As it turns out, being lazy isn’t all too bad a trait to have when it comes to self-guided investment. In fact, the less you check your stocks and the less you worry about the negative headlines, especially when the stock market falls into a correction, the less likely you’ll be inclined to make moves in response to your emotions. Undoubtedly, an extreme form of the buy-and-hold strategy may have more than its fair share of shortcomings, especially if material negative news events require you to revisit your original thesis.
However, for the most part, there is a lot of noise out there that really has less to do with the longer-term fundamentals and more to do with the near-term (quarterly earnings reports). While near-term developments are a big deal for those traders, they’re less actionable for longer-term investors who have a sound thesis and willingness to hang onto an investment for years or even decades.
Steady stocks
Of course, circumstances (industry- or company-specific) can change for the worse, and investors should respond (either by selling or partially paring a position), perhaps after careful thought and additional analysis. Either way, this piece will focus on a class of solid names that don’t change all too much on a week-to-week, quarter-to-quarter, or even year-to-year basis. Given how fast things are moving in AI, quantum, and other nascent technologies, every new day could bring a ton of new information that moves the needle across a wide range of stocks.
However, when it comes to the lower-tech names, like TFI International (TSX:TFII) or Badger Infrastructure Solutions (TSX:BDGI), there’s not all too much in the way of news that leads investors to contemplate buying, selling, or second-guessing the decision to buy in the first place. For lazy, hands-off investors, that’s a good thing, and, in this piece, we’ll have a closer look at two names that have relatively smaller market caps which I think are worth holding for more than 10 years, through the ups and downs that tend to hit the mid-cap industrial scene.
Source: Getty Images
TFI International
TFI International is a transportation play that I view as a fantastic bargain now that shares have crash-landed from that brutal February quarterly earnings report. Of course, shares have not been quick to recover, but for long-term investors, I think there’s an opportunity here as investors wait for management to right the course.
Undoubtedly, demand has taken quite a hit, but don’t discount the potential for an operational turnaround and more M&A to power earnings growth. At the time of this writing, shares seem fairly priced at 21.6 times trailing price-to-earnings (P/E), and the dividend, yielding 2.2%, seems to be a nice added bonus for investors looking to play a comeback in the trucking firm. As tariffs weigh and freight demand fluctuates, don’t expect an overnight bounce, as TFI really does look like a name that could take time to reward shareholders.
Badger Infrastructure Solutions
Badger Infrastructure Solutions is in the business of mobile soil excavation, which has been very lucrative, especially of late, with shares nearly doubling on a year-to-date basis. With a $2.4 billion market cap and a proven business model that’s thriving in today’s climate, I’d not be afraid to buy high with the intent of selling higher.
The stock is still reasonably valued at 27.6 times trailing P/E. And with a slight 7% dip to buy, I’d encourage long-term investors to give the 1.1%-yielder a closer look, especially as demand for its services stays hot. Unlike TFI, things are going right for Badger, and with significant momentum running into 2026, my guess is that strength will beget more strength now that the firm has margins in a good spot.
