We recently published a list of 10 Undervalued Canadian Stocks to Buy Now. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Nutrien Ltd. (NYSE:NTR) stands against other undervalued Canadian stocks to buy now.
Q1 2025 saw some challenges to the financial markets, primarily because of trade issues, says Sun Life (a Canadian-based international financial services company). The US decided to impose extra taxes, known as tariffs, on goods coming from numerous countries, including Canada. This move impacted the investors’ sentiments as to how it might slow down business and economic growth, not only in Canada but globally. The firm noted that Canada’s economy remains strong, and the BoC is no longer concerned with inflation. It lowered the interest rate by 50 bps to 2.75% as an effort to manage the economic impact of US tariffs.
Current State of Canada’s Economy
Canada’s economy strengthened at the end of 2024, says Sun Life, thanks to the lower interest rates. That being said, the markets remain nervous about economic strength. As per the firm, Canada’s economy saw a growth of 2.6%, annualized over Q4 2024. Consumer spending acted as the critical growth driver. Also, reduced interest rates aided in driving consumer spending. The country’s economy also benefited from the stronger exports.
The firm also highlighted that Canada’s unemployment rate sat at 6.6% as of February. BoC decided to reduce rates in part because of the improving labour market. Notably, Canadian equities touched a new high early in the quarter. Talking about the sectors, the Materials and Utilities sectors were tagged as the strongest performers. However, the Health Care and IT sectors saw the weakest returns.
READ ALSO: 7 Best Stocks to Buy For Long-Term and 8 Cheap Jim Cramer Stocks to Invest In.
What’s Next for Canadian Equities?
Bloomberg, while quoting Scotiabank, mentioned that Canada’s stock markets are expected to outperform after avoiding the worst of Trump’s tariffs. Scotia Capital Inc. provided a double upgrade to Canadian equities, from “Underweight” to “Overweight,” with analysts highlighting that both Canada and Mexico have managed to dodge the bullet in the escalating trade war. As per Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Gillian Wolff and Gina Martin Adams, TSX valuations are low relative to pre-pandemic levels, which offer a buffer against economic volatility and trade war.
The analysts at Scotia Capital Inc. believe that the escalating trade war announcement is negative for the US and the rest of the world. Scotiabank has dropped emerging market equities to “Underweight” from “Neutral,” mentioned Bloomberg.
Our Methodology
To list the 10 Undervalued Canadian Stocks to Buy Now, we used a screener to shortlist Canadian companies that trade at a forward P/E of less than ~20.0x. Next, we mentioned hedge fund sentiment around each stock, as of Q4 2024, and ranked them in ascending order of this metric.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
A close-up of a farmer’s hands sowing a field of organic grains with crop inputs.
Nutrien Ltd. (NYSE:NTR)
Forward P/E as of April 4: ~12.3x
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 32
Nutrien Ltd. (NYSE:NTR) offers crop inputs and services. The company is headquartered in Saskatoon, Canada. CIBC upped the company’s price objective to $66 from $64, keeping an “Outperformer” rating. It believes that the company remains its preferred name in fertilizers. Given the significant underutilized potash capacity, Nutrien Ltd. (NYSE:NTR) remains well-placed to benefit from positive long-term demand for potash, says the firm’s analyst. The company managed to deliver higher upstream fertilizer sales volumes, accelerate operational efficiency and cost savings initiatives, and increase downstream Retail earnings in 2024.
The outlook for Nutrien Ltd. (NYSE:NTR)’s business in 2025 is well-aided by anticipations for healthy crop input demand and strong potash fundamentals. Annual potash sales volume guidance of 13.6 – 14.4 million tonnes remains consistent with the company’s global shipments outlook and includes some uncertainty related to the possible imposition and related impact of US tariffs and global supply availability. In 2024, the company progressed nitrogen brownfield expansions at 2 of its North American sites.
Nutrien Ltd. (NYSE:NTR) mined 35% of its potash ore tons using automation, hinting at the progress made towards its 2026 target of 40% – 50%. Such advancements offer efficiency, flexibility, and safety benefits at the sites. The company has enhanced its midstream distribution capabilities, which include the opening of a new potash terminal in the US Cornwell. Notably, the investments in its global distribution network will be Nutrien Ltd. (NYSE:NTR)’s priority to ensure it supports the growth objectives.
Overall, NTR ranks 5th on our list of undervalued Canadian stocks to buy now. While we acknowledge the potential of NTR as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some deeply undervalued AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for a deeply undervalued AI stock that is more promising than NTR but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.
READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires.
Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
