Based on the aggregated intelligence of 145,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, independent oil refiner Western Refining (NYSE:WNR) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

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

Western Refining facts

Headquarters

El Paso, Texas

Market Cap

$424.2 million

Industry

Oil and gas refining and marketing

Trailing-12-Month Revenue

$6.5 billion

Management

CEO Paul Foster (since 2000)
CFO Gary Dalke (since 2005)

Return on Capital (Average, Past 3 Years)

11.1%

Cash/Debt

$65 million / $1.1 billion

Competitors

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO)
ConocoPhillips  (NYSE:COP)
Suncor Energy (NYSE:SU)

CAPS Members Bullish on WNR Also Bullish on

Vale (NYSE:VALE)
General Electric (NYSE:GE)

CAPS Members Bearish on WNR Also Bearish on

Tesoro (NYSE:TSO)

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

On CAPS, 95% of the 1,015 members who have rated Western Refining believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include FreeMortal and All-Star jamespeer, who is ranked in the top 5% of our community.

Last week, FreeMortal offered Fools a rather refined look at Western Refining:

Stellar upside. Still risky. Insider buys. Priced at half [book value]. Fundamentals don't seem that bad --not that they are great. The business appears to have a working engine in need of an alternator. Downside would be liquidation but since price is at half book already, there's still a chance to recover all your investment or more.

In a pitch from just yesterday, jamespeer also helped weigh the stock's pros and cons:

I expect this company to outperform as this global economic recovery begins to pick up. … This is a highly rated stock with an attractively low P/E but there are a few things in their financials which do cause me some concern e.g. their low profit margins, low cash on hand, and negative cash flow.

However, I do expect this company to return to profitability by Q1 2010 at the latest, and at this price, considering the revenues they generate, I think this is a safe bet to outperform the S&P over the next year or more.

What do you think about Western Refining, or any other stock for that matter? Make your voice heard on Motley Fool CAPS today. The CAPS community is waiting to hear your opinions. CAPS is 100% free, so get started!