When a stock hits a fresh high, it can mean that it’s 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.

Let’s dig deeper
With that in mind, we'll use the aggregate intelligence of the 115,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS to find stocks hitting 52-week highs today. The community's approval (signified by four- and five-star ratings) could be a sign that further research is in order.

Here are two such stocks:

Company

Yesterday’s Adjusted Close

Industry

CAPS Rating (out of 5)

Fools Saying Outperform

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

$61.12

Discount/Variety Stores

3 Stars

3955 of 4604

 

 

 

 

 

Amrep Corp (NYSE:AXR)

$59.91

Real Estate Development

1 Stars

183 of 320

Source: Motley Fool CAPS, as of Sept. 8, 2008.

Top-rated discount/variety stores companies:

  • Costco Wholesale Corp (NASDAQ:COST): Stock price is 22% higher than last year.

Top-rated specialty retail, other companies:

  • Staples, Inc. (NASDAQ:SPLS): Stock price is 12% higher than last year.
  • Tractor Supply Company (NASDAQ:TSCO): Stock price is 6% lower than last year.

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