Based on the aggregated intelligence of 150,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, refined-sugar processor Imperial Sugar (Nasdaq: IPSU) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

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

Imperial Sugar facts

Headquarters (Founded)

Sugar Land, Texas (1843)

Market Cap

$183.1 million

Industry

Packaged foods and meats

Trailing-12-Month Revenue

$587.7 million

Management

CEO John Sheptor (since 2008)
CFO Hal Mechler (since 2005)

Return on Equity (Average, Past 3 Years)

26%

Cash / Debt

$66.6 million / $60 million

Other Highly Rated Food Stocks

Kraft (NYSE: KFT)
PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP)
General Mills (NYSE: GIS)

Other Highly Rated Small-Cap Stocks

Take-Two Interactive (Nasdaq: TTWO)
Taseko Mines (NYSE: TGB)
Navios Maritime (NYSE: NM)

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

On CAPS, 89% of the 302 members who have rated Imperial Sugar believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include 1Ed1 and my fellow Fool Jordan DiPietro (TMFPhillyDot), who is ranked in the top 10% of our community.

Late last year, 1Ed1 advised Fools to get in on the sugar rush: "Nice charts, good stats and fwd projections, good business segment, growing market demand, recovering economy."

In a pitch from last week, Jordan expanded on the sweet opportunity:

Imperial has $66M in cash and a $176M market cap -- about $5.50 cash per share. Recently formed a JV with Malaysian company PureCircle to market and produce patented Stevia, a sugar substitute that is 3 times as sweet but has no calories. Major upside. Also markets honey, agave nectar, organic cane sugar, which should become more popular as people steer away from high fructose corn syrup.

What do you think about Imperial Sugar, or any other stock for that matter? If you want to retire rich, you need to put together the best portfolio you can. Owning exceptional stocks is a surefire way to secure your financial future, and on Motley Fool CAPS, thousands of investors are working every day to find them. CAPS is 100% free, so get started!