Based on the aggregated intelligence of 160,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, global mining giant Rio Tinto (NYSE: RTP) 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, U.K. (1873)

Market Cap

$113.2 billion

Industry

Diversified metals and mining

Trailing-12-Month Revenue

$41.8 billion

Management

CEO Tom Albanese (since 2007)
CFO Guy Elliott (since 2002)

Return on Equity (Average, Past 3 Years)

23.4%

Cash/Debt

$4.9 billion / $23.0 billion

Competitors

Alcoa (NYSE: AA)
BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP)
Vale (NYSE: VALE)

Other Highly Rated Mining Stocks

Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE: FCX)
Sterlite Industries (NYSE: SLT)
Taseko Mines (NYSE: TGB)

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

On CAPS, 96.5% of the 1,395 members who have rated Rio Tinto believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include GingersBread and aquajava.

Just last week, GingersBread explained what makes the stock so solid. Here's an excerpt:

[T]he Rio Tinto of today is a more stream-lined, efficient producer than its competitors and is currently reaping the benefits of good long-term decisions made in the 80s. ... Prudent capital expenditures have left the company with some of the most profitable, low-cost hard assets in the world, and this focus on quality allowed Rio Tinto to actually boost operating margins and return on invested capital during the recession.

In a pitch from last month, aquajava shared that bullish sentiment:

Rio Tinto is a world leader in mining and mineral exploration. They are the Goldman Sachs of the mining world. The company runs like a well oiled machine. ... In addition to a solid balance sheet, my trend analysis has found that this stock moves with the broader market yet consistently rebounds due to its intrinsic value. [Rio Tinto] reinvests lots of cash in plant/equipment and still throws off lots of cash. It has numerous mining deals in the pipeline to ensure future revenue growth for years to come. As the world economic market improves, so will demand, and [Rio Tinto] balance sheet will glow.

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