(Business Edge columnist Gyle Konotopetz regularly profiles the top stock picks of some of Canada's most accomplished investment pros.)

FEATURED PRO: Kevin Dehod is vice-president and associate portfolio manager of McLean & Partners Wealth Management (www.mcleanpartners.com). The Calgary firm manages money for high net worth individuals and families with an emphasis on global dividend growth stocks. The firm's minimum investment for clients is $1.5 million.

Dehod's Perspective: "Our view on the current market is that you need to look inside the market to outperform and be very selective. We think you may not be able to make a lot of money just buying a broad basket or a mutual fund with 500 stocks in it. We're focusing on dividend growth stocks as we think that in this decade, dividends are becoming a more important part of the total return equation. We look for companies that pay us dividends in the two-per-cent to four-per-cent range and obviously look for a good capital appreciation on top of that. With dividend stocks, we want companies that are increasing their dividend at a minimum of twice the rate of inflation.

"Right now, we're seeing better value internationally than in Canada. With the Canadian market being up 18 per cent this year and 12 1/2 per cent last year, there is less value currently in Canada. We're having a hard time finding attractive investments in Canada."

First Star

* Barclays (NYSE:BCS)

* Recent Price: $40.45 US.

* 52-Week Range: $37.09-$47.

* Snapshot: Barclays is a financial services company that provides banking, credit card and investment banking services through operations in more than 60 countries.

* CEO: Gary Hoffman.

* Head Office: London, Engl.

* Vital Stats (U.S. dollars): Current Price/Earnings Ratio, 10.3; Revenue (last 12 mos), $40 billion; 5-Yr Revenue Growth, 12.2 per cent; Earnings (last 12 mos), $6.3 billion; 5-Yr Earnings Growth, 13.2 per cent; Market Cap, $65.26 billion; Shares Outstanding, 1.6 billion; Dividend Yield, 4.5 per cent.

* Dehod's View: "We like this bank because the U.K. government is cutting interest rates right now, not raising interest rates. Furthermore, the stock is trading at 8.9 times next year's earnings per share with a dividend yield of 4.5 per cent. In comparison, 10-year bonds in Canada right now are paying less than four per cent. Even if you assume the stock goes nowhere, I'm getting better income off that than a 10-year bond in Canada. Barclays has increased their dividend by 16 per cent per year in the last 10 years."

* Dehod's Risk Rating: Medium.

* Web Watch: www.barclays.co.uk

Second Star

* E.On (NYSE:EON)

* Recent Price: $32.01 US.

* 52-Week Range: $23.01-$32.77.

* Snapshot: E.On is one of the world's largest investor-owned energy services companies and also has a controlling interest in Viterra, a real estate subsidiary.

* CEO: Wulf Bernotat.

* Head Office: Dusseldorf, Germany.

* Vital Stats (U.S. dollars): Current Price/Earnings Ratio, 10.7; Revenue (last 12 mos), $69.3 billion; 5-Yr Revenue Growth, 0.6 per cent; Earnings (last 12 mos), $5.9 billion; 5-Yr Earnings Growth, 18.9 per cent; Market Cap, $63.27 billion; Shares Outstanding, 2 billion; Dividend Yield, 3.2 per cent.

* Dehod's View: "This company has operations in 17 European countries. They have pipeline and power assets, and they're kind of the European version of TransCanada Corp. They pay a 3.2-per-cent dividend yield and they've grown their dividend 20 per cent per year over the past five years."

* Dehod's Risk Rating: Medium.

* Web Watch: www.eon.com

Third Star

* Manulife Financial Corp. (TSX:MFC)

* Recent Price: $49.99.

* 52-Week Range: $40.15-$52.53.

* Snapshot: Manulife is an international life insurance and investment services company.

* CEO: Dominic D'Alessandro.

* Vital Stats: Current Price/Earnings Ratio, 16.1; Revenue (last 12 mos), $25.9 billion; 5-Yr Revenue Growth, 19.7 per cent; Earnings (last 12 mos), $2.6 billion; 5-Yr Earnings Growth, 18.6 per cent; Market Cap, $39.84 billion; Shares Outstanding, 797 million; Dividend Yield, 2 per cent.

* Dehod's View: "Their current dividend yield is two per cent, but their five-year dividend growth has been 25 per cent per year. They have a low payout ratio, paying out only about 27 per cent of their earnings in dividends, so we think that payout ratio is going to rise. We've owned this name for about two years in our client portfolios. It's not a bargain here, but it's still a quality dividend growth name in Canada."

* Dehod's Risk Rating: Medium.

* Web Watch: www.manulife.com

* Disclosure: Dehod personally owns shares in the featured stocks that are also held in the McLean & Partners portfolio.

(This feature is provided for information purposes. Investors are advised to do their own research or consult a qualified investment professional before making investment decisions.)

(Gyle Konotopetz can be reached at gyle@businessedge.ca)