Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, telecom giant Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

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

Verizon facts

Headquarters (founded) New York (1983)
Market Cap $117.7 billion
Industry Integrated telecommunication services
Trailing-12-Month Revenue $112.1 billion
Management Chairman/CEO Lowell McAdam
CFO Francis Shammo
Return on Equity (average, past 3 years) 12.7%
Cash/Debt $6.5 billion / $51.6 billion
Dividend Yield 4.8%
Competitors AT&T
Sprint Nextel
T-Mobile USA

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

On CAPS, 94% of the 4,876 members who have rated Verizon believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward.  

Just last month, one of those Fools, tichtalk, highlighted several of the company's positives:

Verizon is a clear industry leader, with strong recurring cash flow and healthy margins. The firm's financial health has improved significantly as it has used asset sales, spin-offs and cash flow to sharply reduce debt in recent years. ... Verizon's current valuation, high dividend yield, and potential for modest capital gain over the near term support this [bullish view]. ... Additionally Verizon's average annual dividend yield over 5 years has been 5.3%, further making the case for holding.

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