Blue Chip Stocks

The root of the term “blue chip” stems from the game of poker, as the blue chips represent the highest value. Investing in blue chip stocks can give you an additional measure of safety in today’s turbulent markets.

Pat McKeough believes investors will profit most, and with the least amount of risk, by putting the bulk of your stock portfolio in shares of blue chip companies—those that are well-established, with strong balance sheets and steady earnings and cash flow. These are companies that have bright prospects in healthy and growing industries.

The best blue chips offer both capital gains growth potential and regular dividend income. The dividend yield is certainly one of the most concrete indicators of a sound investment. It is the percentage you get when you divide the current yearly dividend payment by the share or unit price of the investment. It’s an indicator we pay especially close attention to when we select stocks to recommend in our investment newsletters.

We feel most investors should hold the largest part of their investment portfolios in securities from blue chip companies. All these stocks should offer good “value”—that is, they should trade at reasonable multiples of earnings, cash flow, book value and so on. Ideally, they should also have above average-growth prospects in expanding markets.

Meanwhile, when investing in any type of stock, at TSI Network we recommend using our three-part Successful Investor strategy:

1-Invest mainly in well-established companies;

2-Spread your money out across most if not all of the five main economic sectors (Manufacturing & Industry; Resources & Commodities; Consumer; Finance; Utilities);

3-Downplay or avoid stocks in the broker/media limelight.

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Blue Chip Stocks
In addition to Bank of Nova Scotia (see page 11), we continue to like the long-term prospects for Canada’s other four big banks. In fact, we continue to recommend that all investors own two or more of these top-quality stocks.


Despite U.S.-imposed, sector-specific tariffs, loan losses remain low, while new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) will help the banks cut administrative costs. Better profitability will also give these banks more room to keep raising their dividends.
For your 2026 Stocks of the Year, we have once again selected one from each of our portfolios—Conservative, Aggressive and Income.


All three companies are in a strong position to keep expanding their earnings and market share this year. That should drive their stock prices higher, not only for 2026 but for many years to come.
IBM, $296.73, is a buy. The company (New York symbol IBM; Shares outstanding: 934.7 million; Market cap: $277.4 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 2.3%; www.ibm.com) has agreed to acquire Confluent Inc. (Nasdaq symbol CFLT) for $11 billion. It expects to complete the purchase in mid-2026.
ABBVIE INC., $224.31, is a buy. The company (New York symbol ABBV; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average) (abbvie.com; Shares o/s: 1.8 billion; Market cap: $395.3 billion; Dividend yield: 3.1%) develops, manufactures and sells medicines and therapies worldwide. Its portfolio is focused on therapeutic areas of immunology, hematologic oncology, aesthetics, neuroscience and eye care.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is an example of an investment idea that could boost your investment returns or, more likely, end up costing you money. All in all, we think that the biggest, surest gains from AI will come from investing in established businesses that are already profitable and growing, and that can gain all the more by applying AI to their operations.
PROCTER & GAMBLE CO. $148 is a buy. The consumer products giant (New York symbol PG; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 2.4 billion; Market cap: $355.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.2; Dividend yield: 2.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.pg.com) reported 3.0% higher sales in its fiscal 2026 first quarter, ended September 30, 2025, to $22.39 billion from $21.74 billion. Excluding currency and acquisitions/divestitures, revenue improved 2%.


Procter is now cutting 6% of its workforce as part of a new plan to streamline its operations and minimize the impact of tariffs. Excluding one-time items, it earned $1.99 a share (or a total of $4.85 billion). That’s up 3.1% from $1.93 a share (or $4.76 billion).
CANADIAN PACIFIC KANSAS CITY LTD. $103 is a buy. The railway (Toronto symbol CP; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 900.8 million; Market cap: $94.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 6.5; Dividend yield: 0.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.cpkcr.com) has signed 14 new agreements with unions in the U.S. representing a wide variety of workers, including mechanical and engineering employees, clerks and maintenance workers. These contracts have five-year terms, and labour peace cuts CPKC’s risk.
TORONTO-DOMINION BANK $116 is a buy. The lender (Toronto symbol TD; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.7 billion; Market cap: $197.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.3; Dividend yield: 3.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.td.com) settled charges over lapses in anti-money laundering processes at its U.S. retail banking operations in October 2024. As a result, it paid a fine of $3.09 billion U.S.
ROYAL BANK OF CANADA $209 is a buy. The bank (Toronto symbol RY; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 1.4 billion; Market cap: $292.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.5; Dividend yield: 2.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.rbc.com) aims to expand its wealth management division, which now supplies about 20% of its earnings.