Why Total Is Poised to Outperform

Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, French oil and gas giant Total (NYSE: TOT ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

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

Total facts

Headquarters (Founded)	Paris (1924)
Market Cap	$118.3 billion
Industry	Integrated oil and gas
Trailing-12-Month Revenue	$232.8 billion
Management	Chairman/CEO Christophe de Margerie CFO Patrick de la Chevardiere
Return on Equity (Average, Past 3 Years)	18.3%
Cash/Debt	$24.0 billion / $45.6 billion
Dividend Yield	4.8%
Competitors	BP (NYSE: BP ) ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM ) Royal Dutch Shell

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

On CAPS, 98% of the 1,422 members who have rated Total believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward.

Just last week, one of those Fools, All-Star Staka, succinctly summed up the Total opportunity for our community:

Positive:
-- nexpensive blue chip with good and sustainable dividend
-- Contrarian play: Europe, Energy
-- Nimble management with good acquisition strategy
-- Some new oil and natural gas discoveries lately

Negative:
-- Double top?

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