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

Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)

$9.41

Internet Information Providers

2 Stars

223 of 267

Bare Escentuals, Inc. (NASDAQ:BARE)

$4.83

Personal Products

3 Stars

364 of 394

Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)

$36.40

Asset Management

5 Stars

881 of 905

Source: Motley Fool CAPS, as of Oct. 31, 2008.

Top-rated internet information providers companies:

  • NetEase.com, Inc. (ADR) (NASDAQ:NTES): Stock price is 2% higher than last year.
  • The Knot, Inc. (NASDAQ:KNOT): Stock price is 64% lower than last year.

Top-rated personal products companies:

  • The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG): Stock price is 3% lower than last year.
  • Kimberly-Clark Corp (NYSE:KMB): Stock price is 7% lower than last year.

Join us on CAPS to learn more about these and countless other interesting stock ideas.
This article represents the opinion of the writer, who may disagree with the “official” recommendation position of a Motley Fool premium advisory service. We’re motley! Questioning an investing thesis -- even one of our own -- helps us all think critically about investing and make decisions that help us become smarter, happier, and richer.