Based on the aggregated intelligence of 135,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, welding products maker Lincoln Electric Holdings (NASDAQ:LECO) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

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

Lincoln facts

Headquarters (founded)

Cleveland, Ohio (1895)

Market Cap

$1.55 billion

Industry

Industrial machinery

Trailing-12-Month Revenue

$2.27 billion

Management

Chairman/CEO John Stropki, Jr. (since 2004)
CFO Vincent Petrella (since 2004)

Return on Equity (average, last three years)

19.5%

Dividend Yield

3.1%

Competitors

Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW)

CAPS Members Bullish on LECO Also Bullish on

General Electric (NYSE:GE)
Chesapeake Energy (NYSE:CHK)
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

CAPS Members Bearish on LECO Also Bearish on

Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ:WFMI)
Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG)

Sources: Capital IQ (a division of Standard & Poor's), and Motley Fool CAPS.

Over on CAPS, 319 of the 323 members who have rated Lincoln -- some 99% -- believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include mtinvest and roseys.

In May, mtinvest shared a brief history lesson on Lincoln: "Founded 1895 by John C. Lincoln and today an industry leader in welding equipment. The larger competitor Illinois Tool Works is also a great company, but we prefer Lincoln Electric because of their slightly better fundamentals."

In a pitch from last week, roseys expanded on that bullish line of thinking:

Infrastructure can never disappear. [I]t will always have to be rebuilt or repaired. [G]iven the shape us bridges alone are in these days, lincoln electric should be setting up a phone bank right now to field the orders. [W]ithout roads you shut down some very big guys … and what good are roads if you can't "bridge" them? [L]incoln is of prime ability for this massive restructuring by both capacity and distribution. [A]nd they still have a stronghold in the arc welding lesser market.

What do you think about Lincoln, or any other stock for that matter? Make your voice heard on Motley Fool CAPS today. More than 135,000 investors are waiting to hear what you have to say. CAPS is 100% free, so simply click here to get started.