After buying several stocks in June, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, was at it again in July. The Peach State representative, who serves on the Oversight and Reform Committee and the Homeland Security Committee, added six additional stocks to her portfolio, according to a recent regulatory filing.
In addition to technology stocks Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT), Corning (NYSE: GLW)And Dell (NYSE: DELL)Greene bought shares of utility company Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK)banking giant JPMorgan Pursuit (NYSE: JPM)and logistics manager United Plot Employ (NYSE: UPS)While the exact value of each transaction was not reported, all six transactions were worth between $1,001 and $15,000.
Let’s meet Marjorie Taylor Greene’s latest acquisitions
In line with her purchases in the first half of the year, Greene showed a strong interest in stocks with exposure to artificial intelligence (AI). On July 23, she increased her AI exposure by buying shares of Applied Materials, Corning and Dell. Applied Materials, for example, develops and manufactures systems that companies need to produce semiconductors, including systems specifically designed for AI applications. This business represents the lion’s share of the company’s revenue — about 74% of total revenue in the second quarter of 2024.
Like Applied Materials, Corning is a specialty materials company benefiting from the AI boom. Management attributed the company’s unexpectedly strong second-quarter 2024 results to “strong adoption of our new optical connectivity products for generative AI, which led to record sales in the Enterprise portion of our Optical Communications business.” From storage solutions to servers to laptops, Dell has a variety of AI-enabled products. Regarding the company’s first-quarter 2025 performance, Dell Chief Operating Officer Jeff Clarke said, “Servers and Networking delivered record revenue in the first quarter, with our AI-optimized server orders increasing sequentially to $2.6 billion, shipments up more than 100% to $1.7 billion, and backlog growing more than 30% to $3.8 billion.”
We may not know for sure why Greene chose electric and natural gas utility Duke Energy for her portfolio, but the likely answer is the company’s generous dividend, which currently carries an attractive forward dividend yield of 3.7%. Investors often choose utilities for their consistent — and safe — dividends, and Duke Energy is no exception. The company has a long-standing commitment to rewarding investors, paying a dividend every quarter for the past 98 years. Over the past 10 years, the company has increased its payout at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.8%. Management has targeted a payout ratio of 60% to 70% of adjusted earnings per share.
Greene gained exposure to a leading financial stock and hit the buy button on JPMorgan Chase. JPMorgan Chase, the largest commercial bank in the United States, is a popular choice among leading institutional investors. Another stock to boost its passive income stream, JPMorgan Chase has a forward dividend yield of 2.3% and has posted a conservative payout ratio of 31% over the past 10 years – a period during which the company has experienced impressive growth. From 2005 to 2023, JPMorgan Chase has grown its tangible book value at a CAGR of 10%.
Finally, Greene added shares of UPS to her portfolio. The logistics stalwart has significantly underperformed the market over the past year, so it’s possible that Greene saw an opportunity to pick up a safer, high-yielding dividend stock on the cheap. UPS offers an attractive forward yield of 5.1% and isn’t jeopardizing its financial health, as the company has averaged a low payout ratio of 66% over the past five years. It’s further evidence of its commitment to rewarding shareholders that management is targeting share buybacks of around $500 million by 2024.
Is this the time to buy the same stocks as Greene?
Savvy investors may realize that monitoring the stock picks of politicians is a smart strategy. But they will also tell you that it is not wise to copy them as quickly as possible. Instead, as always, do your own due diligence.
As for Greene’s recent purchases, those keeping their eyes peeled for AI stocks would be wise to put Applied Materials, Corning and Dell on their radar. But they’re not the same as semiconductor makers (the typical stocks that dominate AI conversations), so further investigation is of course warranted.
The other stocks Greene selected – Duke Energy, JPMorgan Chase and UPS – are all valid considerations, as they are all market leaders that offer excellent opportunities to increase your passive income.
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JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. Scott Levine has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Applied Materials and JPMorgan Chase. The Motley Fool recommends Corning, Duke Energy, and United Parcel Service. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Marjorie Taylor Greene Just Bought Stocks: 6 Stocks She Just Bought was originally published by The Motley Fool
