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 125,000-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

Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE:FO)

$24.33

Household Durables

4 Stars

490 of 530

Martek Biosciences Corp. (NASDAQ:MATK)

$18.91

Biotechnology

5 Stars

346 of 360

EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ:EZPW)

$10.08

Consumer Finance

4 Stars

386 of 403

Source: Motley Fool CAPS, as of Feb. 27, 2009.

Top-rated household durables companies:

  • National Presto Industries, Inc. (NYSE:NPK): Stock price is 24% higher than last year.
  • The Stanley Works (NYSE:SWK): Stock price is 44% lower than last year.

Top-rated biotechnology companies:

  • Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:MNTA): Stock price is 24% higher than last year.
  • Genentech, Inc. (NYSE:DNA): Stock price is 13% higher than last year.

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