Based on the aggregated intelligence of 170,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, farm equipment maker Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

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

Deere facts

Headquarters (Founded) Moline, Ill. (1837)
Market Cap $34.5 billion
Industry Construction and farm machinery
Trailing-12-Month Revenue $26 billion
Management

CEO Samuel Allen (since 2009)

CFO James Field (since 2009)
Return on Equity (Average, Past 3 Years) 26.3%
Cash/Debt $3.35 billion / $24.35 billion
Dividend Yield 1.7%
Competitors

Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT)

CNH Global (NYSE: CNH)

Kubota (NYSE: KUB)

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

On CAPS, 95% of the 2,511 members who have rated Deere believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include jpj52 and tjones976.

A few months ago, jpj52 touched on the big tailwind working in the stock's favor: " 'Nothing runs like a Deere!' With the global food situation getting tenuous there will be money to be made by growers and some of that money will be put to use upgrading aging equipment."

As the world's leading agricultural equipment company, Deere remains one of our community's favorite plays on the growing global demand for higher-quality food. And with its shares trading at a forward P/E (12.4) discount to rivals Caterpillar (15.5), CNH (16.8), and Kubota (15.6), as well as smaller players like AGCO (NYSE: AGCO) (16.1) and Toro (NYSE: TTC) (19.4), Deere seems like an inexpensive opportunity, to boot.

CAPS member tjones976 elaborates on the bull case:

The company is providing a broad range of technological support to the agriculturalist through advances in their farm equipment. Targeting the upper end of landscaping and estate groundskeeping with their lawn and garden division. Developing computer programming to increase the value of the technology being implemented in new equipment lines.

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