Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, industrial behemoth General Electric (NYSE: GE) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

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

GE facts

Headquarters (founded) Fairfield, Conn. (1892)
Market Cap $201.3 billion
Industry Industrial conglomerates
Trailing-12-Month Revenue $140.5 billion
Management Chairman/CEO Jeffrey Immelt
Vice Chairman/CFO Keith Sherin
Return on Equity (average, past 3 years) 10.7%
Cash/Debt $83.7 billion / $442.8 billion
Dividend Yield 3.6%
Competitors Honeywell International
Siemens
United Technologies

Sources: S&P Capital IQ and Motley Fool CAPS.

On CAPS, 94% of the 16,481 members who have rated GE believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward.  

Just last month, fellow Fool Isaac Pino (TMFBoomer) succinctly summed up the bull case for our community:

Competitive advantages in a lot of energy-related fields, including clean energy patents, turbine technology, smart grid advancements. Management's finally decided to focus on the areas that drive greater synergies and higher margins. The GE Capital issues have been resolved and I think the stock is attractive at the current valuation. Outperform hinges on the growth rates in foreign emerging markets, however.

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. Of course, despite a strong four-star rating, GE may not be your top choice.

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