Don't try to read Steve Jobs' mind
Buy Netflix because of the stock's fundamentals, not because you think Apple is going to acquire it.
By Jim Cramer, TheStreet
Trying to game what Apple (AAPL) will do with its cash hoard is a dangerous game.
To those who are buying Netflix (NFLX) in anticipation of Apple's making a bid, I say good luck. There are some very serious insider sellers who I have to believe would know about any talks, and I have to believe they wouldn't be selling otherwise.
I don't think Apple would do anything that isn't consensual, so the notion that these people would be oblivious to a deal is pretty ridiculous, and the Netflix board is a very active and supportive board.
I think you buy Netflix because of its model and because customer acquisition costs are going down as subscriber numbers are soaring.
Others are speculating that Apple might purchase Electronic Arts (ERTS). Why? That company has one good business, the Playfish biz, and the rest is all about games that could go away. Why would Apple want content anyway? There's nothing that indicates that it wants to be in the content business other than its own software.
I think that Apple is such a big thinker that what Steve Jobs might do with the money is going to elude us. I am not saying he is some sort of an unfathomable sphinx, and I like the combination of Netflix and Apple very much.
But I think you will lose more money than you'll make speculating on what Apple will do.
Buy stocks with good fundamentals. Not stocks you think Jobs wants. Anything else can be a sucker's game.
At the time of publication, Cramer was long AAPL.
Jim Cramer is co-founder and chairman of TheStreet. He contributes daily market commentary for TheStreet's sites and serves as an adviser to the company's CEO.
Click here to follow Cramer's trades for his Charitable Trust.
Related Articles
No matter what company or companies Apple buys they will manage it into the ground...Jobs is arrogant enough to think he can manage any kind of company. The Apple products are razzle dazzle products with proprietary software....it is almost a cult following of customers. The stock is overpriced and the stock price is way too dependent on Jobs health. It is a stock I wish I had bought when it was at $80 because of the money I could have made but it is not a company I want to own a product from.
MORE ON MSN MONEY
DATA PROVIDERS
Copyright © 2013 Microsoft. All rights reserved.
Quotes are real-time for NASDAQ, NYSE and AMEX. See delay times for other exchanges.
Fundamental company data and historical chart data provided by Thomson Reuters (click for restrictions). Real-time quotes provided by BATS Exchange. Real-time index quotes and delayed quotes supplied by Interactive Data Real-Time Services. Fund summary, fund performance and dividend data provided by Morningstar Inc. Analyst recommendations provided by Zacks Investment Research. StockScouter data provided by Verus Analytics. IPO data provided by Hoover's Inc. Index membership data provided by SIX Financial Information.
Japanese stock price data provided by Nomura Research Institute Ltd.; quotes delayed 20 minutes. Canadian fund data provided by CANNEX Financial Exchanges Ltd.
LATEST POSTS
In the never-ending contest for sales, American carmakers are pulling ahead.
FIDELITY VIEWPOINTS
- How to sell covered calls - Fidelity Investments
- Savvy year-end tax moves to consider now - Fidelity Investments
- Seven ways to prepare for tax changes
- Five reasons an annual review is crucial - Fidelity Investments
- Take a look at mid caps now - Fidelity Investments
- State of the sector: Health care - Fidelity Investments
VIDEO ON MSN MONEY
ABOUT
Top Stocks provides analysis about the most noteworthy stocks in the market each day, combining some of the best content from around the MSN Money site and the rest of the Web.
Contributors include professional investors and journalists affiliated with MSN Money.
Follow us on Twitter @topstocksmsn.
