Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, coal miner Cloud Peak Energy (NYSE: CLD) has earned a respected four-star ranking.

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

Cloud Peak facts

Headquarters (founded) Gillette, Wyo. (1993)
Market Cap $1.1 billion
Industry Coal and consumable fuels
Trailing-12-Month Revenue $1.6 billion
Management CEO Colin Marshall (since 2008)
CFO Michael Barrett (since 2008)
Return on Equity (average, past 3 years) 26.4%
Cash/Debt $479.5 million / $884.4 million
Competitors Alpha Natural Resources
Arch Coal
Peabody Energy

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

On CAPS, 96% of the 187 members who have rated Cloud Peak believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward.  

Last month, one of those Fools, toaoyoda, summed up the bull case for our community:

This was an opportunistic spinoff from Rio Tinto that had other fish to fry. It is a pure coal play on the Powder River Basin meaning that its coal is freer of sulfur albeit at the cost of somewhat lower thermal energy content per ton. It also has only open-pit mines meaning that its safety profile is excellent and its costs are low. It will increasingly target the Asian (especially China) market by shipping via ports in Oregon and Canada.

Of course, despite its four-star rating, Cloud Peak may not be your top choice. If that's the case, we've compiled a special free report for investors called "The Tiny Gold Stock Digging Up Massive Profits," which uncovers a much smaller miner with big potential. The report is 100% free, but it won't be around forever, so click here to access it now. 

Want to see how well (or not so well) the stocks in this series are performing? Follow the new TrackPoisedTo CAPS account.