Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, U.S. auto giant Ford Motor (F 0.08%) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

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

Ford facts

Headquarters (Founded)

Dearborn, Mich. (1903)

Market Cap

$53.8 billion

Industry

Automobile manufacturers

Trailing-12-Month Revenue

$132.4 billion

Management

CEO Alan Mulally (since 2006)
CFO Robert Shanks (since 2012)

Return on Equity (Average, Past 3 Years)

4.5%

Cash/Debt

$24.1 billion / $101.0 billion

Dividend Yield

2.8%

Competitors

General Motors (GM -0.04%)
Honda Motor (HMC -0.49%)
Toyota Motor (TM 1.07%)

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

On CAPS, 80% of the 12,035 members who have rated Ford believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward.

Just last week, one of those Fools, All-Star TMFBlacknGold, touched on the tailwinds working in Ford's favor:

Ford is uniquely positioned to lead the pack in the new [Corporate Average Fuel Economy] (CAFE) standards for vehicles with its Eco-boost engines and its recent deployment of the CMAX line (including an electric CMAX Energi). The CMAX models could really steal some of the Prius' spotlight quite easily. In fact, I think it is entirely possible for the Energi to win the Car of the Year Award for 2013, making it two years in a row for an electric vehicle (Tesla in 2012).

There is still a long way to go between 40 mpg and 54.5 mpg (the current final target), but new advances in materials and body design should shed weight over the next several years. In fact, Ford -- like other car companies -- is heavily invested in carbon fiber car parts, which could drop over 700 lbs from the weight of a vehicle and dramatically increase fuel economy.

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