The Best Stocks to Invest $2,000 In Right Now

The best time to invest in stocks is when you have some spare cash. The sooner you start earning your money, the sooner it will start compounding and multiplying. Compounding takes time and patience; the sooner you start investing, the better.

The best thing about investing right now is that there are so many options and ways to invest in stocks. Today, commissions are cheap (and in some cases free). It’s easier than ever to buy and sell stocks.

With the availability of fractional shares, you can even buy shares in stocks with significant price tags (such as Constellation Software at a share price of $4,265). If you have $2,000 to invest this month, here are two value stocks I would consider adding right now.

Dividend stocks at a good price

Real estate stocks have started to show a nice bounce as interest rates have started to fall. One stock set to bounce back is Minto Apartment Real Estate Investment Trust (TSX:MI.UN). Manages a portfolio of high-quality, well-located apartments in Quebec, Ontario and Alberta.

The REIT has had some challenges since the pandemic due to elevated levels of floating-rate debt. It has found a new management team that has sold non-core assets, deleveraged and focused on standalone returns. Its balance sheet is now in a great position.

Given the strong population growth, demand for units remains strong. Population growth in Canada remains a significant long-term driver.

Minto’s average rental rate remains 11% below market. It has significant organic growth potential in lease turnover/renewals.

Despite its large assets, Minto is one of the cheapest residential REITs in Canada. With a 3% dividend and a great valuation, it looks like a solid income stock to buy today.

TSX Tech Stocks at a Good Price

Enghouse Systems (TSX:ENGH) hasn’t been doing well in recent years. Its stock is down 50% in the past three years! This company saw a huge increase in demand (and share price) for its virtual communications software during the pandemic. However, demand fell as quickly as it rose.

This shocked the market a bit. Revenues normalized along with demand, and the market didn’t like that. Fortunately, there are good signs that business is recovering.

Enghouse generates a lot of cash from its operations. It invests it in high-yield acquisitions. Despite this, it still has a significant amount of net cash (nearly $260 million).

Many of the industry’s competitors are in trouble. That means profitable Enghouse could start taking market share. Similarly, the market’s decline creates opportunities for more cost-effective acquisitions.

The board has indicated it will be more aggressive in buying back shares. Enghouse shares are currently trading at their lowest price in many years. A share buyback would certainly be a good way to return value to shareholders.

If you want to invest in Enghouse stock, you have to be a bit of a contrarian. However, there are signs that a recovery may be coming. Enghouse trades with a 3.4% dividend yield. Its dividend has grown at a 19% compound annual growth rate over the past five years! Overall, this stock is a good bet on an undervalued, income-producing tech stock.