Top Canadian Stocks to Buy Right Now With $2,000

Many top Canadian stocks are not necessarily expensive. A seed capital of $2,000 is just right to build a high-performance, diversified stock portfolio. There are budget-friendly opportunities in the TSX that you can put your measly fund to work. Strong buys right now are Aritzia (TSX:ATZ), Bird Construction (TSX:BDT), and Chemtrade Logistics Fund (TSX:CHE.UN).

A: High-growth candidate

Aritzia was among the winningest stocks in 2025.  Canada’s fashion powerhouse rewarded investors with a mouth-watering return of +120% last year. The $13 billion retail stock, known for its “Everyday Luxury” and stylish women’s clothing, continues to deliver strong financial performance.

ATZ trades at $112.53 per share and carries a “buy” to “strong buy” rating. Analysts’ 12-month average price target is $151.54 (a potential 35% upside). The bullish sentiment stems from its record net revenue in Q3 fiscal 2026. Its CEO, Jennifer Wong, said, “Our performance was fueled by unparalleled demand for our Everyday Luxury offering.”

In the three months ending November 30, 2025, net revenue and net income increased 43% and 88% to $1.04 billion and $138.9 million. Wong added that geographic expansion, digital growth, and increased brand awareness are Aritzia’s three strategic growth levers.

The lady CEO also expressed confidence in meeting the company’s long-term goals and delivering profitable growth. Aritzia pays zero dividend, but is a pure capital accelerator.

B: Industrial momentum

Bird Construction has built a strong industrial momentum following its solid full-year 2025 financial results. Its president and CEO, Teri McKibbon, said, “Bird remains strongly positioned for Canada’s long‑duration nation‑building investment cycle.”

While net income declined 53% year over year to $47.4 billion, the combined backlog and pending backlog totalled $11 billion at year-end. Performance-wise, BDT is up 27.6% year to date, beating the broad market (+3.84%). At $36.23 per share, the dividend yield is 2.32%.

According to McKibbon, the tailwinds include energy projects such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) and nuclear, as well as infrastructure renewal in the defence, healthcare, trade, and transportation sectors. He added that with the record liquidity and a strong balance sheet, Bird is prepared for large-scale capital investment projects. The company will achieve growth and realize profitability enhancement in 2026 and 2027.

C: Income compounder

Chemtrade Logistics provides industrial chemical products and services to customers in North America and international markets. The $1.75 billion company derive revenues from strategic business segments: Sulphur & Water Chemicals (SWC) and Electrochemicals (EC).

CHE.UN is an income compounder owing to its monthly dividends. Moreover, it hasn’t missed a payout since August 2001. If you invest today, the share price is $15.58, while the yield is a hefty 4.62%. You can reinvest the dividends 12 times a year instead of the usual four (quarterly).

The diversified portfolio operating in recession-resistant markets is a competitive advantage. In 2025, total revenue and net earnings rose 11.8% and 10% year-over-year to $1.9 billion and $139.4 million. Notably, the $507.4 million Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) were Chemtrade’s highest in a year since its inception.

Its CEO, Scott Rook, said Chemtrade will monitor costs and price increases in 2026. Nonetheless, the $485 million to $525 million Adjusted EBITDA guidance for the year is a record level.

Resilient machine  

Your $2,000 is small in absolute amount, but it can create a resilient machine for income generation and capital growth. The ABC portfolio can weather market shifts in 2026.

The post Top Canadian Stocks to Buy Right Now With $2,000 appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

Should you invest $1,000 in Aritzia Inc. right now?

Before you buy stock in Aritzia Inc., consider this:

The Motley Fool Canada team has identified what they believe are the top 10 TSX stocks for 2026… and Aritzia Inc. wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could potentially produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider MercadoLibre, which we first recommended on January 8, 2014 … if you invested $1,000 in the “eBay of Latin America” at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $20,155.76!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor Canada’s total average return is 90%* – a market-crushing outperformance compared to 81%* for the S&P/TSX Composite Index. Don’t miss out on our top 10 stocks, available when you join our mailing list!

Get the 10 stocks instantly #start_btn6 { background: #0e6d04 none repeat scroll 0 0; color: #fff; font-size: 1.2em; font-family: 'Montserrat', sans-serif; font-weight: 600; height: auto; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 30px 0; max-width: 350px; text-align: center; width: auto; box-shadow: 0 1px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5), 0 1px 0 #fff inset, 0 0 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); border-radius: 5px; } #start_btn6 a { color: #fff; display: block; padding: 20px; padding-right:1em; padding-left:1em; } #start_btn6 a:hover { background: #FFE300 none repeat scroll 0 0; color: #000; } @media (max-width: 480px) { div#start_btn6 { font-size:1.1em; max-width: 320px;} } margin_bottom_5 { margin-bottom:5px; } margin_top_10 { margin-top:10px; }

* Returns as of February 17th, 2026

More reading

• Is the U.S.-Canada Tariff War a Blessing in Disguise?
• 3 TSX Stocks That Could Benefit From Canada’s Huge Infrastructure Spending
• Canada’s Inflation Dipped to 1.8%, but Economists Say It Won’t Last. Here’s How to Think About Stocks.
• 2 Canadian Stocks Positioned to Surge as 2026 Unfolds
• 3 Canadian Stocks Ready to Surge in 2026

Fool contributor Christopher Liew has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Aritzia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.