Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, architecture software specialist Autodesk (Nasdaq: ADSK) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

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

Autodesk facts

Headquarters (Founded) San Rafael, Calif. (1982)
Market Cap $7.89 billion
Industry Application software
Trailing-12-Month Revenue $2.15 billion
Management CEO Carl Bass (since May 2006)
CFO Mark Hawkins (since April 2009)
Return on Equity (average, past 3 years) 7.6%
Cash/Debt $1.34 billion / $0
Competitors Ansys (Nasdaq: ANSS)
Parametric Technology (Nasdaq: PMTC)
Sony (NYSE: SNE)

Sources: S&P Capital IQ and Motley Fool CAPS.

On CAPS, 93% of the 814 members who have rated Autodesk believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include hiransaroj and NHWeston.

Just last month, hiransaroj tapped the stock as a solid opportunity: "[AutoDesk] has wide moat with enduring customer stickiness. ... Architects and engineers will perpetually use AutoCAD and BIM as standard applications for the construction industry."

Autodesk even boasts $1.34 billion in cash on its balance sheet with zero debt. Meanwhile, rivals Ansys, Parametric, and Sony sport debt-to-equity ratios of 8%, 24%, and 36%, respectively.

CAPS member NHWeston elaborates on the Autodesk bull case:

If it does as well in [cloud computing] as it has in its more traditional areas, it's going to make some good money. What also may happen is that Autodesk will make itself more attractive as a merger or buyout candidate for some larger player interested in a fast ramp-up. Either way, they're gonna make money. I'd buy now.

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