A 1-in-100 Investor

The first 100 days in office set the tone for any new president. Similarly, Motley Fool CAPS keeps an eye on how well investors do in their first 100 days. Some of our best -- we call them All-Stars -- have achieved scores of 100 on stock selections in their first 100 days on CAPS. In this column, we're looking at our best members who made some of their best stock selections early on and seeing which ones they think will be best next.

One of our highest-rated CAPS members is bondo83, who sports a top 99.30 member rating. A member since October 2007, bondo83 currently has 200 active picks on CAPS out of 555 stock picks made. Achieving 72% accuracy, bondo83 has so far attracted a pair of "groupies," CAPS members who've listed this leading investor as one of their favorites.

Here are a few of this top member's most recent stock selections and how they were rated.

Source: Motley Fool CAPS.
^Price when call was made.
^^Current score is how many points a member is beating (lagging) the S&P 500 index from the time of the call.

Let's take a look at what other CAPS members are saying about a few of these stocks and whether they agree with this top player's assessment.

Degree of risk
Did Apple really miss with the execrably named iPad tablet that MADtv had such great fun with years ago? A panel of Fool tech gurus certainly thought it did, from missing features (no camera and no multitasking) to sticking with an already overburdened carrier (AT&T (NYSE:T)). And you certainly won't be carrying around this oversized iPod Touch in your shirt pocket.

As is typical with an Apple product, it carries a premium price tag. At more than $800 for the robust 3G 64-gigabyte version, it's a pretty steep price for an awkward mobile device. Yet the scaled-back Wi-Fi-only version with 16 gigs is closer to a game-changer that could see wider sales, particularly when the price drops in a few years.

CAPS member djveed seems to suggest as much when discussing how the device will still drive revenues to the company from its loyalists:

So the iPad failed to impress. But it will still cause an increase in revenue. Apple's fanatical following will certainly be owners of this product. Furthermore, this fanatical following is growing with the now even more diverse product listing. Add on to that the increased migration from PC to Mac, you've got a short-term winner. Long-term, however, way way way too much expectation is built into the price. Make your money and run away.

Whatever the rationale, 92% of the more than 22,000 CAPS members who have rated Apple believe it will outperform the broader market averages. Join them on the Apple CAPS page to pad that lead or send it back to the drawing board.

Building a solid foundation
It looks like T. Boone Pickens' switch from wind energy to natural gas might take the wind out of carbon fiber maker Zoltek. The billionaire investor halved his plan to purchase $2 billion worth of wind turbines from General Electric (NYSE:GE). While that might not directly impact Zoltek, the market forces that led Pickens to make the move -- lower natural gas prices, a lack of transmission lines, and credit markets that are still tight -- will certainly play a role in the company's carbon fiber sales.

CAPS member 1Pinkster figured late last year that something like this would happen:

Great product but like solar the world has not yet decided the earth is dead enough. Unfortunately it will catch on when it is already too late and too far gone to make a difference.

Carbon fibers are used in an array of industries, not just wind turbines, but Vestas Wind Systems accounts for more than 53% of Zoltek's sales. If it runs into the same headwinds as Pickens, that could generate more turbulence for the company. Head to the Zoltek CAPS page and let us know if this is a temporary situation that will blow over.

A 1-in-100 opportunity
Some of the best and smartest members in the CAPS investor-intelligence community have made their mark, but it pays to start your own research on these stocks on Motley Fool CAPS. Read a company's financial reports, scrutinize key data and charts, and examine the comments your fellow investors have made -- all from a stock's CAPS page.

As hockey great Wayne Gretzky once noted, "You miss 100% of the shots you never take." At Motley Fool CAPS, every investor's opinion counts. Since it's free to sign up, why not use this opportunity to take your best shot?