In this article, we will take a detailed look at 10 Stocks That Members of Congress Own.
Members of the US Congress have historically been permitted to own and actively trade stocks, a practice frequently scrutinized and critiqued for potential conflicts of interest and ethical concerns related to insider trading. Although this issue has periodically surfaced in public debate, significant legislative action took place with the introduction of the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act in 2012, which explicitly prohibited members of Congress and federal employees from using non-public information for personal profit and required prompt disclosure of stock trades. Nevertheless, the enforcement of the act has been unclear, as numerous lawmakers have drawn criticism for late or incomplete reporting of transactions.
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Most recently, in December 2024, President Biden publicly endorsed a full ban on stock trading by members of Congress, asserting that lawmakers should not be able to profit from the stock market while serving in office. The newly inaugurated President Trump has had a similar stance for many years, as he famously stated the following:
“We want a ban on members of Congress getting rich by trading stocks on insider information.”
While it is clear that any US administration has publicly positioned itself against stock trading by high-ranked public officials and members of the Congress, the reality is often much more complex and difficult to enforce. It is even more difficult to prove whether a public official did use non-public information in making his/her investment decisions – particularly because the official may invoke the Mosaic approach, arguing that their trades were based on many pieces of publicly available information and personal analysis and reasoning. The key takeaway for investors is that we may never witness a perfect world in which members of the Congress do not own and profit from their stock investments.
The topic of stock trading by the members of Congress or other highly ranked officials has been widely discussed by investors and market enthusiasts for many years, driven by the perception that lawmakers’ trades might offer insights into upcoming market-moving policies or future legislation. This ongoing scrutiny has even led to the creation of thematic ETFs that track the disclosed trades of US legislators and weigh the stocks by their popularity among the members of the Congress. This allows retail investors to replicate congressional investment strategies and potentially profit. Anecdotal portfolios of individual Congress members or high rank officials emerged as well, some of which even managed to outperform the broad US market. These products highlight how public attention has evolved from merely ethical considerations to practical investment opportunities, reflecting investors’ belief in Congress members’ informational advantage or superior market timing.
We believe that monitoring the trades of lawmakers may be especially useful during times of rapid change, such as a drastic regime change during which the views of the new administration significantly diverge from those of the old one. The Trump 2.0 administration has given investors vertigo so far, as it becomes more and more difficult to predict the next moves related to tariffs, immigration, public spending, healthcare budgets and defense. We believe such periods of massive change would bring significant opportunities for people knowing (or inferring using the Mosaic approach) the next moves of the US administration: for instance, any sudden cuts in Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement policies may drastically hit the Healthcare sector, favoring thematic put options; Defence stocks may witness uplift if President Trump shifts his stance regarding the continuation of military aid to Ukraine; government contractors and consultants, which are currently beaten down, may witness a surge in stock price if the new Government announces any major new projects. All in all, we advise to exercise cautiousness when interpreting congressional trading data, as inferring actionable insights from lawmakers’ investments may lead to misleading conclusions or overlooked risks.
Photo by MIKE STOLL on Unsplash
Our Methodology
We used the Periodic Transaction Reports that US politicians are obliged to file, as well as thematic ETFs to pick the most widely owned stocks by the members of the US Congress. We then compared the list with Insider Monkey’s proprietary database of hedge funds’ ownership as of Q4 2024 and included in the article the top 10 stocks with the largest number of hedge funds that own the stock.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
10. Comfort Systems USA, Inc. (NYSE:FIX)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 50
Comfort Systems USA, Inc. (NYSE:FIX) is a provider of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) contracting services, specializing in heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), and building automation solutions. It serves commercial, industrial, and institutional customers across various sectors, including healthcare, education, and manufacturing. The company offers installation, maintenance, repair, and energy efficiency services for both new construction and retrofit projects.
In 2024, Comfort Systems USA, Inc. (NYSE:FIX) achieved record-breaking annual and Q4 earnings, supported by exceptional cash flow and robust growth metrics. The company reported a remarkable 22% same-store revenue growth in Q4, which contributed to an impressive 60% increase in EPS, reaching $4.09 for the quarter and $14.60 for the full year compared to $9.01 in 2023. Its backlog also surged to an all-time high of $6 billion, underscoring the strength of demand across sectors, especially technology. Operating cash flow amounted to a substantial $849 million, paving the way for continued investments. The company’s revenue composition shifted significantly toward the industrial sector, now making up over 60% of total volume, while technology-related revenues grew to 33%, a notable rise from 21% the previous year.
Comfort Systems USA, Inc. (NYSE:FIX) also demonstrated strong operational efficiency, with gross profit margins improving to 23.2% in Q4 2024, compared to 20.6% in Q4 2023. Service revenues hit a record $1.1 billion, accounting for 16% of total revenue and proving to be a consistent profit driver. Looking ahead, management projected high single-digit percentage growth in same-store revenue for 2025, with optimism about maintaining strong margin ranges. Strategic acquisitions, such as the addition of Century Contractors in Charlotte, North Carolina, are expected to generate approximately $90 million in revenue and further bolster growth. With 50 hedge funds owning the stock, FIX is also one of the stocks owned by Congress.
9. American Express Company (NYSE:AXP)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 71
American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) is a global financial services corporation specializing in payment processing, credit cards, and travel-related services. It issues charge and credit cards to consumers, businesses, and merchants, generating revenue from transaction fees, interest income, and annual membership fees. The company also provides corporate payment solutions, travel services, and banking products such as personal and business loans.
American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) provided guidance for 8% to 10% revenue growth in 2025, with Q4 spend reaccelerating and January spend tracking in line with Q4 trends. The company’s premium positioning remains strong, particularly with Millennials and Gen Z cohorts who represent 70% of Platinum and Gold Card acquisitions and demonstrate higher retention rates than older cohorts. Credit performance continues to be industry-leading, with metrics remaining below pre-COVID levels and the gap versus peers widening, reflecting successful premium customer acquisition strategy. International expansion presents significant growth opportunities, with current spend penetration at approximately 6% in international markets and coverage reaching 80% in top 12 markets, up from 72% a year ago.
American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) maintains strong expense discipline, growing operating expenses at a slower pace than revenue, with marketing spend of approximately $6 billion being optimized through data science and AI initiatives. In terms of deposit growth, the company saw a 17% increase in high-yield savings account balances in 2024, with deposits now representing 60% of funding mix, supporting net interest income and ROE. The company’s technology investments, particularly in AI and data science, are driving efficiencies across operations, including personalized welcome offers and enhanced travel assistance services. With that being said, AXP is also one of the stocks owned by Congress.
8. Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 96
Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) is a leading membership-based warehouse retailer that operates a chain of wholesale clubs offering a wide range of products at discounted prices. It sells groceries, electronics, household goods, apparel, and fuel, along with private-label products under the Kirkland Signature brand. The company also provides ancillary services, including pharmacy, optical, travel, and financial services, across its global network of warehouses and e-commerce platforms.
Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) reported strong Q2 2025 results with net income of $1.788 billion or $4.02 per diluted share, representing an 8.4% growth excluding discrete tax items. Net sales increased by 9.1% to $62.53 billion, with total comparable sales growing 6.8%, or 9.1% adjusted for gas deflation and FX. The company demonstrated robust membership metrics, with paid household members growing 6.8% to 78.4 million and Executive Members increasing 9.1% to 36.9 million, representing 47.1% of paid members and 73.8% of worldwide sales. In merchandising, the non-foods category led with comparable sales in the mid-teens, while fresh foods showed high single-digit growth and food and sundries had low to mid-single-digit comps. E-commerce showed considerable strength with comp sales up 20.9%, or 22.2% adjusted for FX.
Looking ahead, Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) plans to open 28 new warehouses in fiscal year 2025, with 3 being relocations for 25 net new buildings. The company faces potential headwinds from foreign exchange fluctuations and tariffs, with approximately one-third of US sales being imported from other countries. Despite these challenges, COST remains focused on delivering value to members through strategic pricing, private label expansion, and digital initiatives, including personalized marketing efforts and retail media development. Besides at least 96 hedge funds owning the stock, COST is also one of the stocks owned by the Congress.
7. JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 123
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) is a global financial services firm and one of the largest banks in the world by assets. It operates through four main segments: Consumer & Community Banking, Corporate & Investment Banking, Asset & Wealth Management, and Commercial Banking. The company provides a wide range of financial services, including retail and corporate banking, investment banking, asset management, and treasury services. JPM serves individuals, businesses, institutions, and governments worldwide, generating revenue through interest income, fees, trading, and investment banking activities. It also plays a major role in global markets, capital raising, and financial advisory services. The US-based bank ranked fifth on our recent list of 10 Most Profitable Large Cap Stocks to Buy Now.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) has showcased robust growth with investment banking fees expected to rise by mid-teens percentage year-over-year and market revenues projected to grow by low double digits as of early 2025. The bank has also streamlined its operations by fully integrating its Commercial Bank and Investment Bank divisions, which has enhanced service delivery and eliminated organizational inefficiencies. On the technology front, JPM has made substantial strides, with 65% of its applications now handling significant workloads in the cloud, and 95% either migrated to strategic data centers or operating on the cloud. To support these advancements, the bank plans to raise its technology spending from just under $17 billion in 2024 to an estimated $18 billion in 2025, prioritizing cloud migration, optimization of data centers, and the implementation of AI solutions.
Incorporating AI has been a game-changer for JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM), with over 450 AI use cases now applied across multiple areas such as risk management, payment processing, trade optimization, and customer service. The bank has provided 200,000 employees with access to its proprietary GenAI platform, reinforcing its technological edge. Internationally, JPM sees substantial growth potential in its payments business and International Private Bank services, while domestic opportunities lie in expanding its middle-market business and growing its retail branch network. These initiatives highlight the bank’s commitment to leveraging innovation and strategic expansion to drive long-term growth. Besides 123 hedge funds owning the stock, JPM is also one of the stocks owned by Congress.
6. Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 144
Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) is a global streaming entertainment company that offers a subscription-based platform for movies, TV series, and original content. It provides on-demand streaming services across various devices, including smart TVs, smartphones, and computers. The company produces and distributes original programming under Netflix Originals, spanning films, series, documentaries, and stand-up specials.
Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) has demonstrated significant business acceleration, achieving nearly 20% top-line growth and adding 6 points of margin in 2024. The company’s growth strategy has focused on two key tactical moves: implementing a solution for account sharing and building an incremental revenue stream through advertising. The company has successfully scaled its advertising reach, with approximately 55% of new sign-ups coming from the ads tier in Q4, and expects to double its advertising revenue in 2025. NFLX maintains a strong market position with over 300 million paying members and an audience of over 700 million viewers worldwide, yet still sees significant growth potential as it only captures about 6% of its addressable revenue market and less than 10% TV view share in major markets.
Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) is expanding its entertainment offering across multiple fronts, including film, TV, games, and live events while focusing on improving its service faster than the competition to drive its growth flywheel of more entertainment, engagement, revenue, and profit. In terms of content strategy, NFLX is producing in more than 50 countries and emphasizes authentic storytelling with local impact, while also investing in live events and exploring gaming opportunities. The company maintains a culture focused on excellence and continuous improvement, which has enabled its evolution from a DVD service to a global streaming platform with expanding entertainment offerings across multiple formats. With that being said, NFLX is also one of the stocks owned by Congress.
5. Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 162
Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) is a global leader in cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) software, providing businesses with tools for sales, marketing, customer service, and analytics. Its platform includes Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, and Commerce Cloud, helping organizations manage customer interactions and business processes. The company also offers AI-driven insights through Einstein AI and low-code application development with Salesforce Platform.
Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) has made remarkable progress in integrating AI solutions, with its Agentforce platform standing out as a sophisticated tool that merges technology from the Airkit acquisition with in-house developments. The company reported significant success with 5,000 Agentforce deals in Q4, of which 3,000 were paid contracts. The platform has shown outstanding performance, enabling customers to achieve up to 50% resolution rates, while Salesforce itself recorded an impressive 84% deflection rate, requiring human intervention in only 2-3% of cases. Central to CRM’s AI strategy is its Data Cloud, which provides a seamless way for clients to consolidate data from various sources without heavy IT investments. This foundational technology has been implemented with notable speed, as exemplified by large enterprises like Saks Fifth Avenue deploying agents in under 10 days.
Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) is also shifting to a universal credit system for AI services, offering clients greater flexibility to expand their applications beyond traditional CRM use cases. Unlike basic automation tools, the company’s AI initiatives are centered on advanced reasoning capabilities and the ability to address complex scenarios across various functions, including sales, marketing, commerce, and customer service. Implementation support is readily available through self-service channels, system integrators, and AI-assisted setups that simplify the configuration and testing process. Furthermore, the platform is highly adept at working with unstructured data, enabling organizations to better understand their customers and enhance the precision of their marketing campaigns. These advancements solidify the company’s position as a leader in delivering AI-driven business solutions. With at least 162 hedge funds owning the stock, CRM is also one of the stocks owned by Congress.
4. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 166
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is a global technology company that designs, manufactures, and sells consumer electronics, software, and services. Its product lineup includes the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and AirPods, along with software ecosystems like iOS, macOS, and iCloud. The company generates revenue through hardware sales, subscription-based services (Apple Music, iCloud, Apple TV+), and its App Store. AAPL also develops custom silicon chips, such as the M-series and A-series processors, to optimize performance across its devices. The California-based company ranked first on our recent list of 10 Companies That Are Buying Back Their Stock in 2025.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) delivered a strong financial performance during the December quarter, achieving record revenue of $124.3 billion, a 4% increase compared to the prior year. Earnings per share also reached an all-time high of $2.40, reflecting a 10% year-over-year growth. The company set revenue records across key regions, including the Americas, Europe, Japan, and the rest of Asia Pacific, while also seeing strong gains in emerging markets like Latin America, the Middle East, and South Asia.
Apple’s Services segment reached a new milestone with revenue of $26.3 billion, representing 14% growth, as the company’s active device installed base climbed to a record 2.35 billion. The iPhone contributed significantly, generating $69.1 billion in revenue with record results in numerous regions, while Mac and iPad revenues also grew by 16% and 15% YoY, reaching $9 billion and $8.1 billion, respectively.
Innovation continues to drive Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) growth, highlighted by the rollout of Apple Intelligence features, which performed particularly well in markets where they were launched. The company plans to expand these features to new languages, including French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, and more, as well as localized English versions for Singapore and India, starting in April. Despite an 11% decline in revenue from Greater China, AAPL maintained robust gross margins of 46.9% and achieved a record net income of $36.3 billion. Services led the way with a 75% gross margin, while the Products segment posted a 39.3% margin. Looking forward to the March quarter, management projects revenue growth in the low to mid-single digits, accounting for a 2.5 percentage point headwind from foreign exchange fluctuations. Besides at least 166 hedge funds owning the stock, AAPL is also one of the stocks owned by Congress.
3. NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 223
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) is a global leader in graphics processing units (GPUs) and AI technologies. It designs and manufactures GPUs for gaming, professional visualization, data centers, and automotive markets, as well as system-on-a-chip units (SoCs) for mobile devices. The company’s GeForce GPUs are popular in gaming, while its Tesla and A100 GPUs power AI, machine learning, and high-performance computing applications. The company also develops software platforms such as CUDA and NVIDIA Deep Learning AI to enable innovation in various industries. The US-based company ranked second on our recent list of 10 Hot AI Stocks to Buy Now.
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) experienced robust growth in Q4, with data center revenue rising 18% sequentially, driven by strong sales of its Hopper architecture. The company also launched its Blackwell platform, generating an impressive $11 billion in initial revenue, reflecting solid customer demand and efficient supply chain execution. Increasing demand for post-training and model conditioning – areas requiring significantly more computational power than pretraining – is driving substantial growth, as reasoning models gain importance in next-generation software solutions. NVDA continues to hold a competitive edge in networking, with anticipated growth in both the InfiniBand and Ethernet segments, as cluster sizes expand to require up to 100,000 GPUs.
Software and services are another area of promising expansion for NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA), with enterprise adoption of NVIDIA AIE and NIMs propelling bookings to a $2 billion run rate. While concerns about competition from custom silicon persist, the company highlights the advanced complexity of its systems, which delivers superior performance and total cost of ownership benefits, keeping most customers reliant on NVDA solutions. Looking ahead, management foresees significant opportunities, pointing to a $1 trillion installed base of general-purpose computing poised for transformation to accelerated computing, alongside further advancements in AI-driven technologies. With that being said, NVDA is one of the stocks owned by the Congress.
2. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 317
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a multinational technology company that develops, licenses, and supports a wide range of software, hardware, and cloud services. Its key products include the Windows operating system, Microsoft Office productivity suite, and Azure cloud platform. The company also manufactures hardware like the Surface devices and Xbox gaming consoles. MSFT generates revenue through software sales, cloud services, subscription-based products (e.g., Office 365, Xbox Game Pass), and advertising.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) delivered impressive Q2 results, highlighted by a 75% growth in constant currency bookings and a surge in Azure AI contracts. The company’s AI revenue, largely driven by inference and post-training workloads as well as Copilot-related income, reached $13 billion. While MSFT is facing capacity constraints in its AI infrastructure, it anticipates that supply and demand will align by the end of fiscal year 2024. The company is making substantial investments in data center infrastructure and plans to transition toward more server-focused investments once its global footprint is established. Microsoft 365 Copilot is surpassing expectations, with initial buyers increasing their usage, while Copilot Chat, launched in January, has gained strong traction with over 400 million commercial M365 users.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) remains committed to both AI innovation and traditional cloud migration, despite some hurdles in non-AI Azure workloads. Its partnership with OpenAI continues to thrive, positioning MSFT as OpenAI’s primary partner through 2030. The company has also effectively managed gross margin pressures related to AI, improving overall margins in fiscal year 2025 by leveraging operating expense efficiencies. These results reflect MSFT’s dedication to maintaining a balanced approach between cutting-edge AI developments and strengthening its broader cloud offerings, ensuring sustained growth and market leadership. With at least 317 hedge funds owning the stock, MSFT is also one of the stocks owned by Congress.
1. Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 339
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) is a global e-commerce and cloud computing giant. It operates the largest online retail platform, offering a wide range of products, including electronics, clothing, and groceries, along with digital services such as Amazon Prime, Amazon Music, and Amazon Video. The company also leads in cloud computing through Amazon Web Services (AWS), which provides infrastructure and services for businesses worldwide. AMZN has expanded into logistics, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics, continuously innovating across multiple sectors.
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) reported an impressive Q4 2024, achieving $187.8 billion in revenue, a 10% increase compared to the prior year, despite facing a $700 million foreign exchange headwind. Operating income soared to a record $21.2 billion, marking a 61% year-over-year growth, while trailing 12-month free cash flow adjusted for equipment finance leases reached $36.2 billion. The North American segment recorded 10% revenue growth, and the International segment grew 9% YoY when adjusted for currency impacts. AWS maintained its strong momentum with 19% YoY growth, reaching a $115 billion annualized revenue run rate. In the retail segment, the company expanded its offerings to include premium brands, with third-party sellers contributing a record 61% of sold items.
Operational advancements also played a key role, with Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) enhancing its delivery capabilities by expanding same-day delivery sites by over 60% in 2024. These sites now cover more than 140 metro areas, enabling the delivery of over 9 billion units on a same or next-day basis globally. In its advertising segment, AMZN achieved $17.3 billion in Q4 revenue, reflecting an 18% YoY increase and bringing its annual run rate to $69 billion – more than doubling from $29 billion four years prior. The company is also doubling down on AI innovation, with roughly 1,000 generative AI applications either developed or in progress. Looking ahead, management intends to continue investing in fulfillment and transportation network expansion, same-day delivery facilities, robotics, and automation, aiming to further enhance delivery efficiency and reduce costs.
Overall, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) ranks 1st on our list of the 10 stocks that members of Congress own. While we acknowledge the potential of AMZN as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than AMZN but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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