A Year Later: 3 TSX Stocks That Proved the Doubters Wrong

Stocks “prove doubters wrong” when scary narratives fade and improving cash flow forces a sentiment reset.

Amy Legate-Wolfe

Amy became interested in investing in 2018 after having her first daughter. After receiving a masters degree in journalism from Western University, she became frustrated that the finance industry remained a confusing place for Canadians like her: new parents, millennials, and other young people who needed to understand their finances. Now, Amy focuses on tech companies and renewable energy for growth opportunities, coupling that with long-term investing strategies and equities. She also provides investors with a daily newsletter, Canada Stock Digest, for daily market updates. Before joining Motley Fool Canada, she wrote for major news organizations including HuffPost, CTVNews.ca, and CBC. When she’s not researching investing strategies, Amy’s time is pretty much monopolized by her two wild daughters, but in what little spare time she has she loves to do yoga, go on walks with her dog, and travel with her husband. Follow Amy on LinkedIn and Canada Stock Digest. Favorite Investment Quote: “October: This is one of the particularly dangerous months to speculate in stocks. The others are July, January, September, April, November, May, March, June, December, August and February.” – Mark Twain

Published March 31, 8:00 pm EDT

| More on: ABXACBB

Key Points

Air Canada has rebuilt credibility with profitability, free cash flow, and buybacks, but margins are still fragile.
BlackBerry’s turnaround is gaining proof points through better EBITDA and guidance, though the stock remains volatile.
Barrick’s strong cash generation and dividends show miners can be disciplined, but results still swing with metal prices.

A year later, a TSX stock “proving the doubters wrong” usually means the scary narrative didn’t match the cash reality. The market may have expected weaker demand, tighter margins, or a balance sheet problem that never arrived. When the results keep improving anyway, sentiment flips from “avoid” to “maybe I mispriced this,” and that is when re-ratings happen. The best examples don’t rely on one lucky quarter. They stack proof points: better earnings quality, stronger cash flow, and clearer execution.

man gives stopping gesture — Source: Getty Images

AC

Air Canada (TSX:AC) had plenty of doubters. Yet the past year has shown why scale, network strength, and disciplined capital allocation still matter. Air Canada kept pushing toward a less seasonal, more resilient earnings profile while managing a complicated operating backdrop, including labour noise and shifting travel demand. Instead of just chasing growth, it also leaned into financial discipline, which is often what finally changes the market’s mind.

In the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2025, Air Canada delivered operating revenues of $5.77 billion and net income of $296 million, or $1.00 per diluted share, with adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) of $867 million. For the full-year 2025, operating revenues reached $22.372 billion, net income was $644 million, diluted earnings per share (EPS) were $1.86, and adjusted EBITDA was $3.124 billion. It also generated $747 million in free cash flow for the year and deployed over $850 million in share buybacks. The stock still trades like a “prove it again” story at 10 times earnings. Sustained profitability and buybacks can keep lifting per-share value, but fuel volatility, economic slowdowns that hit demand, and operational disruptions can quickly erode margins.

BB

BlackBerry (TSX:BB) might be the most satisfying “doubters wrong” candidate. So many investors wrote it off as a legacy story. Over the past year, it has steadily rebuilt credibility as a software company, leaning on QNX in automotive and its cybersecurity offerings. The important shift was the steady march toward profitability and better cash discipline, plus guidance that looks more confident than the market expected.

In Q3 fiscal 2026, BlackBerry reported revenue of $141.8 million, and GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) net income improved year over year to $13.7 million, while adjusted EBITDA came in at $28.7 million, a 20% margin, with non-GAAP EPS at a positive $0.05. The TSX stock also raised its fiscal 2026 revenue outlook to a range of $531 million to $541 million and guided to adjusted EBITDA of $94 million to $104 million. On valuation, the stock holds a 2.8 billion market cap, trailing at 97 times earnings, which tells you the market still debates the durability of profits. The upside is further margin progress and sustained QNX strength, while the risks include lumpy enterprise spending, competitive pressure in security, and how small misses can still whipsaw sentiment.

ABX

Barrick Mining (TSX:ABX) proved doubters wrong in a different way. Big miners often get dismissed as pure commodity bets, but Barrick has been showing what disciplined operations and cash returns look like when the cycle cooperates. Over the past year, it benefited from stronger metal prices and delivered a step change in financial performance, while also putting strategy back into the story through plans to unlock value across its portfolio.

In Q4 2025, Barrick reported net earnings of $2.41 billion, or $1.43 per share, and adjusted net earnings of $1.75 billion, or $1.04 per share, alongside operating cash flow of $2.73 billion and free cash flow of $1.62 billion. For the full year 2025, revenue reached $16.96 billion, and net earnings rose to about $4.99 billion. ABX has recently shown a market cap of around $105 billion, a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 15.6, and a quarterly dividend yielding at 3.6%. The upside is continued strong cash generation and shareholder returns if gold and copper stay supportive. However, the risks include price pullbacks, geopolitical complications in certain jurisdictions, and the reality that miners can swing sharply.

Bottom line

A year later, these three names share the same lesson: the market can cling to an old story long after the numbers change. When the doubters finally catch up, the rerating often happens faster than anyone expects.