Based on the aggregated intelligence of 130,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, medical-device giant Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

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

Medtronic facts

Headquarters (founded)

Minneapolis (1949)

Market Cap

$32.99 billion

Industry

Health-Care Equipment

TTM Revenue

$14.63 billion

Management

CEO William Hawkins III (since 2007)

CFO Gary Ellis (since 2005)

Return on Equity (average, last three years)

22.7%

Dividend Yield

2.5%

Competitors

Abbott Labs (NYSE:ABT)

Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX)

CAPS members bullish on MDT also bullish on

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL)

CAPS members bearish on MDT also bearish on

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Google (NASDAQ:GOOG)

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

Over on CAPS, some 93% of the 1,028 members who have rated Medtronic believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include fellow Fool Matt Koppenheffer (TMFKopp) and All-Star OpesPerPrudentia, who is ranked in the top 3% of our community.

Last month, Matt tapped the stock as a possible portfolio-healing device: "There are a lot of reasons to be bullish here. Good position in its markets, should have a growing market, and the stock should be relatively defensive during the recession."

In a pitch from January, OpesPerPrudentia expands on the booming trend working in Medtronic's favor:

The healthcare industry in the United States has nothing but growth ahead of it as increasing numbers of Boomers require healthcare and medical electronics that hospitals and standard in-office practices simply will not be able to keep up with. Any company with this kind of cash flow that aims to put medical tech in the hands of homecare outfits and even patients will explode with every passing year.

What do you think about Medtronic, 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.