Based on the aggregated intelligence of 125,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, offshore drilling contractor Noble (NYSE:NE) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

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

Noble facts

Headquarters (founded)

Sugar Land, Texas (1921)

Market Cap

$6.91 billion

Industry

Oil and gas drilling

TTM Revenue

$3.45 billion

Management

President/CEO David Williams (since 2008)
CFO Thomas Mitchell (since 2006)

Return on Equity (average, last three years)

29.7%

Competitors

Transocean (NYSE:RIG)
Diamond Offshore (NYSE:DO)

CAPS members bullish on NE also bullish on:

Vale (NYSE:RIO)
Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX)

CAPS members bearish on NE also bearish on:

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX)
Dell (NASDAQ:DELL)

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

Over on CAPS, 417 of the 422 All-Star members who have rated Noble -- a whopping 99% -- believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include rdpatton and MattH42004, both of whom are ranked in the top 15% of our community.

Last month, rdpatton tapped Noble as an attractive pick for the long haul: "Oil producers look at the long term and I believe longer-term (1-2 years) oil will be over $70 barrel. So far the off-shore drillers have been able to maintain their rates and they have large contract backlogs for good earnings visibility."

In a more recent pitch from last week, MattH42004 drilled down the driller's financial position:

Noble has a lot of things going for it, including a very strong balance sheet. With over 500 million in cash and only 180 million in debt coming due over the next five years, Noble clearly has the financial ability to maneuver through the difficult times ahead. Their fleet utilization is still strong, and looking into the future, their deepwater rigs will be able to command a premium when oil prices return back to a normal range.

What do you think about Noble, 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.