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

FEATURED PRO: Andrew Parkinson is managing director and portfolio manager of Van Arbor Asset Management (www.vanarbor.com). He is a 20-year veteran of the securities industry. The Vancouver firm manages the Van Arbor Canadian Advantage Fund, the Van Arbor U.S. Advantage Fund and the Van Arbor Euro Advantage Fund.

Fund Form: The Van Arbor Advantage Fund had the best return in the category of Canadian equity funds in 2005, returning 35.4 per cent (source: Morningstar Canada).

Management Expense Ratio: Two per cent.

Parkinson's Perspective: "We're coming off a fantastic year for the Canadian market and we don't see quite as robust a return this year. Although I'm positive for this year, I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm bullish. Because the energy sector was so strong last year, some of the other sectors like retail got left behind. I think the retail sector is going to come back a bit.

"Because we focus on a highly quantitative style of investing, we look for stocks that have shown a very stable return to shareholders for a number of years. The main area we look at is a company's ability for growth. We don't like shocks, whether it's shocks upward or shocks downward. What we want to see in a company is stable growth in terms of price/earnings (ratio), stable dividend growth, stable asset growth and stable upward price movement."

First Star

* Loblaw Companies (TSX: L)

* Recent Price: $54.06.

* 52-Week Range: $52.75-76.50.

* Snapshot: Loblaw, a subsidiary of George Weston Ltd., is a distributor and retailer of food and other products under numerous banners, including Loblaws, The Real Canadian SuperStore, Extra Foods, Lucky Dollar Foods and SuperValu.

* CEO: John Lederer.

* Head Office: Toronto.

* Vital Stats: Current Price/ Earnings Ratio, 16.9; Revenue (last 12 mos), $27.5 billion; 5-Yr Revenue Growth, 6.5 per cent; Earnings (last 12 mos), $880 million; 5-Yr Earnings Growth, 15.7 per cent; Market Cap, $14.82 billion; Shares Outstanding, 274.1 million; Dividend Yield, 1.6 per cent.

* Parkinson's View: "Loblaws had a tough year last year with soft sales during the summer period, mainly due to distribution problems. Yet, they've really done some good work in terms of integrating new distribution centres and it seems they've sacrificed profits to reorganize to cut costs by shutting down warehouses and consolidating offices. So I think they've absorbed some short-term pain to position themselves to be able to fight off a competitor such as Wal-Mart. I think the stock has been oversold. Based on the price, I think this company has some legs and I think the share price will come back."

* Parkinson's Risk Rating: Medium.

* Web Watch: www.loblaw.com

Second Star

* National Bank of Canada (TSX:NA)

* Recent Price: $60.90.

* 52-Week Range: $48.06-$64.

* Snapshot: National Bank operates through three business segments: Personal and commercial, wealth management and financial markets.

* CEO: Real Raymond.

* Head Office: Montreal.

* Vital Stats: Current Price/Earnings Ratio, 12.27; Revenue (last 12 mos), $5.3 billion; 5-Yr Revenue Growth, -1.6 per cent; Earnings (last 12 mos), $855 million; 5-Yr Earnings Growth, 14.7 per cent; Market Cap, $10.07 billion; Shares Outstanding, $165.3 million; Dividend Yield, 2.9 per cent.

* Parkinson's View: "This company has had profit growth 12 quarters in a row and you've got to love a company with that kind of growth. They've opened up their distribution channels by being partnered with Investors Group and as a result of that they're selling a lot more financial services. So they've increased their business and they've still got a price/earnings ratio that is below the financial index level. This is a low-risk, solid-growth company."

* Parkinson's Risk Rating: Low.

* Web Watch: www.nbc.ca

Third Star

* Canadian Tire (TSX:CTR)

* Recent Price: $117.

* 52-Week Range: $69.20-$125.

* Snapshot: Canadian Tire is a hard-goods retailer, specializing in home products, automotive products, and sports and leisure products, and also operates three other divisions - Canadian Tire Petroleum, Canadian Tire Financial Services and Mark's Work Wearhouse.

* CEO: Wayne Sales.

* Head Office: Toronto.

* Vital Stats: Current Price/ Earnings Ratio, 30.55; Revenue (last 12 mos), $7.55 billion; Earnings, $312.3 million; Market Cap, $9.59 billion; Shares Outstanding, 82 million; Dividend Yield, 0.5 per cent.

* Parkinson's View: "Canadian Tire has spent a lot of money building new stores and refurbishing existing stores to set itself up for an aggressive growth phase. They've been able to attract new customers with their expansion and their ability to increase the amount of merchandise they can put into their stores. The biggest risk for this company would be American retailers coming into their market, but I think they've done a good job of positioning themselves to compete against that."

* Parkinson's Risk Rating: Low.

* Web Watch: www.canadiantire.ca

Disclosure: Parkinson owns shares in the Van Arbor funds in which the featured stocks are held. He does not have positions in the individual stocks.

(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)