Based on the aggregated intelligence of 165,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, Scotch Tape and Post-It Notes maker 3M (NYSE: MMM) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at 3M's business and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.

3M facts

Headquarters (Founded)

St. Paul, Minn. (1902)

Market Cap

$62.76 billion

Industry

Industrial conglomerates

Trailing-12-Month Revenue

$25.4 billion

Management

Chairman/CEO George Buckley

CFO Patrick Campbell

Return on Equity (Average, Past 3 Years)

29.5%

Cash/Debt

$4.9 billion / $5.7 billion

Dividend Yield

2.4%

Competitors

DuPont (NYSE: DD)

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ)

Avery-Dennison

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

On CAPS, 97% of the 4,140 members who have rated 3M believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include taylor4u and All-Star georcole, who is ranked in the top 5% of our community.

Just last month, taylor4u noted that 3M "has become a more stable investment as it has diversified its portfolio of products and the places it has operations." Our CAPS member continues: "In recent company presentations and on recent conference calls there has been little talk of cost cutting and more talk on innovation and growth, which means business is good."

No kidding. In its most recent quarter, 3M delivered a per-share earnings increase of 38%, driven by strong sales in each of its business segments. While 3M remains a widely diversified, big-cap conglomerate, it's that renewed commitment to organic growth that has many Fools so high on the stock. In fact, 3M's recent returns on capital dwarf those of rivals DuPont and Avery Dennison, and are even slightly higher than its biggest headache in health care, Johnson & Johnson. With a portfolio filled with ultra-ubiquitous innovations, CAPS All-Star georcole believes 3M is an easy outperformer:

Have you ever heard of anything with "scotch" in the name? You know, like scotchtape, scotchbrite, scotchguard? Well then I guess you know who [3M] is. That's just the tip of the iceburg with [3M] though. ... There are not many companies out there that have their hands in so many industries, yet are as highly regarded and as popular in most of their industries. ...

They are large enough that even if the economy were to tank again and again, they would still be around because people will still buy their products. You would have to, just because they are the products that you would still need to survive. ... They pay out a fair dividend to help you boost your returns too.

I'm going to go get me a 3M stethoscope and some 3M sandpaper so I can hear better how that will affect my 3M touchscreen. If anything breaks, I'll tape it back together with my Scotchtape. This could get fun.

What do you think about 3M, 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!