Based on the aggregated intelligence of the 115,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, US Bancorp (NYSE:USB) has earned a respected four-star ranking. While five-star stocks have been the best performers, our data has shown that four-star stocks still outshine the market by a significant margin and shouldn't be taken lightly; conversely, low-rated stocks have woefully lagged the market average.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at US Bancorp's business, and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.

US Bancorp facts

Headquarters (Founded)

Minneapolis, Minnesota (1929)

Market Cap

$58.97 billion

Industry

Diversified Banks

TTM Revenue

$12.57 billion

Management

CEO Richard Davis (since 2006)

CFO Andrew Cecere (since 2007)

Return on Equity (average last three years)

21.8%

Competitors

Washington Mutual (NYSE:WM)

Fifth Third Bancorp (NYSE:FITB)

CAPS members bullish on USB also bullish on

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC)

Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC)

CAPS members bearish on USB also bearish on

Citigroup (NYSE:C)

Wachovia (NYSE:WB)

Sources: Capital IQ, a division of Standard & Poor's, and Motley Fool CAPS. TTM = trailing 12 months.

Over on CAPS, fully 417 of 451 of the All-Star members who have rated US Bancorp -- some 92% -- believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These All-Star bulls include chk999 and Alzo10, both of whom are ranked in the top 2% of our community.

One week ago, chk999 wrote that US Bancorp is "going to survive, and when they do, this will outperform. [Warren Buffett] would not have substantial holdings in this if he thought they were going [bankrupt]."

An earlier pitch from Alzo10 in late July shares that contrarian attitude, elaborating on the opportunities that the stock has ahead:

The financials, and more specifically, the depositories, will lead the next bull run. Once the writedowns and huge reserving ends, these companies should see rocketing EPS. I think this will happen in the next 6-9 months.

Additionally, those banks that both have and have access to capital, can put it to work in a good environment right now. The yield curve is no longer inverted and credit spreads are at historic highs,. This translates into earnings for those banks that are putting money to work. Add to that the potential of buying assets (and whole banks) for pennies on the dollar, and this could be the ideal setup for a strong depository for a nice 4-6 year run.

What do you think about US Bancorp, or any other stock for that matter? Make your voice heard on Motley Fool CAPS today. More than 115,000 investors are waiting to hear what you have to say. CAPS is 100% free, so simply click here to get started.