The trading activity of members of Congress is closely watched and monitored by retail investors, especially when a member discloses the sale of well-known blue-chip stocks. That’s exactly what one member recently did.
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Congressman Sells Blue Chip Stocks
Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Penn.) recently disclosed the sale of several well-known stocks, according to data from the Benzinga Government Trades page.
The transactions were:
- July 17: Sold $1,000 to $15,000 in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT ) stock
- July 17: Sold $1,000 to $15,000 in Walt Disney Co (NYSE: DIS ) stock
- July 17: Sold $15,000 to $50,000 in PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP ) stock
The disclosure also included a $50,000 to $100,000 purchase of a California community clean energy municipal bond yielding 5% and expiring Oct. 1, 20234.
The transactions were listed as spouse, which could mean that Kelly’s wife placed them without his knowledge. Kelly’s wife Victoria Phillips has ties to the oil and gas industries as part of a wealthy family in the sector.
All three of the stocks are down year-to-date at the time of writing and all are considered blue-chip in nature thanks to their market capitalizations and as well-known sector leaders. The three stocks all pay dividends, too. Here are the current year-to-date returns and dividend yields:
- ABT : -10.9% year-to-date, 2.3% yield
- DIS : -6.3% year-to-date, 1.4% yield
- PEP : -1.1% year-to-date, 4.2% yield
The couple have a long history of mostly owning municipal bonds over individual stocks.
Read Also: Senator Looks for Dividend Stocks: Latest Purchase Is Company with 673 Consecutive Monthly Payouts
Kelly’s Trading History
Kelly has made over 75 trades since 2023, totaling more than $5 million, according to data from Quiver Quantitative.
The congressman has an estimate net worth of $16.7 million according to estimates.
Over the last three full years and so far in 2026, each year has seen a higher level of sales than buys by dollar value for the stocks and bonds traded by Kelly.
In 2021, a report said Kelly was recommended for an ethics violation for having knowledge about a steel company before his wife bought stock in the company, according to the Associated Press.
Photo: Funtap on Shutterstock.com
