Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, specialty chemical company Ashland (NYSE: ASH) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

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

Ashland facts

Headquarters (founded) Covington, Ky. (1918)
Market Cap $5.3 billion
Industry Specialty chemicals
Trailing-12-Month Revenue $7.5 billion
Management Chairman/CEO James O'Brien (since 2002)
CFO Lamar Chambers (since 2008)
Return on Equity (average, past 3 years) 3.9%
Cash/Debt $599.0 million / $3.8 billion
Dividend Yield 1.3%
Competitors Arkema
Brenntag
Momentive Specialty Chemicals

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

On CAPS, 91% of the 321 members who have rated Ashland believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward.

Just yesterday, one of those bulls, All-Star MajorBob04, briefly highlighted several of Ashland's positives: "Growing revenues, investing in future capacity to keep up with demand; profit margins are still decent, earnings just need to catch up, which they will eventually. When they do, the price will pop."

If you want market-beating returns, you need to put together the best portfolio you can. Owning exceptional stocks is a surefire way to secure your financial future. Of course, despite a strong four-star rating, Ashland may not be your top choice.

We've found another stock we are incredibly excited about -- excited enough to dub it "The Motley Fool's Top Stock for 2012." We have compiled a special free report for investors to uncover this stock today. The report is 100% free, but it won't be here forever, so click here to access it now.

Want to see how well (or not so well) the stocks in this series are performing? Follow the new TrackPoisedTo CAPS account.