Based on the aggregated intelligence of 165,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, surgical-robot specialist Intuitive Surgical (Nasdaq: ISRG) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

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

Intuitive facts

Headquarters (Founded)

Sunnyvale, Calif. (1995)

Market Cap

$13.2 billion

Industry

Health-care equipment

Trailing-12-Month Revenue

$1.28 billion

Management

CEO Dr. Gary Guthart (since January 2010)

CFO Marshall Mohr (since March 2006)

Return on Equity (Average, Past 3 Years)

19.2%

Compound Annual Revenue and Net Income Growth (Over Past 3 Years)

40.5% and 49.1%

Cash/Debt

$968 million / $0

Competitors

Hitachi

Toshiba

Sources: Capital IQ (a division of Standard & Poor's) and Motley Fool CAPS.

On CAPS, 94% of the 3,837 members who have rated Intuitive believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include Chubberdog and SpiffGriff.

Just a few months ago, Chubberdog tapped Intuitive as a rather sharp selection: "As the recession ends, hospitals will be able to buy more robotic surgery equipment. Plus there is no real competition and the da Vinci is being using for more types of procedures."

In fact, Intuitive continued along its torrid growth path in the recent quarter, posting a 43% jump in earnings on strong demand for its minimally invasive surgical platform, da Vinci. But while many Fools in our community agree that da Vinci system doesn't have any direct competition, Intuitive's stock seems to be priced as if it doesn't have direct competition! On a P/E basis, Intuitive's shares are roughly three times the price of established medical device peers Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) and St. Jude (NYSE: STJ).

Nevertheless, CAPS members like SpiffGriff think Intuitive's heady growth of late might be sustainable enough to pay up for:

The only thing I will say is this: for 5 quarters they have grown their revenue/eps by significant levels. This last quarter they posted a 34% yoy growth in revenue! Now I don't expect this to go on forever, but their entry into the Japanese market was announced 6 months ago ... and I think that by the time their current sales markets' demand lessens their Japanese sales will be on the rise.

It is also important to remember that this company makes a substantial revenue from the sale of attachments. ... Even in a climate of low demand for new machines they have the ability to still operate in the black!

What do you think about Intuitive, or any other stock for that matter? 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, and on Motley Fool CAPS, thousands of investors are working every day to find them. CAPS is 100% free, so get started!