Companies besides tech can reach megacap status

CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Monday suggested that it’s not just Big Tech that has the capacity to lead the market. Instead, he said, companies from other sectors need to be more innovative.

“Rather than bemoaning the limited breadth of the market, maybe we should be asking why other companies aren’t joining the club,” Cramer said. “Who’s to say that only pure technology can win here? If you actually show smarts as a CEO, if you have a vision, if you can execute well, then you can belong in the megacap universe, too.”

Cramer highlighted Eli Lilly, a pharmaceutical giant whose stock hit a new high during Monday’s session and is currently valued at around $870 billion.

Eli Lilly’s success is due to a variety of continued innovations, Cramer said, including its popular GLP-1 drug. And unlike some of its competitors, the company’s massive balance sheet enables high production capacity, he said. The FDA also approved Eli Lilly’s Alzheimer’s drug last week, marking a notable increase in the limited treatment options for the fatal disease.

The company has also taken steps to prevent a patent cliff by making a series of acquisitions, he added, including biopharmaceutical company Morphic. Eli Lilly announced Monday it plans to acquire Morphic, which is developing a treatment for inflammatory bowel disease.

“These companies maintain their status through invention,” Cramer said of huge names like Amazon, Meta, Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet and Nvidia. “The question is not why they’re so sainted while others get left behind—that’s obvious. The question is why other companies aren’t doing the same things that Eli Lilly’s doing to get in the winner’s circle.”

Eli Lilly did not immediately respond to request for comment.

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Disclaimer The CNBC Investing Club Charitable Trust holds shares of Eli Lilly, Amazon, Meta, Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet and Nvidia.