When a stock hits a fresh high, it can either signal that the stock is on its way to greatness or that it has run its course. Even with the risk of the latter, searching for these outperformers can reveal companies that are doing something right, much to their investors' delight.

I'm a poet and didn’t know it
With that in mind, we'll use the aggregate intelligence of the 110,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS to find stocks hitting 52-week highs today. The community's approval (as demonstrated by four- and five-star ratings) could be a sign that further research is in order.

Here are three such stocks:

 

Today’s High

Industry

CAPS Rating

Fools Saying Outperform

Research

Graham Corp (NYSE:GHM)

$78.00

Industrial

*****

934 of 958

Research

Central European Distribution (NASDAQ:CEDC)

$75.98

Food and beverage

*****

486 of 498

Research

Continental Resources, Inc. (NYSE:CLR)

$77.33

Energy

****

551 of 578

Research

Source: Motley Fool CAPS, as of July 10, 2008.

Other Five-Star Industrial Companies
Cummins, Inc. (NYSE:CMI): Stock is up 10.7% in the past year.
Manitowoc Company, Inc. (NYSE:MTW): Stock is 38.1% cheaper in the past year.

Other Five-Star Food and Beverage Companies
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company (NYSE:WWY): Stock is up 40% in the past year.
PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE:PEP): Stock is 1% cheaper in the past year.

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