses and a bloated workforce, in part the result of over-hiring at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic when e-commerce demand was more robust. CEO Andy Jassy last week announced plans to cut 18,000 jobs at the company — a move that likely does not go far enough. But Buy With Prime should help Amazon make use of some of the excess warehouse capacity it invested in earlier in the pandemic and rein in associated costs, analysts said. “By reselling part of their logistics/distribution/fulfillment capacity, they are generating incremental revenue and better optimizing their cost structure,” Mark Mahaney, head of Evercore ISI’s internet research team, told CNBC in an email Tuesday. “I would also think that given AMZN’s logistics excellence that this would be a service received well by both merchants and consumers,” he added. Aaron Kessler, managing director for internet sector coverage at Raymond James, said in an email to CNBC Tuesday that Buy with Prime “will help on the margin improve utilization of [Amazon’s] fulfillment network.” The new service offers familiar Prime benefits to members like quick purchases and fast delivery. Moreover, Amazon will handle the lifecycle of purchases, including the processing of orders, packing of goods and delivery. The Club take Amazon’s Buy with Prime offering is positive for its potential to fill out excess capacity, allow merchants to maintain consumer relationships and provide another avenue to sell to customers not starting their search on the Amazon website. While this is a move in the right direction, it’s not enough to make Amazon stock look cheaper. And we’re not buying more shares on Tuesday’s news. We continue to look for Amazon to reduce headcount and better manage its expenses. At the same time, we remain cautious on the potential for further interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve to continue to erode growth at the highly-priced e-commerce giant. (Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust is long AMZN. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.

Workers load packages into Amazon Rivian Electric trucks at an Amazon facility in Poway, California, November 16, 2022.
Sandy Huffaker | Reuters

Amazon’s (AMZN) soon-to-be widely available Buy with Prime service, which allows Prime members to use their Amazon accounts to shop with other online merchants, could be a profitable revenue channel for the e-commerce giant. However, the Club holding’s stock is still expensive, a high multiple compared to the broader stock market. More

Sanders, the incoming chair of the Senate health committee, called a potential price increase for Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine “outrageous” in a letter to the company’s CEO, Stephane Bancel.
Bancel told The Wall Street Journal that Moderna is considering a price in the range of $110 to $130 per dose when the shots go commercial.
The federal government, which has handled procurement and distribution of the vaccines during the emergency phase of the pandemic, pays about $26 per vaccine dose.

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is trailed by reporters as he arrives for the weekly Democratic caucus luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, November 29, 2022.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters

Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday urged Moderna not to quadruple the price of its Covid-19 vaccine once distribution of the shots moves to the commercial market.
In a letter to Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel, Sanders called the price increase “outrageous.” The independent senator from Vermont and incoming chair of the Senate’s health committee said such a steep price increase would make the shots unavailable for millions of uninsured Americans, potentially putting their lives at risk as Covid continues to spread.

Sanders, who has become an influential national figure after his two unsuccessful bids to win the Democratic presidential nomination, has repeatedly excoriated the pharmaceutical industry for high drug prices in the U.S. He is expected to take a hard line with the industry when he assumes leadership of the powerful Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee.
Sanders said raising vaccine prices would also have a negative effect on the budgets of Medicaid and Medicare, which will continue covering the vaccines at no cost to the programs’ beneficiaries. Private health insurance premiums would also rise as a consequence of a vaccine price hike, Sanders wrote.
“Your decision will cost taxpayers billions of dollars,” Sanders wrote to Bancel.
Bancel told The Wall Street Journal on Monday that Moderna is considering a price in the range of $110 to $130 per Covid vaccine dose when the shots are sold on the commercial market. The federal government, which has handled procurement and distribution of the vaccines during the emergency phase of the pandemic, currently pays about $26 per vaccine dose.
“I find your decision particularly offensive given the fact that the vaccine was jointly developed in partnership with scientists from the National Institutes of Health, a U.S. government agency that is funded by U.S. taxpayers,” Sanders wrote to Bancel.

Bancel told the Journal that he thought the price is consistent with the vaccine’s value. Pfizer is also considering raising the price of its Covid vaccine to $110 to $130 per dose.
Dr. Ashish Jha, who heads the White House Covid task force, told the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in August that the administration plans to move the vaccines to the commercial market sometime in 2023. That means patients would receive the vaccine like any other medical treatment with the cost depending on their health insurance plan.
During the pandemic, the federal government has required all health-care providers participating in the vaccination campaign to provide the shots to patients for free regardless of their health insurance status.
Moderna’s Covid vaccine is the company’s only commercially available product. The Boston biotech booked a profit of $12.2 billion in 2021, the first year of the vaccination campaign, and another $6.9 billion through September 2022.
CNBC reported in March that Bancel had sold more than $400 million in Moderna stock during the pandemic.

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