Whether it's the corporate lunchroom, your cubicle, or the local watering hole after work, there are regular places we gather to discuss news, sports or -- if you're like us -- stocks. Here at Motley Fool CAPS, we gather around the virtual water cooler daily to rate stocks and delve into their merits as investments.

Our 130,000-strong CAPS community -- where members give the thumbs-up or thumbs-down to some 5,300 stocks -- has earned its points by seeking out the businesses it thinks will outperform the market. Below we'll take a look at some of the top stocks in the CAPS universe that you're talking about the most and whether you think they'll continue their winning ways.

Stock

CAPS Rating (out of 5)

No. of Calls

Outperform Calls

Coach (NYSE:COH)

****

2,067

92%

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS)

***

2,019

89%

Evergreen Solar (NASDAQ:ESLR)

***

1,975

91%

GigaMedia (NASDAQ:GIGM)

*****

2,090

98%

Kraft (NYSE:KFT)

****

2,035

94%

A tall drink of water
Playing games online in your skivvies might not convey the same thrill as hurling your lunch from the top of Beijing's Great Wheel -- a Ferris wheel that is taller than the Bank of America Tower in Miami -- but that hasn't stopped the market from running up the stocks of Chinese gaming companies. Over the past month, GigaMedia, Giant Interactive (NYSE:GA), Shanda Interactive (NASDAQ:SNDA), and NetEase.com have all risen as much as 30%, while the S&P 500 has climbed a more timid 4% in that same period.

But GigaMedia hasn't escaped the recessionary pressures that have plagued gaming and casino operators. Although earnings per share in the most recent quarter were in line with analyst expectations at $0.15, non-GAAP net income was still 15% below last year's efforts, and revenues inched up only 1%. But the outlook for its gaming activities was better as Asian online gaming revenues were expected to grow 30% sequentially in the first quarter.

With $96 million in the bank and no long-term debt, GigaMedia represents a tempting target for a takeover. Online poker site PartyGaming is rumored to be in talks with GigaMedia, but some analysts remain doubtful about such a pairing, despite GigaMedia's talks with banks to arrange for acquisition-related financing. But poker operations contributed a 17% increase in revenues for the Singapore-based gaming house we call GigaMedia, while casino sites added a 39% jump.

Top-rated CAPS All-Star Trimalerus cuts right to the chase:

Online gaming is highly addictive and China is a big growing market for this type of business. Even in our recession this should outperform for the next 3 years or more.

It's true that GigaMedia has suggested intense European competition will continue to pressure margins, but the Asian online gaming business continues to see margin expansion. And that's a growth prospect you can see without taking a vertigo-inducing theme park ride.

Gather 'round
With so many good opinions about today's top companies, why not grab a pointy paper cup from the dispenser and join us at the Motley Fool CAPS water cooler, where your input can help guide other investors to stocks with bright prospects for growth? Read a company's financial reports, scrutinize key data and charts, and examine the comments your fellow investors have made -- all from a stock's CAPS page.

Sign up today for the completely free service and let us hear what you have to say about the great and almost great companies that interest you.