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 120,000-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

Today’s Intraday Price

Industry

CAPS Rating (Out of 5)

Fools Saying Outperform

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV)

$39.16

Aerospace and Defense

4 Stars

464 of 485

Myriad Genetics (NASDAQ:MYGN)

$72.51

Biotechnology

3 Stars

248 of 277

Source: Motley Fool CAPS, as of Jan. 5, 2009.

Top-rated aerospace and defense companies:

  • Axsys Technologies (NASDAQ:AXYS): Stock price is 53% higher than last year.
  • American Science & Engineering (NASDAQ:ASEI): Stock price is 41% higher than last year.

Top-rated specialty retail companies:

  • Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO): Stock price is 15% higher than last year.
  • O'Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ:ORLY): Stock price is 3% higher than last year.

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