1 Canadian Stock Down 44% to Buy Immediately for Life

Constellation Software (TSX:CSU) has created significant long-term wealth for shareholders. The Canadian tech stock went public in May 2006 and has since returned 16,700% to investors. It means a $1,000 investment in CSU stock soon after its initial public offering would be worth $168,000 today.

Despite these market-crushing gains, the Toronto-based software company is down 44% from its all-time high, making it a buy-the-dip opportunity.

For a company with its kind of track record, the ongoing pullback is rare. Is CSU stock an undervalued gem or a falling knife in July 2026?

Why the Canadian stock is down 44%

The software sector has taken a beating over the past year as investors are worried about a trend some are calling the “SaaSpocalypse.” It is the fear that artificial intelligence (AI) tools could enable customers to build their own software or allow smaller AI-native competitors to undercut established vendors on price.

Constellation’s own management team addressed this directly on its Q1 earnings call, held on May 13, 2026, and again at the company’s annual general meeting two days later.

President Mark Miller told analysts on that call that private market valuations for software businesses “have not really” come down, even as public markets reset sharply.

Chief investment officer Bernie Anzarouth added that competition for larger deals “is still fierce,” and pricing at the low end of the market has barely moved lower.

A strong performance in Q1

In Q1 of 2026, Constellation Software reported revenue of US$3.18 billion, an increase of almost 20% year over year. It reported a gross margin of 35.4%, an operating profit of US$434 million, and a net income of US$367 million or US$17.32 per share.

It reported operating cash flow of US$897 million in Q1, while free cash flow was US$878 million. The company spent $689 million on business acquisitions in the March quarter, yet ended the period with US$3.01 billion in cash on the balance sheet.

Constellation Software owns hundreds of small, niche software businesses, each serving a specific industry such as healthcare, transit, or telecom.

Management calls this vertical-market software, and the idea is that these businesses are deeply embedded in how their customers operate, making them hard to replace.

At the AGM, executives were blunt about the risk AI poses to certain software companies. Jeff Bender, who runs the Harris Operating Group, said there is “no specific evidence to date of any significant or material attrition” tied to AI competition.

Chief Financial Officer Jamal Baksh reiterated the sentiment after reviewing roughly 900 of Constellation’s business units. The businesses most exposed are the ones that already had high customer turnover before AI ever entered the picture, not the mission-critical systems that account for most of the company’s revenue.

Management is also using AI internally to speed up development and free up staff to do more for existing customers, rather than simply cutting costs.

Is the Canadian tech stock undervalued?

Valued at a market cap of almost $60 billion, Constellation Software is forecast to increase revenue from US$11.62 billion in 2025 to US$23.68 billion in 2030. In this period, free cash flow (FCF) is expected to expand from US$2.66 billion to US$4.30 billion.

If the Canadian tech stock is priced at 20 times forward FCF, which is below the 10-year average of 22.5 times, it could more than double within the next four years.

A 44% drop from all-time highs, paired with double-digit revenue growth, growing free cash flow, and a management team that has proven it can compound capital for decades, is the kind of setup patient investors dream about.

For Canadian investors building a portfolio intended to be held for years, Constellation Software appears to be undervalued in July 2026.

The post 1 Canadian Stock Down 44% to Buy Immediately for Life appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

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* Returns as of July 6th, 2026

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Fool contributor Aditya Raghunath has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Constellation Software. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.