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 110,000-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 High

Industry

CAPS Rating (out of 5)

Fools Saying Outperform

American Science & Engineering, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASEI)

$69.45

Industrial Equipment & Components

5 Stars

905 of 932

US Bancorp (NYSE:USB)

$35.46

Regional - Midwest Banks

4 Stars

1435 of 1561

 

 

 

 

 

Source: Motley Fool CAPS, as of Sept. 18, 2008.

Top-rated industrial equipment & components companies:

  • Pentair, Inc. (NYSE:PNR): Stock price is 18% higher than last year.
  • Sun Hydraulics Corp (NASDAQ:SNHY): Stock price is 2% higher than last year.

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