Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, retail behemoth Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE: WMT) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

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

Wal-Mart facts

 

 

Headquarters (founded)

Bentonville, Ark. (1945)

Market Cap

$231.0 billion

Industry

Hypermarkets and super centers

Trailing-12-Month Revenue

$464.4 billion

Management

CEO Michael Duke (since 2009)

CFO Charles Holley (since 2010)

Return on Equity (average, past 3 years)

23%

Cash/Debt

$8.6 billion / $57.5 billion

Dividend Yield

2.2%

Competitors

Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN)

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST)

Target (NYSE: TGT)

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

On CAPS, 89% of the 7,031 members who have rated Wal-Mart believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward.

Just yesterday, one of those Fools, Becker2011, tapped Wal-Mart as a particularly timely bargain opportunity:

Taking a beating for a weaker than expected [fourth-quarter outlook]. A good time to get in to a company that people will about always shop at because let's face it -- they do a good job a keeping prices/or at least appearing to keep prices lower than competitors

If you want market-thumping returns, you need to put together the best portfolio you can. Of course, despite a strong four-star rating, Wal-Mart may not be your top choice.

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Want to see how well (or not so well) the stocks in this series are performing? Follow the TrackPoisedTo CAPS account.