{"id":495810,"date":"2026-02-24T07:31:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T07:31:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/495810\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T07:31:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T07:31:11","slug":"buy-sell-or-hold-when-it-comes-to-these-three-canadian-tech-stocks-heres-what-i-recommend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/495810\/","title":{"rendered":"Buy, sell or hold? When it comes to these three Canadian tech stocks, here\u2019s what I recommend"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a style=\"display:block\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theglobeandmail.com\/resizer\/v2\/LMWHL2Z5XBF6JDIBGXFEOE3XDU.JPG?auth=bc7abdbfc312bb819245338bb3108c5c20879584c6b1306884b9c474950b6370&amp;width=600&amp;height=400&amp;quality=80&amp;smart=true\" aria-haspopup=\"true\" data-photo-viewer-index=\"0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"figcap-text\">The Shopify exhibit at a National Retail Federation (NRF) show in New York on Jan. 12.Kylie Cooper\/Reuters<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Our home-grown technology industry had a pretty good year in 2025. The S&amp;P\/TSX Information Technology Index finished the year with a respectable gain of 15.89 per cent. Celestica was the top performer, up 206 per cent. Shopify, the largest component of the index, posted a respectable gain of 44.45 per cent. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">But by year-end, there were signs of weakness emerging. Shopify hit its 52-week (and all-time) high in late October. It\u2019s been pretty much downhill since. As of the close on Friday, the information technology index was down almost 18 per cent year-to-date. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Celestica touched its high in November but is down about 28 per cent since. Constellation Software, which had racked up gains for several years, went into a deep dive in midyear, which continues. The shares are down about 50 per cent from their 52-week high. My Internet Wealth Builder newsletter issued a sell signal for the stock last September at $3,660. It closed Friday at $2,486.52. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text mv-16 l-inset text-pb-8\" data-sophi-feature=\"interstitial\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theglobeandmail.com\/investing\/markets\/inside-the-market\/article-tech-bubble-stocks-google-microsoft\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">A tech bust isn\u2019t looming. Here\u2019s one stock to buy now<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">At that level, analysts are taking a fresh look at the company. RBC Capital Markets issued a note to clients on Feb. 17 suggesting the pullback is overdone.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">\u201cWe believe lower software valuations are a net positive for Constellation\u2019s capital deployment and value creation strategy, particularly as terminal values are less relevant to Constellation\u2019s investment model,\u201d analyst Paul Treiber wrote. RBC called Constellation\u2019s valuation \u201ccompelling,\u201d saying it offers an attractive risk\/reward opportunity. They rate the stock \u201coutperform\u201d with a target of $4,800.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">We are not reinstating Constellation as a \u201cbuy\u201d at this time but aggressive investors may want to take a look. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Here are updates on three of our Canadian tech recommendations that have reported recent quarterly results. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Originally recommended on Aug. 19\/12 at $24.42. Closed Friday at $101.85.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Background: Montreal-based CGI is one of the largest independent information technology and business process services firms in the world. The company, founded in 1976, offers IT and business consulting, systems integration, outsourcing services, and intellectual property solutions. It employs about 93,000 professionals in offices and delivery centres across the Americas, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Performance: The stock has been on a downward trend for most of the past year. The shares have lost 41 per cent during that period. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Recent developments: The company reported first-quarter 2026 results (to Dec. 31), and they were better than the slide in the share price would indicate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Revenue was $4.08-billion, up 7.7 per cent year-over-year (3.4 per cent in constant currency). Adjusted net earnings were $461-million ($2.12 per diluted share), up 7.6 per cent year-over-year. The company reported bookings of $4.47-billion and a backlog of $31.32-billion or 1.9 times annual revenue. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Dividend and buybacks. The company raised the quarterly dividend in November by 13.3 per cent to 17 cents (68 cents a year) to yield 0.7 per cent at the current price. The company also has an active share repurchase program and spent $576.6-million in the quarter to buy back stock. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Acquisition: CGI is paying an undisclosed sum to acquire Atlanta-based Stratfield Consulting (SC). SC was founded in 2012 and operates in the management and technology consulting space, employing 200 consultants. The acquisition brings CGI\u2019s total consultants in the Atlanta area to 600.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Outlook: The slide in the share price can be traced to several factors. The price got ahead of itself, and some investors took profits. Revenue and profits, while showing gains, slowed down, and some analysts downgraded the stock.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Action now: If you were an early investor and have not taken half-profits, I suggest you do so now. Despite the downturn, the shares are still up 317 per cent from our original recommendation. Otherwise, hold. The P\/E ratio has dropped to 13.56, suggesting the shares are reasonably priced. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Originally recommended on Feb. 22\/16 at $2.83 (split-adjusted). Closed Friday at $172.89.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Background: Shopify is a cloud-based, multichannel commerce platform designed for small and medium-sized businesses. Merchants use the software to design, set up, and manage their stores across multiple sales channels, including web, mobile, social media, marketplaces, brick-and-mortar locations, and pop-up stores. Shopify is based in Ottawa and is the largest company in the TSX information technology subindex. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Performance: Shopify managed to buck the decline in the tech sector until early January. Then it went into freefall. So far this year, the shares have lost almost 22 per cent of their value.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Recent developments: The company issued strong fourth-quarter and year-end results (to Dec. 31). Revenue came in at US$378.4-billion for the year, up 30 per cent from US$292.3-billion in 2024. Net income (excluding the impact of equity investments) was US$1.5-billion, up from US$1.2-billion in 2024.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Dividend and buybacks: The stock does not pay a dividend, however the board of directors has approved a share repurchase plan. The company will spend up to US$2-billion to repurchase up to 5 per cent of the company\u2019s outstanding stock.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Outlook: The company issued first-quarter 2026 guidance. Revenue growth is expected to be in the low-30s-per-cent range, gross profit dollars to increase at a high-20s-per-cent rate, and a free cash flow margin in the low to midteens.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Action now: Even with the price drop, the shares look expensive with a P\/E ratio of 135.07. If you have not taken half profits, do so now for a gain of over 6,000 per cent on the original price. Hold the balance.<\/p>\n<p>Celestica (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theglobeandmail.com\/investing\/markets\/stocks\/CLS-T\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.theglobeandmail.com\/investing\/markets\/stocks\/CLS-T\/\">CLS-T<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Originally recommended on Nov. 20\/23 at $38.46. Closed Friday at $401.17.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Background: Toronto-based Celestica was originally part of IBM. In 1996, it was sold to Onyx Corp. It began trading publicly in 1998 with the sale of 20.6 million shares at US$17.50. The company employs 26,000 people. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Celestica has two operating segments: Advanced Technology Solutions (ATS) and Connectivity &amp; Cloud Solutions (CCS). <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">The ATS segment consists of its aerospace and defence, industrial, healthtech, and capital equipment businesses. The CCS segment consists of the company\u2019s communications and enterprise (servers and storage) end markets. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Performance: I recommended the stock in November, 2023, when it was trading at $38.46. It reached a high of $512.83 in November but has gradually retreated since.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Recent developments: Fourth-quarter results beat estimates. Revenue was $3.65-billion, up 44 per cent from the same period last year. Adjusted earnings per share was $1.89, up from $1.11 a year ago. Both figures exceeded the high end of the company\u2019s guidance. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">\u201cWe had a solid finish to 2025, achieving revenue of $12.4-billion, up 28 per cent, while our adjusted EPS (non-GAAP) grew 56 per cent year-over-year,\u201d said Rob Mionis, CEO of Celestica. \u201cDriven by very strong results in 2025, and improved momentum into 2026, we are pleased to be raising our annual outlook. As demand for AI-related data centre technologies continues to strengthen, we now expect revenue of $17-billion and adjusted EPS of $8.75 for 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">He went on to say: \u201cWe believe the revenue growth trajectory that we anticipate in 2026 will be sustained into 2027, and as a result, we are strategically increasing our planned capital investments to $1-billion this year. Importantly, we anticipate being able to fully fund this expansion organically through our operating cash flow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Growth: The company announced it is expanding its manufacturing capacity in the United States to support the growing demand for next-generation AI infrastructure. This expansion, scheduled for completion in 2027, is designed to enhance Celestica\u2019s ability to support the production of complex data centre hardware, including Google Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) systems. The company will also invest in expanding its manufacturing capacity in south-east Asia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Dividend: The stock does not pay a dividend.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Outlook: Positive. Revenue and earnings are exceeding expectations. But the stock is being dragged down by the weakness in the tech sector.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Action now: Take half-profits if you have not done so already. Otherwise, hold. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-article-body__text text-pr-5\">Gordon Pape is editor and publisher of the Internet Wealth Builder and Income Investor newsletters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: The Shopify exhibit at a National Retail Federation (NRF) show in New York&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":463586,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[901,888,902,879,877,903,45,49,48,876,895,896,891,878,875,46,549,295,894,887,914,880,881,893,889,890,884,904,885,909,910,912,907,911,905,908,882,898,899,714,897,906,865,61,900,892,886,883,913],"class_list":["post-495810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy","tag-alberta","tag-arts-news","tag-bc","tag-breaking-news","tag-breaking-news-video","tag-british-columbia","tag-business","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canada-news","tag-canada-sports","tag-canada-sports-news","tag-canada-trafficcanada-weather","tag-canadian-breaking-news","tag-canadian-news","tag-economy","tag-education","tag-environment","tag-federal-government","tag-foreign-news","tag-globe-and-mail","tag-globe-and-mail-breaking-news","tag-globe-and-mail-canada-news","tag-government","tag-life-news","tag-lifestyle","tag-local-news","tag-manitoba","tag-national-news","tag-new-brunswick","tag-newfoundland-and-labrador","tag-northwest-territories","tag-nova-scotia","tag-nunavut","tag-ontario","tag-pei","tag-photos","tag-political-news","tag-political-opinion","tag-politics","tag-politics-news","tag-quebec","tag-sports-news","tag-technology","tag-travel","tag-trudeau","tag-us-news","tag-world-news","tag-yukon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=495810"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495810\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/463586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=495810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=495810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=495810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}