Based on the aggregated intelligence of 165,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, fast-food giant McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

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

McDonald's facts

Headquarters (Founded)

Oak Brook, Ill. (1948)

Market Cap

$78.45 billion

Industry

Restaurants

Trailing-12-Month Revenue

$23.6 billion

Management

CEO James Skinner (since 2004)

CFO Peter Bensen (since 2008)

Return on Capital (Average, Past 3 Years)

16.3%

Cash/Debt

$2 billion / $10.5 billion

Dividend Yield

3.10%

Competitors

Burger King Holdings (NYSE: BKC)

Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM)

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

On CAPS, 95% of the 4,768 members who have rated McDonald's believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include truthisntstupid and clif9710.

Just last month, truthisntstupid tapped McDonald's as a tasty income opportunity:

Anyone have any doubts about McDonald's continuing ability to sustain and continue to raise its dividend for many years to come? If you believe in long-term dividend growth investing, why would you not have what is surely one of the safest dividends to be found as one of your CAPS picks. This one's a no-brainer.

Fueling those healthy cash flows, of course, is the company's massive scale advantages, powerful brand, and global growth opportunities. Even in this tough environment, the company's international mass appeal has continued drive market share gains at the expense of rivals like Yum and Burger King. Just yesterday, for example, McDonald's posted a 7% increase in same-store sales for July, driven by demand for its new Real Fruit Smoothies and Frappes, and strong growth in Asia.

It's no wonder then, that CAPS members like clif9710 see McDonald's as an ideal way to recession-proof your portfolio:

People have to eat and cheaply. [McDonald's] is always quick to innovate and respond to customer tastes, quite an accomplishment for a company this huge. It is also spread across the world and tailors the menu to the target population. I don't see how it can fail to prosper in a turbulent and uncertain time.

What do you think about McDonald's, 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!