Some of the best stocks to buy are those that jump out at you. While a thorough investment due-diligence process is certainly important (and recommended), sometimes intuition can play an important role.
You want to own stocks in companies that really impress you the first time you learn about them. These are companies with great products/services, effective managers with great track records, large markets, strong balance sheets, and long runways for growth.
If you are looking for stocks with such no-brainer characteristics, here are three to buy if you had $6,000 to spend.
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A stock playing some major global trends
WSP Global (TSX:WSP) might be one of Canada’s least appreciated quality compounders. Its stock has risen by 200% in the past five years and 550% in the past 10 years. The key to its strategy is finding smart acquisition targets that help it strategically expand its service breadth and expertise.
Today, WSP is a global engineering and advisory juggernaut with over 73,000 employees. Fortunately, the engineering and advisory market is still fragmented. This means WSP still has plenty of potential acquisition targets.
Over the past three years, revenues have risen by a 16.8% compounded annual growth rate (CAGR). Earnings per share have increased even faster with a 17.2% CAGR.
WSP is diversified across sectors and geography. Global themes like data centre development, rising electrical demand, climate change, urbanization, and aging infrastructure are all supporting strong demand for WSP’s services.
While WSP is not the cheapest stock after years of strong stock performance, it is a great stock to buy and hold for years (and maybe even decades).
A real estate stock for the long run
Colliers International Group (TSX:CIGI) has a lot of characteristics of a no-brainer stock. It has compounded mid-teen annual returns for over two decades. Its stock is up 16% year to date.
Colliers is an international brand involved in commercial real estate. It is best known for its brokerage and property management businesses. However, many Canadians don’t know that it now operates substantial enterprises in investment management and engineering, project management, and advisory.
In fact, the company has made some substantial acquisitions in 2025 that move the needle in these key areas. That has helped the stock get some flight this year. After a few stagnant years, Colliers has reverted to nice double-digit growth.
Colliers has a founder-led CEO, a great corporate culture, and a strong mix of services that can meet clients’ needs across the commercial real estate spectrum. Near all-time highs, its stock is not cheap. Yet, its stock can be volatile, so it is a great addition on any major pullbacks.
A top Canadian compounder
Another no-brainer stock to buy on any pullback is Constellation Software (TSX:CSU). Now, keep in mind, if your budget is $6,000, its current price tag of $4,616 could use up much of your capital. The good news is that many brokerages offer fractional share purchases, so you could buy partial shares if that’s all you wish to invest.
Constellation has all the hallmarks of a great business. It is founder-led and run by a group of exceptional capital allocators. The company has a wonderful track record of delivering 20%-plus compounded annual returns for more than a decade.
While it largely grows by acquisition, it generally maintains a solid low-to-mid single-digit organic growth rate. It still has a substantial market to consolidate. Very few companies have the data and expertise to acquire niche software companies like they do.
If you can buy this stock in the $4,200 range, it would be a gift. This is the type of company to which you want to be joined at the hip for the long run.
