Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, global mining giant Rio Tinto (NYSE: RIO) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

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

Rio Tinto facts

Headquarters (Founded) London (1873)
Market Cap $120.1 billion
Industry Diversified metals and mining
Trailing-12-Month Revenue $61.1 billion
Management CEO Tom Albanese (since 2007)
CFO Guy Elliott (since 2002)
Return on Equity (Average, Past 3 Years) 20%
Cash/Debt $7.8 billion / $18.2 billion
Dividend Yield 1.7%
Competitors Anglo American
BHP Billiton
Vale

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

On CAPS, 97% of the 1,651 members who have rated Rio Tinto believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward.

Late last year, one of those Fools, poppycock2, highlighted Rio Tinto as a particularly timely bargain opportunity:

Once the Euro situation improves and the global economy gets back on track, [Rio Tinto] will soar to new all time highs and the prices for the metals they mine will correspondingly increase. Unfortunately, this great company is being dragged down by macro factors out of their control.

Of course, despite its four-star rating, Rio Tinto may not be your top choice. If that's the case, we've compiled a special free report for investors called "The Tiny Gold Stock Digging Up Massive Profits," which uncovers a much smaller miner with big potential. The report is 100% free, but it won't be around forever, so click here to access it now.

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