Based on the aggregated intelligence of 150,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, gold and copper miner Northgate Minerals (NYSE: NXG) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

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

Northgate facts

Headquarters (Founded)

Vancouver, Canada (1919)

Market Cap

$750.0 million

Industry

Gold

Trailing-12-Month Revenue

$511.0 million

Management

CEO Kenneth Stowe (since 1999)
CFO Jon Douglas (since 2001)

Return on Equity (Average, Past 3 Years)

6.5%

Compound Annual Revenue and Net Income Growth (Over Past 5 Years)

23.9% and 11%

Cash/Debt

$235.9 million / $50.8 million

Competitors

Yamana Gold (NYSE: AUY)
Kinross Gold (NYSE: KGC)
Hecla Mining (NYSE: HL)

Other Highly Rated Mining Stocks

Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE: FCX)
Vale (NYSE: VALE)

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

On CAPS, 96% of the 1,494 members who have rated Northgate believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include DarthMaul09 and bottomtroll.

Late last month, DarthMaul09 tapped the stock as a golden long-term opportunity: "Putting out a net for mid size miners with the potential for [Teck Resources (NYSE: TCK)] type return. With a long enough time horizon this bet appears safe."

In a pitch from two weeks ago, bottomtroll expands on Northgate as a great way to get back to basics:

A junior gold, sure, but one with potential to survive a tough 1st half of 2010. Commodities will be back, and stronger, or we all may as well say farewell. If we EVER get out of this financial joke of a world system, [Northgate] will be there.
I'm really starting to not care about stocks at all, favoring hands-on metals, guns and food ... and tools!

What do you think about Northgate, 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!