U.S. Congressman Involved in Energy and Banking: Stocks Purchased in February

According to U.S. disclosure filings, Republican Congressman Thomas H. Kean Jr. made new stock purchases in First Citizens BancShares, Inc. (FCNCA) on February 5 and in Linde plc (LIN) on February 18. Both transactions were valued between $1,001 and $15,000—an amount that stands out given ongoing conflict-of-interest concerns over personal investing by members of Congress.

Kean, a freshman representative for New Jersey’s 7th District, sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, where he helps shape energy, infrastructure and technology policy. The Energy and Commerce Committee in particular oversees environmental and industrial regulations closely tied to Linde’s core businesses—industrial gases, specialty gases for semiconductors and clean hydrogen. With Linde recently highlighting clean-energy projects as a key driver of its backlog, some observers say a committee member holding its shares could raise questions about conflict-of-interest management and potential information asymmetry.

First Citizens BancShares, headquartered in North Carolina, gained prominence last year by acquiring a large portfolio of assets and deposits from the failed Silicon Valley Bank at a discount from the FDIC. Its stock rallied to a 52-week high near $2,200 on January 22, 2026, driven by the SVB acquisition and solid financial momentum, but has since pulled back to the mid-$1,700s amid investor caution over growth prospects in a high-rate environment. Kean’s February 5 purchase came early in this correction, suggesting that, while the position may show unrealized losses in the short term, he is placing a longer-term bet on the relative strength of an individual bank.

Linde plc is the world’s largest industrial gases and engineering company, supplying sectors from semiconductors and healthcare to refining, and investing heavily in clean hydrogen and carbon capture projects. In its fourth-quarter 2025 results released February 5, Linde slightly beat revenue estimates and reported a 6 percent increase in adjusted EPS. It also forecast 5 to 8 percent additional EPS growth for 2026, bolstering investor confidence. LIN shares surged to an all-time high near $500 at month-end before moderating to about $481 by March 11. With Kean—an influential member on energy, climate and industry policy—now revealed as a holder of stocks in both a bank and a clean-energy/semiconductor supplier, his trades are poised to become another focal point in the bipartisan debate over legislation that would ban individual stock trading by members of Congress.