Jim Cramer has a challenge for NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang. In a post on X on Tuesday, the CNBC host dared Huang to buy debt issued by CoreWeave Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWV), which now yields around 15%.
- CRWV stock is volatile. Get all the details you need here.
Huang Says No Backstop Needed
Cramer’s jab follows Huang’s public defense of the AI cloud provider. Huang said last week CoreWeave doesn’t need a backstop, though some investors argue the chipmaker’s further participation may be necessary if credit conditions continue to worsen.
The bond market has not shared Huang’s confidence. Borrowing costs on CoreWeave’s debt kept rising through the month, with the yield on its 9.75% bonds due in 2031 reaching a record 16.009%.
CoreWeave has accumulated more than $51 billion in debt and lease obligations to build out its AI infrastructure, and both stock and bond investors are balking at the spending.
A Wall of Maturities
CoreWeave has about $20.7 billion in debt coming due through 2030 and another $14.9 billion thereafter, with the prospect of higher interest rates on future financing.
Equity holders have felt the pain too. After going public in March of last year and reaching a peak market cap of about $90 billion three months later, CoreWeave is now valued at roughly $31 billion, per Benzinga Pro data.
Cramer Stays In Huang’s Corner, Mostly
Cramer has spent weeks defending both men. In an Oct. 18 column, he argued Huang has credibility, conceding the public debt market CoreWeave needs to keep growing may be halted, while maintaining Nvidia’s chips hold up.
He described the bear case as a bet on CoreWeave running out of willing lenders. Cramer pushed back on comparisons between Nvidia and the telecom busts of Lucent and Nortel.
His tone turned more cautious a week later. In an Oct. 25 piece, Cramer wrote CoreWeave’s stock had taken a steep fall with its high-yield debt as the culprit, and noted worries about its ability to service the debt without fresh money from prospective initial public offerings of Anthropic and OpenAI. Both AI labs rank among CoreWeave’s key customers.
Shares showed some life this week. The stock rose Monday, prompting Cramer to ask on X whether it was attempting a rally after a 37% slide over the past month. CoreWeave remains roughly 61% below its 52-week high of $141.79.
The Bottom Line
Bond yields above 15% sit in distressed territory. If Huang truly believes CoreWeave’s financing picture is improving, Cramer’s dare puts a simple test in front of him.
Nvidia has the cash. Whether it wants more exposure to CoreWeave’s balance sheet is another question.
CRWV Stock Price Activity: CoreWeave stock was down 0.07% at $59.53 during after-hours trading Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro market data.
See More:
Top Growth Stocks
Photo: Shutterstock
