Why This Canadian Stock Is Perfect for a Boom in Public Spending

Aecon Group is one of Canada’s largest construction and infrastructure companies, and it’s posting record backlog amidst strong demand.

Karen Thomas, MSc, CFA

Author Bio

Karen Thomas began her investment career in 1998 and spent more than a decade working as an equity analyst and portfolio manager at investment management firms, including a major mutual fund company and a major pension plan. After gaining extensive experience in the investment industry, she decided that individual investors deserved access to the same knowledge and insights to help them take greater control of their financial futures. After the birth of her second daughter, Karen left her investment management career to write for The Motley Fool, where she has been helping investors make sense of stocks and the stock market for more than 10 years. Her work focuses on identifying undervalued opportunities and helping investors take a long-term approach to building wealth. Outside of investing, Karen enjoys spending time with her family and staying active outdoors.

Education

Master of Science (MSc) in Finance
Bachelor of Commerce, major in Finance and minor in International Business
Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, earned in 2000

Areas of Expertise

Energy stocks, long-term investing, value investing, and contrarian investing.

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Favorite Investment Quote

"Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful." — Warren Buffett

Published October 17, 2025 8:15 pm EDT

Aecon Group (TSX: ARE) is one of Canada’s largest publicly traded construction and infrastructure development companies. The company generated $4.2 billion in revenue in 2024 and its current backlog is at record levels of $10.7 billion.

Let’s take a look at why I think that this Canadian stock is the one to buy for exposure to increased public spending.

Safety helmets and gloves hang from a rack on a mining site. — Source: Getty Images

Infrastructure spending is booming

Before I get into the specifics on Aecon, I would like to review government spending plans.

The Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) estimates that the Government of Canada will spend $159 billion on infrastructure in the next five years. The areas of focus are the same as they have been, but they bear repeating. They include investments in public transit, renewable energy, communities and housing, trade and transportation, and rural and northern communities.

This spending boom is a big part of what’s driving Aecon’s growth and with the investments still underway, it will continue to drive growth in the future. Aecon’s stock price has already been reflecting this positive infrastructure spending environment. As you can see from the graph below, the stock has rallied 74% in the last five years.

Aecon’s results are also booming

In Aecon’s latest quarter, the impact of all of this spending was evident. Adjusted revenue came in at $1.3 billion, 31% higher than the same period last year. This was driven by strength in nuclear spending in Ontario and the US, as well as strength in civil spending, which includes road building and mass transit spending. Finally, it was driven by spending on utilities and gas distribution infrastructure.

While Aecon’s bottom line results were less than impressive, with earnings per share (EPS) coming in at a loss of $0.09, there is light at the end of the tunnel for the company’s profitability. Management’s focus remains on improving profitability.

In the last five years, Aecon’s business has benefitted from all of these positive trends. And this is reflected in the company’s financial results. For example, revenue increased 16.4% to $4.2 billion in this time period and its net income increased 122% to $161.9 million. Also, Aecon’s backlog is at record levels.

Focus on risk and profitability

Before I close off, I would like to review Aecon’s bottom-line performance – a net loss. Cost overruns and challenges on pandemic-era projects are to blame. This will no longer be an issue as these projects reach full completion. Aecon’s new way of doing things is all about minimizing the risks and maximizing profitability. For example, the company has a strong recurring revenue base and has taken a lot of the risk out of its projects by entering into partnerships, so as to limit its debt load.

The bottom line

Aecon is the Canadian stock to own today to benefit from the infrastructure spending boom. This boom reflects the significant amount of infrastructure investment underway in North America. The current infrastructure is simply old and in need of replacement and/or updating. Also, the transition to a net zero economy is necessitating significant investments in order to build out the infrastructure to support this transition.