10 Stocks to Shake the Market

Some stocks are one-hit wonders, making a big splash when they first appear, then quickly fizzling into obscurity or oblivion. But for other stocks, that initial big move is only a preview for even bigger and better gains to come.

Today, we've compiled 10 stocks that made some of the biggest upward moves over the past month. We'll then pair that list with the ratings issued by our Motley Fool CAPS community. The higher each stock's rating, the greater CAPS members' faith in that company's ability to keep on beating the market.

With half of the stocks carrying average or better ratings, let's see why the CAPS community thinks any of these might outperform the market.

A mighty temblor
Coal producer Walter Industries (NYSE:WLT), which will become known as Walter Energy, still had some ancillary businesses following its spinoff of pipe company Mueller Water (NYSE:MWA). The finance business was successfully spun off on April 20 and merged with Hanover Capital Mortgage Holdings to trade as a new entity called Walter Investment Management. It will operate as an asset management and mortgage servicing firm specializing in subprime, non-conforming and other credit-challenged mortgage assets -- a tricky business, no doubt, in the current climate.

An equally tricky maneuver will be for auto parts manufacturer American Axle & Manufacturing to stay afloat as Chrysler and GM sink beneath the waves. Its shares got a boost after an analyst termed the company a "survivor" and investors rushed into the void, but that amounts to little more than speculation.

The analyst projected that American Axle would be able to reduce its breakeven point to a U.S. sales rate of 9.5 million to 10 million cars. That appears a doable number, considering that GM and Chrysler submitted turnaround plans to the government suggesting the U.S. market could eventually return to 14 million car sales. The parts maker also benefits from the government letting the taxpayers pay its bills, albeit through the car makers.

But even if the car makers can survive bankruptcy, the parts makers are going to have a tough time remaining viable. Car makers both domestic and foreign are laying off workers and shutting factories as it becomes apparent the North American market is going to be a significantly smaller one for the foreseeable future.

As CAPS member Treva23 notes, the fate of American Axle & Manufacturing is not in its own hands, and that's a precarious perch to be sitting on:

May just be jumping on the band wagon here, but with the decline in the [North American] auto industry this companies finances are inevitably tied to something that is out of their control.

Shake, rattle, and roll
These stocks have been shaking the market over this past month, and it pays to start your own research on them at Motley Fool CAPS. Read a company's financial reports, scrutinize key data and charts, and examine the comments your fellow investors have made, all from a stock's CAPS page.