Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, home improvement retailer Home Depot (NYSE: HD) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

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

Home Depot facts

Headquarters (founded) Atlanta (1978)
Market Cap $80.1 billion
Industry Home improvement retail
Trailing-12-Month Revenue $71.4 billion
Management Chairman/CEO Francis Blake (since 2007)
CFO Carol Tome (since 2001)
Return on Equity (average, past 3 years) 18.7%
Cash/Debt $3.2 billion / $10.8 billion
Dividend Yield 2.2%
Competitors Lowe's
Menards
True Value

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

On CAPS, 78% of the 4,281 members who have rated Home Depot believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward.

A couple of months ago, one of those bulls, SharpNJ104, touched on the improving trends working in Home Depot's favor:

[H]omeowners are moving forward with home improvement projects this year after holding back the last few [years]. And once the housing market really recovers, Home Depot will take advantage big time. People who buy the foreclosed homes will want to renovate/fix them up and homeowners will still want to change the paint color, add color to the flower beds, or plant the garden to save money at the grocery store with the rising food prices.

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