Based on the aggregated intelligence of 165,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, European oil and gas giant Total (NYSE: TOT) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

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

Total facts

Headquarters (Founded)

Courbevoie, France (1924)

Market Cap

$101.6 billion

Industry

Integrated oil and gas

Trailing-12-Month Revenue

$150.6 billion

Management

CEO Christophe de Margerie (since 2007)

CFO Patrick de la Chevardire (since 2008)

Return on Equity (Average, Past 3 Years)

22%

Dividend Yield

5.2%

Competitors

BP (NYSE: BP)

ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM)

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

On CAPS, 99% of the 959 members who have rated Total believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include MFddunaier and All-Star mrindependent, who is ranked in the top 1% of our community.

Just last week, MFddunaier touched on Total's tempting total return potential: "Smart [management], excellent positioning for long term growth. Love dividends then you love [Total's], 5%+ [yield]."

With the recent slide in oil prices, many in our community think now is a perfect time to jump into high-yielding oil giants not named BP. Total, in particular, offers Fools a potent choice for its high exposure to younger, larger-reserve areas like Africa and the Middle East. These are politically challenging regions that have historically been difficult for rivals like Exxon and Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS-A) (NYSE: RDS-B) to tap.

Two months ago, mrindependent elaborated on the bargain opportunity in Total:

Total has been beaten down in recent months based on poor current trends for crude oil prices and on a recent earnings miss. Long term, not much has changed for this petroleum goliath. I expect that returns on equity will continue to average 21% as they have for the past 10 years. This company has been a consistent performer for the past decade and the company has a clean, cash rich balance sheet. Currently trading at 1.4 times book value, 0.68 times sales and 7 times expected 2010 eps.

What do you think about Total, 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!