5-Star Stocks Poised to Pop: Total

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Based on the aggregated intelligence of 120,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, European oil and gas giant Total (NYSE: TOT) has earned a coveted five-star ranking. Our data has shown that five-star stocks outperform the market by a significant margin; conversely, one-star stocks have woefully lagged the market average.

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

Total facts

Headquarters (founded)	Courbevoie, France (1924)
Market Cap	$118.2 billion
Industry	Integrated Oil and Gas
TTM Revenue	€164.3 billion (approximately $213.6 billion)
Management	CEO Christophe de Margerie (since February 2007) CFO Patrick de la Chevardire (since June 2008)
Dividend Yield	5.1%
Competitors	Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM), Marathon Oil (NYSE: MRO)
CAPS members bullish on TOT also bullish on	ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP), Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL)
CAPS members bearish on TOT also bearish on	BP (NYSE: BP), Chevron (NYSE: CVX)

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

Over on CAPS, fully 564 of the 584 members who have rated Total -- some 96% -- believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These Foolish bulls include Scriabine and CAPS All-Star MysterInsidious.

Two weeks ago, Scriabine noted Total's total investment package: "Huge oil reserves, good dividend, low valuation. More neutral than american oil companies is an advantage to operate in third world countries."

In a more recent pitch late last week, MysterInsidious shares that bullish sentiment, taking a more top-down approach toward Total:

Oil, gas, and most commodities in general have been sold off hard due to recession fears, hedge fund redemptions, margin calls, and unwinding of the yen carry trade. Despite the US government printing money to help save the US economy, the dollar's value has increased significantly against most world currencies with the exception of the yen. I believe the unwinding of the carry trade has helped to push prices of commodities and anything related to commodities too far. Once these negative pressures are exhausted, I believe the US dollar will go back to declining in value, especially when China, Japan, the Middle East, and other countries reduce or stop purchasing treasury bonds to focus more on their own economic problems. When this happens, I expect all commodities to significantly increase in value.

What do you think about Total, or any other stock for that matter? Make your voice heard on Motley Fool CAPS today. More than 120,000 investors are waiting to hear what you have to say. CAPS is 100% free, so simply click here to get started.