Based on the aggregated intelligence of 130,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

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

AstraZeneca facts

Headquarters (founded)

London, U.K. (1992)

Market Cap

$57.20 billion

Industry

Pharmaceuticals

Trailing-12-Month Revenue

$31.63 billion

Management

CEO David Brennan (since 2006)

CFO Simon Lowth (since 2007)

Return on Equity (average, last three years)

42.8%

Dividend Yield

5.4%

Competitors

Merck (NYSE:MRK)

Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY)

CAPS members bullish on AZN also bullish on

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

General Electric (NYSE:GE)

CAPS members bearish on AZN also bearish on

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE)

D.R. Horton (NYSE:DHI)

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

Over on CAPS, fully 411 of the 437 members who have rated AstraZeneca -- some 94% -- believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include mtinvest and All-Star Gtrinvestor, who is ranked in the top 0.1% of our community.

In a pitch from last month, Gtrinvestor also taps AstraZeneca as a good way to play defense:

Drug co, so a nice defensive stock (P/E is only 8).... I think the run-up recently was nice in the broader market, but stocks will go back down in the near future (I'm guessing about a 10% - 15% drop from current levels). In the meantime, [AstraZeneca] should hold steady (or go up as a defensive play). In the meanwhile you can collect on the dividend which is actually funded from operating cash (not borrowings like a lot of other companies recently). 3 thumbs up out of 3.

Two weeks ago, mtinvest responded to Gtrinvestor and expressed puzzlement over the stock's cheapish price:

Is there something wrong with the pipeline at [AstraZeneca]? Why don't people appreciate the steady growth in shareholder equity and the gigantic free cash flow? OK, so [AstraZeneca] over paid for MedImmune, but that's in the past. The fundamentals still look strong.

What do you think about AstraZeneca, or any other stock for that matter? Make your voice heard on Motley Fool CAPS today. More than 130,000 investors are waiting to hear what you have to say. CAPS is 100% free, so simply click here to get started.