Cramer: Hot hot hot! Growth plays that will sizzle
There is one fact that Jim Cramer just cannot avoid anymore-the world is headed toward slower growth. Either the Fed will raise rates to slow down the economy, or it won't raise rates because of a slowing economy. Both roads lead to slow growth.
"That doesn't mean you should freak out and sell everything. In fact, there are plenty of winners in a low-growth environment, you just need to be willing to look for them," the "Mad Money" host said.
The trick to finding those winning stocks, Cramer says, is to figure out the trends that will continue to grow, regardless of how the economy is doing. The most powerful growth story out there, in Cramer's opinion, is healthcare cost containment.
Why? Because, right now, more Americans are getting access to health insurance. Simultaneously, a large portion of the population-the baby boomers-is starting to get old and will require more medical care. Thus, every healthcare provider out there is looking for ways to control costs.
"The healthcare cost containment plays are in the sweet spot right now. They are riding a powerful long-term trend at a moment when the stock market is about to get desperate for consistent growth," Cramer said.
Additionally, Cramer thinks that investors are about to see the emergence of larger companies attempting to use their scale to contain costs by acquiring their competitors. That means a massive wave of consolidation could be coming.
With this in mind, this week the "Mad Money" host will begin to introduce his healthcare hot list. Those are the companies right on the front lines that are fighting the battle to keep down the cost of healthcare. This list will include 12 companies that Cramer thinks will be the biggest winners of healthcare cost containment.
First up is a major drugstore chains, Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ: WBA), which Cramer owns in his charitable trust. This is one company that is completely different than it was just a year ago. After finishing its acquisition of the European pharmacy giant Alliance Boots in December, the new Walgreens Boots Alliance is one that is focused on pharmacy and wellness.
In addition, it also is the largest global pharmaceutical wholesaler and distribution network. Meaning, it's the world's largest buyer of prescription drugs, along with many other healthcare products and it has massive scale. That translates into being in the best position to be able to negotiate for lower drug prices.
Last August, when the Alliance Boots acquisition was announced, the stock was slammed hard because the U.S. made an example out of it in order to reduce the number of tax inversion deals. The stock immediately sold off 20 percent in two days.
Flash forward to April 2015, when the company delivered an amazing quarter and outlined a future that was more bullish than Cramer ever expected; that put the stock back on his radar.
Cramer is willing to bet that its numbers can get even better going forward, as its strong pharmacy business boosts the rest of the store. Given the business' massive size, he thinks the company has the ability to be a serious healthcare consolidator and could do very well by acquiring AmerisourceBergen (NYSE: ABC).
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This acquisition could really boost Walgreens' wholesale business, especially since both CVS (NYSE: CVS) and Rite-Aid (NYSE: RAD) have both acquired pharmacy benefit managers. Cramer considers this to be a mandatory action in order to compete with these two companies.
So, while the stock is up big since last year, ultimately, Cramer still finds it attractive.
"I think Walgreens is superior to both of these competitors, and the stock really deserves to trade at a substantial premium. In fact, I see this as an $86 stock that's headed for $105," Cramer noted.
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