Wall Street is getting Wells Fargo all wrong after earnings. Here’s the level we’d be buyers
Every weekday the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer holds a “Morning Meeting” livestream at 10:20 a.m. ET. Here’s a recap of Friday’s key moments. 1. U.S. stocks were lower Friday as markets digested fourth-quarter earnings results and a fresh batch of economic data. The producer price index , a gauge of wholesale prices, declined in December – another sign that inflation may be easing. Still, this was a mixed read after Thursday’s hotter-than-expected consumer price index print. Elsewhere, oil prices continued to rise as tensions in the Red Sea mount even further – a trend we’d expect to continue if the conflict escalates overseas. 2. Wells Fargo shares were down 3% following the bank’s quarterly earnings release before the opening Friday. Although the Wall Street giant posted a year-over-year increase in profits, management’s net interest income (NII) guidance seemed to worry investors. If Wells Fargo shares were to dip to around $45, Jim Cramer said Friday the Club would be buyers at that level. This is a sell-the-news situation after the bank stock – along with the entire group – had a run-up into earnings. Jim said management’s approach to cutting costs and improving its efficiency ratio, outweighs a softer NII outlook. The Club’s other financial name, Morgan Stanley , will release earnings Tuesday. 3. It’s not a great day for health insurance stocks. Quarterly results from UnitedHealth weighed on the entire sector. The firm beat on revenue and earnings, but shares were falling due to a higher-than-expected medical cost ratio. Club holding Humana has been caught up in the selling, with a midday decline of nearly 3.5%. We remain bullish Humana for now, given its strong performance in the competitive Medicare Advantage market. Humana is set to report earnings Feb. 5. (Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust is long WFC, MS, HUM. 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.
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