When a stock hits a fresh low, it can either signal a dirt cheap dream stock or a dreadful stock to avoid. Separating the wheat from the chaff is difficult, but finding well-run companies at bargain-basement prices is a great way to accumulate a fortune over the long run.

With that in mind, we'll use the aggregate intelligence of the 120,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS to see what the community is saying about stocks hitting 52-week lows today. The community's approval (signified by four- and five-star ratings) could indicate that further research is in order.

Here are three such stocks:

Company

Today’s Intraday Price

Industry

CAPS Rating (out of 5)

Fools Saying Outperform

Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF)

$20.96

Drugs Wholesale

1 Stars

220 of 338

ArthroCare Corp (NASDAQ:ARTC)

$19.71

Medical Appliances & Equipment

1 Stars

126 of 277

Canon, Inc. (ADR) (NYSE:CAJ)

$24.96

Photographic Equipment & Supplies

5 Stars

434 of 448

Source: Motley Fool CAPS, as of Oct. 27, 2008.

Top-rated drugs wholesale companies:

  • McKesson Corp (NYSE:MCK): Stock price is 34% lower than last year.
  • Grupo Casa Saba, S.A. (ADR) (NYSE:SAB): Stock price is 40% lower than last year.

Top-rated medical appliances & equipment companies:

  • CryoLife, Inc. (NYSE:CRY): Stock price is 75% higher than last year.
  • ATS Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATSI): Stock price is 21% higher than last year.

Join us on CAPS to learn more about these and countless other interesting stock ideas.