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 110,000-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 be a sign that further research is in order.

Here are three such stocks:

 

Today’s Low

Industry

CAPS Rating (out of 5)

Fools Saying Outperform

Cemex S.A. B de C.V. (ADR) (NYSE:CX)

$20.00

Materials & Construction

*****

3,686 of 3,779

Aluminum Corp. of China Limited (ADR) (NYSE:ACH)

$23.92

Metals & Mining

*****

3,194 of 3,294

Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (NYSE:KCI)

$34.51

Health Services

*****

315 of 330

Source: Motley Fool CAPS, as of August 1, 2008.

Other Five-Star Materials & Construction Companies
Foster Wheeler Ltd. (NASDAQ:FWLT) -- up 1% in past year.
Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WMI) -- stock price is 3.8% cheaper than last year.

Other Five-Star Metals & Mining Companies
Vale (NYSE:RIO) -- up 24% in the last year.
Cameco Corp (NYSE:CCJ) -- stock price is 11.4% cheaper than last year.

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