Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, Brazilian mining giant Vale (VALE -2.38%) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

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

Vale facts

Headquarters (Founded)

Rio de Janeiro (1942)

Market Cap

$103.1 billion

Industry

Industrial metals and minerals

Trailing-12-Month Revenue

$46.8 billion

Management

CEO Murilo Pinto De Oliveira Ferreira (since 2011)
CFO Luciano Siani Pires (since 2012)

Return on Equity (Average, Past 3 Years)

21.8%

Cash / Debt

$8.8 billion / $31.6 billion

Dividend Yield

3.1%

Competitors

BHP Billiton (BHP -2.76%)
Cliffs Natural Resources (CLF -1.88%)
Rio Tinto

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

On CAPS, 95% of the 1,440 members who have rated Vale believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward.

Just yesterday, one of those Fools, Hedonics, succinctly summed up the Vale bull case for our community:

Iron ore stocks like Vale should improve as the economies of the US and China improve. It has a low p/e and a decent balance sheet. Additionally it will pay a decent dividend as we wait for the economic fundamentals to improve.

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