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 130,000-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

Hot Topic (NASDAQ:HOTT)

$9.93

Specialty Retail

1 Stars

101 of 325

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (NASDAQ:GMCR)

$47.59

Food Products

2 Stars

396 of 477

Source: Motley Fool CAPS, as of March 19, 2009.

Top-rated specialty retail companies:

  • Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO): Stock price is 13% lower than last year.
  • American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO): Stock price is 31% lower than last year.

Top-rated food products companies:

  • Flowers Foods (NYSE:FLO): Stock price is 2% lower than last year.
  • ZHONGPIN (OTC BB: HOGS): Stock price is 7% lower than last year.

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