Don't Miss These All-Star Stock Picks

Results talk and, well, everything else walks, right?

While this may not necessarily be the case with government work, it's the way the world works pretty much everywhere else. And it's especially true when it comes to investing. After all, who do you want to listen to, the guy who was sure that Citigroup and Lehman Brothers were the best bets for 2008, or someone who pounded the table on Genworth Financial and Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) in early March of last year?

In the Motley Fool's CAPS community, performance does matter, and every member of the community is given a rating based on both the accuracy and overall performance of their picks. Those members who float to the top 80% of the 145,000-member community are considered All-Stars, and their performance-backed opinions carry more weight than lower-rated members'.

So how can we benefit from the prowess of these All-Star stock pickers? How about taking a look at what stocks they're adding to their CAPS portfolios right now? Here's a look at five stocks that All-Star members have given a thumbs-up over the past 24 hours.

Source: CAPS.

Even though these picks come from top community members, it doesn't mean they're all going to work out. However, getting a vote of confidence from these savvy stock pickers does mean that these stocks could be a great place to kick off further research. I'll even get you started with some thoughts on CaChinggggg's pick, MGM Mirage.

The stock picker
CaChinggggg has been a member of the CAPS community since September 2008, kicking off with an outperform pick on floor-covering specialist Mohawk Industries. Though that pick didn't work out so well, this member has since racked up more than 1,000 points and notched a stock-picking accuracy of 63%.

CaChinggggg has also managed to hit some serious homeruns in CAPS. Here are a few:

Source: CAPS.

The stock
Let's face it, MGM's massive CityCenter project didn't turn out the way the company originally envisioned. Back in 2006, the company expected that the project would cost around $7 billion, a considerable sum, but it was being spent on one heck of an awesome project.

No doubt MGM also expected that the mass of condos that CityCenter planned to sell would be gobbled up in the then-frenzied Las Vegas real estate market. And of course the massive casino floor and high-end retail stores would be chock-full of eager gamblers and shoppers.

Fast-forward to today, and though the numbers being thrown around are a bit dodgy, the final cost of CityCenter was probably around $11 billion. The Las Vegas real estate market was one of the worst-hit during the bursting of the housing market, and gaming revenues up and down the Las Vegas Strip have been whacked by 10% national unemployment. And for all the money spent on the project, MGM's September SEC filing shows its 50% share in CityCenter on the books at a mere $2.4 billion.

But no matter, CityCenter is done, it's open, and -- I have to admit -- it's pretty darn cool. But will CityCenter help MGM survive the mass of debt on its books? Investors have been betting on exactly that since the stock imploded last year, and they've been handsomely rewarded so far -- to the tune of 500% for those who got in right at the bottom.

Is there still room to run? If the right cards come up for MGM there just may be. Today, the company is valued at just a bit more than its stated book value in September, but historically, the stock has traded between two and four times book value.

CAPS members as a whole haven't been too positive on MGM's stock; it's rated two stars out of five. But CaChinggggg isn't the only CAPS All-Star who thinks MGM is a good bet. Back in November, fellow All-Star phauenstein rated the stock an outperformer and had this to say:

I think the Las Vegas/Casino based stocks are some of the best bets. [Wynn (NASDAQ:WYNN)], MGM, and LVS aren't going anywhere. Considering the DOW is back near 10,000, halfway back to its high, I can only imagine that as the rest of the country slowly recovers, you will see stocks like LVS which was once selling down near $2 a share back to $100 . The desire, want, need to gamble will not go away. The minute spare funds are available, casinos will be back to their prime.

Now it's your turn
Do you think MGM has what it takes to leave the rest of the market in the dust? Head over to CAPS and let your voice be heard!