Based on the aggregated intelligence of 115,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, biotech giant Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) 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 Amgen's business, and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.

Amgen facts

Headquarters (Founded)

Thousand Oaks, Calif. (1980)

Market Cap

$66.50 billion

Industry

Biotechnology

TTM Revenue

$14.73 billion

Management

CEO Kevin Sharer (since 2000)

CFO Robert Bradway (since 2007)

Return on Equity (average last three years)

19.2%

Major Competitors

Merck (NYSE:MRK),

Genentech (NYSE:DNA)

CAPS members bullish on AMGN also bullish on

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ),

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO)

CAPS members bearish on AMGN also bearish on

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE),

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC)

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

Over on CAPS, fully 502 of the 531 All-Star members who have rated Amgen -- some 94% -- believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These All-Star bulls include DemonDoug and sleepyseth, both of whom are ranked in the top 1% of our community.

In December 2007, DemonDoug noted that Amgen "is a solid company with a good portfolio of drugs and a history of good science and innovation. I like Amgen as a company though, as I understand it the work environment is very supportive and is a great company to work for ... "

An earlier pitch from sleepyseth in late 2006 agrees with that sentiment, describing Amgen's basic bull case:

This is without a doubt the strongest biotech player. I beleive that they have been profitable longer than any other biotech ever and they offer as much of a saftey net as many of the well established pharmaceutical companies. The pipeline looks great, which is really the most important factor for valuation. Lets just hope that they can deliver on our high expectations.

What do you think about Amgen, 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.