Based on the aggregated intelligence of 165,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, timberland operator Plum Creek Timber (NYSE: PCL) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

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

Plum Creek facts

Headquarters (Founded)

Seattle (1989)

Market Cap

$5.9 billion

Industry

REIT

Trailing-12-Month Revenue

$1.1 billion

Management

CEO Rick Holley (since 1999)

CFO David Lambert (since 2006)

Return on Equity (Average, Past 3 Years)

15.1%

Cash/Debt

$250 million / $2.7 billion

Dividend Yield

4.6%

Competitors

Weyerhaeuser (NYSE: WY)

Rayonier (NYSE: RYN)

Sources: Capital IQ, a division of Standard & Poor's, and Motley Fool CAPS.

On CAPS, 94% of the 706 members who have rated Plum Creek believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include tbapicks and taylor4u.

A few months ago, tbapicks tapped Plum Creek as an ideal income opportunity: "This would be a safe Roth IRA play. Its price has held in a tight range for 5+ years, paying close to 5% div the whole time. Purely a cash generator, safe play, with some upside expected on lumber in the short term."

As the largest publicly held timber REIT, Plum Creek continues to be one of our community's favorite ways to pounce on the depressed home construction market. While Plum Creek's timberlands tend to be less productive than those of main rivals Weyerhauser and Rayonier, many Fools are attracted to the stock for its sheer geographic scale. With more than 7 million acres of land spread across 19 states, Plum Creek offers investors a far more diversified and stable portfolio than the average timberland operator can.

CAPS member taylor4u elaborates:

Plum Creek has a stable core business in owning timberland because the trees will continue to grow regardless of the economic climate. [Plum Creek] can also benefit from a recovering housing market with its wood products. Additionally, it can benefit in the popularity of renewable energy because it produces wood pellets and also leases land for wind farms. Even if they decide to do nothing with their timberland the trees will grow making them worth even more, which is great position to be in.

What do you think about Plum Creek, or any other stock for that matter? If you want to retire rich, you need to put together the best portfolio you can. Owning exceptional stocks is a surefire way to secure your financial future, and on Motley Fool CAPS, thousands of investors are working every day to find them. CAPS is 100% free, so get started!