Based on the aggregated intelligence of 125,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, alcoholic beverage distributor Central European Distribution (CEDC) (NASDAQ:CEDC) has earned a respected four-star ranking. While five-star stocks have been the best performers, our data has shown that four-star stocks still outshine the market by a significant margin and shouldn't be taken lightly; conversely, low-rated stocks have woefully lagged the market average.

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

CEDC facts

Headquarters (founded)

Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania (1990)

Market Cap

$992.4 million

Industry

Wineries and Distillers

TTM Revenue

$1.58 billion

Management

Chairman/CEO William Carey (since 1998)
CFO Christopher Biedermann (since 2005)

Imports

Guinness, Jagermeister, Jim Beam Bourbon, Sierra Tequila

Return on Equity (average last three years)

11.9%

Competitors

Diageo (NYSE:DEO),
Brown Forman (NYSE:BF-B)

CAPS members bullish on CEDC also bullish on

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (NYSE:FCX),
Vale (NYSE:RIO)

CAPS members bearish on CEDC also bearish on

DryShips (NYSE:DRYS),
General Electric (NYSE:GE)

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

Over on CAPS, fully 71 of the 78 All-Star members who have rated CEDC -- some 91% -- believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include tweeddad and onlygreenthumbs, both of whom are ranked in the top 2% of our community.

Last month, tweddad tapped CEDC as a nice way to buy some growth on the cheap: "Low P/B. Low P/E. Small cap value play with ample room for growth in eastern European markets. My favorite alcohol stock!"

In an earlier pitch from October, onlygreenthumbs agrees with that bullish line of logic, writing:

I love this stock and decided to start tracking it... with a global recession, booze consumption will grow in Eastern Europe.... Its sales and earnings growth rate both check in over 30% today... lets see what those numbers are a few months from now... but today, there are very few companies with a billion market cap checking in with these types of growth numbers.

What do you think about CEDC, or any other stock for that matter? Make your voice heard on Motley Fool CAPS today. More than 125,000 investors are waiting to hear what you have to say. CAPS is 100% free, so simply click here to get started.

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