Based on the aggregated intelligence of 135,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, unmanned aircraft systems maker AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

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

AeroVironment facts

Headquarters (founded)

Monrovia, Calif. (1971)

Market Cap

$583.53 million

Industry

Aerospace and Defense

Trailing-12-Month Revenue

$235.9 million

Management

CEO Timothy Conver (since 1994)

CFO Stephen Wright (since 2002)

Compound Annual Revenue Growth (over past two years)

23.9%

Competitors

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT)

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC)

CAPS Members Bullish on AVAV Also Bullish on

General Electric (NYSE:GE)

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL)

CAPS Members Bearish on AVAV Also Bearish on

Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC)

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN)

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

Over on CAPS, some 95% of the 515 members who have rated AeroVironment believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include my fellow Fool Rich Smith (TMFDitty), who is ranked in the top 2% of our community, and stk1185.

In March, Rich wrote that between "(1) the mammoth backlog; (2) what I consider entirely above-board management comments, and (3) what I firmly believe is a long-term trend of the Pentagon spending money on anything that keeps servicemen at a safe distance from ordnance, long-term, I am convinced [AeroVironment] will outperform the S&P 500."

In a pitch from last month, stk1185 gets even more defensive:

1) UAV's. The market for unmanned vehicles is only going to grow, and while AVAV doesn't produce aircraft that deliver ordnance, it does make units that I believe will play a vital role in combat support and reconnaissance in the future. Inexpensive, stealthy, unmanned, expendable.

2) Energy storage systems. Their products from this division obviously benefit their unmanned aircraft, but have many applications in other vehicles both for the private and public sectors.

3) Decent amount of cash on hand; well poised to weather further downturns.

What do you think about AeroVironment, or any other stock for that matter? Make your voice heard on Motley Fool CAPS today. More than 135,000 investors are waiting to hear what you have to say. CAPS is 100% free, so simply click here to get started.