Based on the aggregated intelligence of 165,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, heavy-equipment maker Manitowoc (NYSE: MTW) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

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

Manitowoc facts

Headquarters (Founded)

Manitowoc, Wis. (1853)

Market Cap

$1.23 billion

Industry

Construction and farm machinery and heavy trucks

Trailing-12-Month Revenue

$3.5 billion

Management

CEO Glen Tellock (since 2007)

CFO Carl Laurino (since 2004)

Return on Equity (Average, Past 3 Years)

(12.3%)

Cash/Debt

$101.8 million / $2.3 billion

Competitors

Terex (NYSE: TEX)

Middleby (Nasdaq: MIDD)

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

On CAPS, 97.5% of the 1,800 members who have rated Manitowoc believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include kpdobe and All-Star rofgile, who is ranked in the top 10% of our community.

Three months ago, kpdobe wrote that Manitowoc "is still trying to repay debt, but nevertheless, good company, will take time to get back to where they were years ago." Our CAPS member concludes: "Strong management. Getting into the food service business cost them a pretty penny, but I have no doubt they will be successful at it."

For the uninitiated, Manitowoc managed to outbid Middleby for the London-based foodservice equipment leader, Enodis, back in 2008. In doing so, however, Manitowoc stressed itself out financially, adding about $2.5 billion in debt to pay for the purchase. In a weak market, heavily indebted stocks usually fall the furthest, and that's exactly the case with Manitowoc recently: over the past three months, its shares are trailing main rivals Terex (in the crane business) and Middleby (in foodservice) by 10% and 30%, respectively.

Of course, for All-Stars like rofgile, that only provides Fools the opportunity to buy a steadily improving company at an attractive price:

This is a company that is diversified in two segments now: Cranes and Food Service equipment. While they are a smaller player than [Caterpillar] or Terex in the construction business, they have a nice focus on the large cranes (more useful for building bridges, lifting wind turbines, and raising tall buildings than building a house). The ownership of several different important food service companies means that they are well diversified in this terrain. ...

As a shareholder, you can basically watch your equity grow in this investment, because each quarter the cash flow grows with economic recovery and the debt/assets continues to fall. Right now it is a good holding (my target price is $30/share by 2011-2012). If crane sales recovery in the nearer term than expected, this company will be a fantastic holding.

What do you think about Manitowoc, or any other stock for that matter? If you want to retire rich, you need to put together the best portfolio you can. Owning exceptional stocks is a surefire way to secure your financial future, and on Motley Fool CAPS, thousands of investors are working every day to find them. CAPS is 100% free, so get started!