Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, global mining giant Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (NYSE: FCX) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

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

Freeport facts

Headquarters (founded) Phoenix (1987)
Market Cap $39.4 billion
Industry Diversified metals and mining
Trailing-12-Month Revenue $18.4 billion
Management CEO Richard Adkerson (since 2003)
CFO Kathleen Quirk (since 2003)
Return on Equity (average, past 3 years) 37.8%
Cash/Debt $4.5 billion / $3.5 billion
Dividend Yield 2.9%
Competitors BHP Billiton
Newmont Mining
Southern Copper

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

On CAPS, 97% of the 5,954 members who have rated Freeport believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward.

Earlier this summer, one of those Fools, EVplusEV, succinctly summed up the bull case for our community:

Shares of [Freeport] got punished after labor unrest in Indonesia (which they appear to have settled). ... [F]antastic balance sheet with loads of cash. You get the added bonus of copper with [Freeport] and building has been [slowly] picking up which will raise the demand for copper. The company expects $3.7B worth of copper sales this year and $1.8B worth of gold sales. It has solid growth. ... There is a lot to like here and I'm long.

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, Freeport may not be your top choice.

If that's the case, we've compiled a special free report for investors called "The Tiny Gold Stock Digging Up Massive Profits," which uncovers a much smaller miner with big potential. The report is 100% free, but it won't be around 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 TrackPoisedTo CAPS account.