Based on the aggregated intelligence of 170,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, independent oil refiner Western Refining (NYSE: WNR) earned a respected four-star ranking.

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

Western Refining facts

Headquarters

El Paso, Texas

Market Cap

$827.4 million

Industry

Oil and gas refining and marketing

Trailing-12-Month Revenue

$8.06 billion

Management

CEO Jeff Stevens (since January 2010)

CFO Gary Dalke (since August 2005)

Return on Equity (Average, Past 3 Years)

(13.7%)

Cash/Debt

$77.5 million / $1.09 billion

Competitors

Valero Energy (NYSE: VLO)

Tesoro (NYSE: TSO)

Frontier Oil (NYSE: FTO)

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

On CAPS, 96% of the 1,164 members who have rated Western Refining believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include Ticker007 and All-Star DarthMaul09, who is ranked in the top 2% of our community.

Just last month, Ticker007 noted that Western Refining "is in the early stages of a strategic restructuring that will significantly deleverage its balance sheet, remove restrictive debt covenants, refocus its portfolio to more attractive markets, and unlock shareholder value." Our CAPS member concludes: "It can only get better from here."

While Western Refining now sports a higher forward P/E (15.9) than refining foes Valero (9.7), Tesoro (12.1), and Frontier (12.7), many Fools believe the premium is justified. When you combine Western Refining's room for balance sheet and return on capital improvement (as it refocuses on more attractive markets) with the refining margin-improving tailwind that even integrated gorillas like ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) and Chevron (NYSE: CVX) are benefitting from, the stock seems to have plenty of upside left. 

CAPS All-Star DarthMaul09 elaborates:

This company has been left for dead for so long that making a small profit has triggered a rally from below $5 to greater than $8 in just two months. Profit taking may seem warranted, although the management decisions that led to this turn around may continue to drive the stock price higher as its debt become less of an issue and improved profits create the hope for a renewed dividend. A $20 dollar stock with a $0.06/share dividend would be a return to the 2008 level, before the crash.

What do you think about Western Refining, 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!