Stock trading by the members of Congress is often looked upon with suspicion, given the possibility that they may have privy to insider information, and a Democratic senator’s recent trades have come under the scanner.
What Happened: Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) bought shares in Georgia-based Artivion, Inc. (NYSE:AORT) on two days, mandatory Congressional disclosure made by the senator on Nov. 20 showed. The owner was mentioned as the spouse of the senator.
The “Stock Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act” requires U.S. Senators to publicly file and disclose any financial transaction within 45 days of its occurrence.
The senator’s spouse apparently bought shares valued between $50,001 and $100,000 on Nov. 10 and another tranche having the same value on Nov. 16. Artivion traded at $13.35 on Nov. 9, the session ahead of the senator’s first purchase of the stock for the year. Since then the stock has rallied 31.16% and settled Monday’s session at $17.51, according to Benzinga Pro data.