5-Star Stocks Poised to Pop: 3M

Based on the aggregated intelligence of 120,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, Scotch Tape and Post-It Notes maker 3M (NYSE: MMM  ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking. Our data has shown that five-star stocks outperform the market by a significant margin; conversely, one-star stocks have woefully lagged the market average.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at 3M's business and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.

3M facts

Headquarters (Founded)	St. Paul, Minnesota (1902)
Market Cap	$39.49 billion
Industry	Industrial Conglomerates
TTM Revenue	$25.59 billion
Management	CEO George Buckley (since 2005) CFO Patrick Campbell (since 2002)
Return on Equity (average last three years)	34.8%
Competitors	Avery Dennison (NYSE: AVY  ) , Dover (NYSE: DOV  )
CAPS members bullish on MMM also bullish on	General Electric (NYSE: GE  ) , Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG  )
CAPS members bearish on MMM also bearish on	Citigroup (NYSE: C  ) , Ford Motor (NYSE: F  )

Sources: Capital IQ, a division of Standard & Poor's, and Motley Fool CAPS. TTM = trailing 12 months.

Over on CAPS, fully 932 of the 951 All-Star members who have rated 3M -- some 98% -- believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These Foolish bulls include TMFHelical and aracer, both of whom are ranked in the top 5% of our community.

Last week, TMFHelical noted that 3M "is trading at a discount to its past on most all metrics. Great entry for this company, and something of a dividend play at this level."

A pitch from aracer just a few days earlier shares that bullish sentiment, highlighting several of 3M's recession-fighting franchises:

With brands like Scotchtape, Thinsulate and Scientific Anglers fishing gear, as well as a myriad of proprietary technologies with good IP in diverse fields like pharmaceuticals, electronics and optics, 3M is chock full of great brands and deep moats. Good company, good yield, good safe harbor, trading at 52 wk low. Good golly!

What do you think about 3M, or any other stock for that matter? Make your voice heard on Motley Fool CAPS today. More than 120,000 investors are waiting to hear what you have to say. CAPS is 100% free, so simply click here to get started.