Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, specialty glass and ceramics giant Corning (NYSE: GLW) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

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

Corning facts

Headquarters (Founded) Corning, N.Y. (1851)
Market Cap $20.7 billion
Industry Electronic components
Trailing-12-Month Revenue $7.77 billion
Management Chairman/CEO Wendell Weeks
Vice Chairman/CFO James Flaws
Return on Equity (Average, Past 3 Years) 15.6%
Cash/Debt $6.42 billion / $2.31 billion
Dividend Yield 2.3%
Competitors 3M (NYSE: MMM)
Becton Dickinson (NYSE: BDX)
TE Connectivity (NYSE: TEL)

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

On CAPS, 98% of the 4,770 members who have rated Corning believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include useless33 and ikkyu2, who is ranked in the top 2% of our community.

Earlier this week, useless33 tapped Corning as a crystal clear bargain opportunity:

The company is trading at a 6-7 multiple for what appears to be concern over LCDs (A significant chunk of sales), and Gorilla Glass. Even if you factor in a large slowdown for those two elements, you've got a money-making company paying a 2% dividend with a wide moat and a diverse array of products. Sounds like a not-so-terrible deal.

In fact, Corning currently sports a paltry P/E of 6.2. That represents a clear discount to competitors like 3M (13.1), Becton Dickinson (12.8), and TE Connectivity (11.1).

CAPS All-Star ikkyu2 elaborates on the bull case:

Best-in-breed when it comes to specialty glasses of all kinds. Household word due to their Visions cookware; also make flatpanel TV screens, smartphone screens, etc. Competition has to explain why Corning's product is too expensive or isn't as good in every case; and in some cases (i.e. iPhone 4 glass, which isn't Gorilla Glass) competition is clearly inferior. Corning has set the standard in glass for nearly a century.

I think we're looking at a pretty basic discounted cyclical value play. Anyone with a long term investment horizon ought to be happy to get this company at this price.

What do you think about Corning, 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!

Interested in another easy way to track Corning? Add it to your watchlist.