2 Canadian Stocks I’d Buy if I Only Checked My Portfolio Monthly

If I only planned to check my portfolio once a month, I’d want businesses that feel steady even when headlines get noisy. That usually means strong brands, predictable demand, solid cash flow, and management teams that don’t need a perfect economy to keep moving forward. It also helps when a stock trades at a reasonable valuation, because even a great company can become a stressful hold when the price gets too far ahead of the business. In that kind of setup, boring starts to look pretty beautiful. That’s why today, we’re checking out these two boringly beautiful names.

EMP

Empire (TSX:EMP.A) is one of those names that doesn’t need much drama to work. Through Sobeys, Safeway, FreshCo, Farm Boy, and Voilà, it sells the basics Canadians keep buying whether the economy feels hot, cold, or somewhere in between. That makes it a natural fit for a low-maintenance portfolio.

Over the last year, Empire gave investors a mix of steady execution and one big clean-up move. In January, it reset part of its e-commerce strategy, added DoorDash as a delivery partner, and said the changes should create about $95 million in annualized operating income benefits, with gains starting in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026 and building into fiscal 2027. That came with a large impairment charge tied to the Voilà network, so the headline loss looked ugly, but the underlying message was more practical. Cut what isn’t working well enough and focus on what can earn more.

The latest earnings backed up the calmer story underneath. In fiscal Q3 2026, Empire reported sales of $7.9 billion, up 2.1%, while food sales rose 3% and food same-store sales climbed 2%. Reported earnings per share (EPS) fell to a loss of $1.68 because of the impairment, but adjusted EPS came in at $0.72, up from $0.62 a year earlier. Thus, Empire looks like a stock you can check monthly without losing sleep.

CTC

Canadian Tire (TSX:CTC.A) fits the same monthly-cheque idea, but with a little more consumer flavour. It’s not just one store. It’s Canadian Tire, SportChek, Mark’s, its financial services arm, and exposure to CT REIT. That mix gives it more moving parts than Empire, but it also gives it several ways to win.

Recent news has actually made the story cleaner. In March 2025, management launched its four-year True North strategy to sharpen retail execution, use more data and loyalty tools, and simplify the business. It also agreed to sell Helly Hansen for roughly $1.3 billion, then completed that sale in June 2025. That move narrowed the focus back to its core Canadian retail operations, which is exactly the kind of simplification long-term investors usually like.

The numbers have started to support that direction. In Q4 and full-year 2025 results released in February 2026, consolidated comparable sales rose 4.2% in the quarter and 4.1% for the year. Full-year revenue climbed 5.2% to $16.3 billion, while normalized diluted EPS rose 18.6% to $13.77. Retail return on invested capital improved to 11%. Canadian Tire stock also looks reasonably priced, with roughly 17 times trailing earnings and about 13 times forward earnings. The risk here is that Canadian Tire stock has more exposure to consumer spending swings than a grocer does. Still, with stronger sales momentum and a clearer strategy, it looks like a very workable monthly-cheque stock.

Bottom line

If I only checked my portfolio once a month, I’d want companies that keep doing the heavy lifting while I get on with my life. Empire brings defensive grocery stability. Canadian Tire stock adds a broader retail engine with improving execution. And both can bring in ample income from a $7,000 investment.

Neither looks built for wild overnight gains, but both look built to endure, and that’s often the better deal for long-term investors.