U.S. Congressman from the Financial Committee Makes Major Purchases in AT&T and Rolls-Royce

According to a May 19 disclosure, Republican Representative Tim Moore—who sits on the U.S. House Financial Services Committee and the Budget Committee—recently purchased up to $50,000 worth of AT&T Inc. (ticker: T) shares and up to $15,000 worth of Rolls-Royce Holdings plc (ticker: RYCEY) American Depositary Receipts. The trades, executed on May 7 and May 18, ranked AT&T and Rolls-Royce as Moore’s two largest stock purchases by dollar value among three disclosed transactions.

AT&T, the United States’ second-largest wireless carrier, is known as a defensive stock thanks to its high dividend yield and ongoing investments in 5G and fiber-optic networks. In its Q1 2026 earnings report at the end of April, AT&T reported earnings per share of $0.57—beating consensus estimates of $0.55—and a 2.9% year-over-year revenue increase. Nevertheless, the company’s conservative guidance prompted the stock to slide roughly 3% immediately after the announcement, leaving it trading in the mid-$20 range.

Rolls-Royce, with its diversified portfolio spanning aircraft engines, defense systems and small modular nuclear reactors, delivered a substantial profit improvement in its full-year 2025 results. The company also unveiled a £7–9 billion share-buyback plan covering 2026 through 2028. As a result, its ADRs have outperformed strongly, posting year-to-date gains well above 50%. However, heightened tensions in the Middle East since its April annual general meeting—alongside concerns over air-travel demand and defense risks—have driven increased volatility, including a weekly drop exceeding 10%.

Moore, a freshman representative of North Carolina’s 14th District near the Charlotte financial hub, serves on the Financial Services and Budget Committees, where he handles financial regulation, capital-markets oversight and federal appropriations for defense and other spending.

Observers interpret his simultaneous investments in AT&T—favored for stable cash flow and infrastructure spending—and in Rolls-Royce—engaged in U.S.–U.K. defense collaboration and next-generation small modular reactors—as consistent with his pro-business, growth-oriented stance and preference for companies benefiting from government outlays amid inflation and high interest rates.

Yet because the Financial Services and Budget Committees play central roles in shaping telecom and infrastructure investment policy, defense and energy budgets, and allied defense procurement frameworks, Moore’s stock purchases have raised potential conflict-of-interest concerns. Rolls-Royce stands to gain directly from U.S. and NATO fighter-jet, naval and reactor programs, while AT&T’s performance is sensitive to government subsidies and regulatory decisions—areas over which Moore wields legislative influence.

Indeed, following the disclosure of Moore’s AT&T purchase, some U.S. online investment communities renewed calls for an outright ban on individual stock trading by members of Congress, underscoring growing public distrust and mounting pressure for stricter rules on lawmakers’ personal investments.