Congress’s May Stock Trades: What They Know That You Don’t

Key Points

• Two House Republicans stood out in May for unusually active trading activity.
• A U.S. chipmaker caught the attention of Congress during a major turning point.
• One lawmaker made a timely move on a healthcare stock in sharp decline.

May brought another round of congressional stock trades, but no red flags were raised by the activity reported as of mid-June. There were no sudden volume spikes, no mass rush to the exit or flood into a new name. The biggest takeaways are that Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) remains one of the most active traders, making dozens of position changes throughout the month, and most of the activity was among Republicans.

The other prolific May trader is Representative Robert Bresnahan (R-PA), not a name that regularly appears in the MarketBeat rankings. His activity aligns with a significant portfolio change, as he sells names in numerous sectors and buys a comparable number of positions to offset them. 

Texas Instruments: A Highly-Bought Stock in 2025

Among the interesting names on Bresnahan’s list is Texas Instruments NASDAQ: TXN. Texas Instruments confirmed a reversal and uptrend in May, and is also among the Most Bought Stocks by Congress in Q2.

Coincidentally, Texas Instruments' uptrend is driven by its results, its position in the U.S. domestic semiconductor manufacturing landscape, and the national drive to onshore more of the U.S. semiconductor production. It is now accelerated by plans to invest $60 billion in capacity expansion. 

Texas Instruments' investment will be split across seven domestic fabrication plants, creating jobs in Texas and Utah. The first of the facilities is expected to come online this year, with the others following in quick succession. The move will further solidify Texas Instruments' position as the leader in analog and embedded processing, domestically manufacturing critical semiconductors for virtually all industries. 

Some other interesting moves in Bresnahan’s portfolio are repositioning within the Consumer Discretionary Sector. He sold a position in PepsiCo NASDAQ: PEP and added positions in Kraft Heinz NASDAQ: KHC, Hershey NYSE: HSY, and General Mills NYSE: GIS.

PepsiCo has struggled with growth, but the sector has also faced challenges. All stocks are down significantly, raising questions about the moves. At face value, all stocks are trading at long-term lows and offering deep-value, high-yield entries to investors today. 

Congress Buys Advanced Micro Devices, Not NVIDIA

Advanced Micro Devices NASDAQ: AMD is among the interesting buys reported by Marjorie Taylor Greene. Notable because the stock hit bottom earlier this year and rebounded strongly, and because it is the 6th Most Bought Stock by Congress, as reported by MarketBeat. Another interesting tidbit is that NVIDIA NASDAQ: NVDA is nowhere to be found in the ranks. Congress, collectively, holds a sizable position in the company but has made no significant purchases this year. 

AI drives Advanced Micro Devices’ market rebound. It took 18 months for AMD’s AI reality to catch up with market expectations, but it has now done so, and it is gaining momentum.

The company is heavily investing in the development of its GPUs and its entire stack, enhancing its capabilities, go-to-market strategy, and appeal to end-markets, which is a significant investment. AMD GPUs offer numerous advantages over NVIDIA, which is why they can take market share over time. 

Marjorie Taylor Greene Times the Bottom for UnitedHealth Group

Marjorie Taylor Greene's standout trade is a purchase of UnitedHealth Group NYSE: UNH. UNH shares shed more than 50% in a matter of weeks, driven by a robustly negative news cycle. She bought at the lows of the movement on May 14 and 16. However, she is not the only one. 

UNH stock’s trading volume on those days was at record levels, marking a likely bottom for the sell-off. UNH is also on the list of Congress's Most Bought stocks, with eight members purchasing it eight times during the second quarter. The question now is whether the company can overcome its hurdles, including its CEO's departure, a fraud investigation, and rising costs. 

Analysts' sentiment is part of why UNH's share price fell as hard as it did. MarketBeat tracks numerous downgrades and price target reductions that shaved 30% off of the consensus target in under 90 days. However, the consensus sentiment remains firmly pegged at Moderate Buy with a bullish bias and a price target forecasting a 40% upside. In this scenario, UnitedHealth Group stock is set up to stage a significant rebound, provided a catalyst emerges. Until then, the company remains in growth mode with healthy cash flow and margin, sustaining a reliable dividend.