Based on the aggregated intelligence of 115,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, agricultural-products company Monsanto (NYSE:MON) has earned a respected four-star ranking. Although 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 Monsanto's business and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.

Monsanto facts

Headquarters (Founded)

St. Louis, Mo. (2000)

Market Cap

$64.3 Billion

Industry

Agricultural Chemicals

Trailing-12-Month Revenue

$11.0 Billion

Management

CEO Hugh Grant (since 2003)
CFO Terrell Crews (since 2000)

Return on Equity (Average, Past Three Years)

15.7%

Competitors

Syngenta (NYSE:SYT)
DuPont (NYSE:DD)

CAPS Members Bullish on MON Also Bullish on:

PotashCorp (NYSE:POT)
Mosaic (NYSE:MOS)

CAPS Members Bearish on MON Also Bearish on:

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR)
Research In Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM)

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

Over on CAPS, 537 of the 570 All-Star members who have rated Monsanto -- some 94% -- believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These Foolish bulls include FRINEDOFFOXY and mammothmoney, both of whom are ranked in the top 20% of our community.

In late June, FRINEDOFFOXY wrote: "Worldwide growth in food needs, especially grains, will continue to demand seed grains which maximize production. MON is dominant in this area."

A pitch two weeks earlier by mammothmoney agrees with that bullish line of thinking, highlighting several of the stock's long-term tailwinds: "Short supply of food worldwide (e.g. using corn for ethanol), the abnormally severe weather worldwide (China, US, Burma), and mismanagement by governments has led to a shortage in grains and corn. Monsanto should see higher growth as countries are scrambling to devote more resources to increasing the dearth in food supplies."

What do you think about Monsanto, or any other stock for that matter? Make your voice heard on Motley Fool CAPS today. More than 115,000 investors are waiting to hear what you have to say. CAPS is 100% free, so get started today!