Beginning to invest in Canadian stocks can be a daunting experience. There are nearly 2,000 stocks that you can buy on the TSX Exchange alone. It can be challenging to know where to start, let alone build an entire portfolio.
If you are looking to start, here’s a diverse mix of five stocks that could help round out a solid, long-term investment portfolio.
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A solid base to any Canadian stock portfolio
Fortis (TSX: FTS) is a great anchor for any investment portfolio. It is as close to a bond as any stock in Canada could be.
Fortis is not an exciting business by any means. It operates crucial regulated transmission and distribution utilities in Canada and the U.S. It is targeting 5-7% growth over the coming five years. Its stock has returned about the same over the past five years.
Fortis yields 3.56%. It has raised its dividend for 52 consecutive years. If you want consistency and steady returns in times of volatility, this is a good stock to hold for the long term.
A real estate stock
It’s nice to own some hard assets in any investment portfolio. Mainstreet Equity (TSX: MEQ) is an attractive way to own a portfolio of residential rental properties across Western Canada.
The company is not a real estate investment trust (REIT), so it can retain its earnings and reinvest in buying more apartment properties. It has compounded great returns for shareholders. Its stock is up 186% in the past five years and 476% in the past 10 years.
It still has plenty of apartments to consolidate. With the real estate market moderating in Canada, there could be plenty of bargains, so it has more room to run in the years ahead.
A top long-term compounder
A different take on real estate is Colliers International Group (TSX: CIGI). It is best known for its commercial real estate brokerage business. Yet, it has become a major player in property management, financing, advisory, engineering/consulting, and investment management.
While its stock has struggled over the past few years, the company has delivered high-teens returns over the long term for over 20 years. Colliers still has considerable room to grow by consolidating the engineering, real estate, and investment management sectors. It trades at a reasonable valuation today.
An up-and-coming small-cap stock
Small-cap stocks tend to be riskier, but they also have quick and substantial upside. VitalHub (TSX: VHI) with a market cap of $642 million, fits the bill nicely. In the past few years, smart acquisitions and a move to profitability have really seen the stock shoot up.
VitalHub provides niche software to the healthcare industry. The company is winning from strong internal growth and a wide market to consolidate. While it is a pricier stock, on a price-to-growth basis, it’s quite reasonable.
A solid utility-like business
If you want a more defensive stock that compounds, Waste Connections (TSX: WCN) is interesting. In the future, society will likely be producing more waste, not less. Somebody must collect and manage that waste, and Waste Connections does that very efficiently.
The company has grown by expanding into secondary markets where it can be the top waste provider. It has great pricing power that fuels stable organic growth. Its stock is down in 2025, and you can pick it up at a fair valuation.
