Just Starting Your Portfolio? Here Are 3 Great Stocks Under $100 to Consider

Let’s face it–selecting the right stocks to invest in can be intimidating at times, particularly if you are just starting to build a portfolio and don’t have thousands of dollars to start with.

Fortunately, there are a lot of really great stocks on the market now that you can buy and watch as they grow over time into great investments.

Here’s a look at three great investments, which, altogether, can be bought for under $100 currently.

1. Barrick Gold Corp.

Barrick Gold Corp. (TSX: ABX)(NYSE: ABX) is a gold producer with operations in 10 countries on three different continents. Gold producers have had an absolutely stellar year, and Barrick’s performance over the past year has been nothing short of incredible.

When gold prices dropped significantly a few years ago, gold producers doubled down on reducing costs, selling all but the most profitable assets and becoming more efficient. Barrick, like other gold producers, ramped up a significant amount of debt over those years as gold prices continued to be weak.

Barrick instituted a turnaround plan last year that aggressively targeted the staggering US$13 billion it had in debt. Over the past year, Barrick has paid off nearly 40% of that debt, and gold prices have shot up by over 20%. Even better is that the company has stated it could be completely debt free before the end of the decade.

Gold prices are up over 25% this year, and Barrick is up by over 150%. The stock could still head higher, albeit at a slower pace, but the fact remains that Barrick is much more efficient than it was years ago, has less debt, and gold prices continue to rise, which translates into more revenue, profit, and growth for the company.

Barrick currently trades at just under $26.

2. Telus Corporation

Telus Corporation (TSX: T)(NYSE: TU) is one of the Big Three telecom companies in Canada, offering internet, cable TV, phone and wireless services to subscribers across the country.

Telus is often mentioned as one of the best investments on the market for both dividend- and growth-seeking investors. Telus pays a quarterly dividend in the amount of $0.46 per share, which amounts to a fairly impressive 4.25% yield. The only thing better than Telus’s impressive dividend is the precedent the company has set in increasing it each year. By way of comparison, a decade ago the dividend payout was just $0.136 per share.

Telus is also a great growth stock. The company added 61,000 net new wireless customers in the most recent quarter and continues to drive the average revenue per user (ARPU) higher. In the most recent quarter this rose to $64.38 per user–signifying the 23rd straight quarter of increased ARPU.

Telus is also investing in the future. A whopping $2.65 billion is already set aside to upgrade copper wire networks and increase wireless bandwidth speeds over the next few years, which will not only keep customers in the Telus family, but also attract new ones.

Telus currently trades at just over $43.

3. Canadian Apartment Properties REIT

Canadian Apartment Properties REIT (TSX: CAR.UN) is a real estate investment trust (REIT). REITs allow investors to get into real estate market and get a monthly distribution without actually taking out a mortgage. Furthermore, REITs are typically diversified into hundreds of different properties with locations across the country, and Canadian Apartment Properties is no exception.

Canadian Apartment Properties has a portfolio that includes a large mix of 41,000 residential and 6,500 land-lease properties predominately located in the major metro areas of nearly every province.

Overall, Canadian Apartment Properties is coming off a solid quarter, maintaining a payout ratio of 68.6%, which allows the company to both expand and keep a strong distribution.

In terms of a distribution, Canadian Apartment Properties pays out a monthly distribution of $0.10 per share, resulting in a fairly respectable 4% yield.

Canadian Apartment Properties currently trades at just over $31.