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 135,000-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

United States Natural Gas Fund, LP (NYSE:UNG)

$12.16

Funds

4 Stars

1152 of 1196

San Juan Basin Royalty Trust (NYSE:SJT)

$12.94

Oil, Gas and Consumable Fuels

5 Stars

354 of 365

Source: Motley Fool CAPS, as of July 8, 2009

Top-rated funds:

  • PowerShares DB US Dollar Index Bearish (NYSE:UDN): Stock price is 9% lower than last year.
  • CurrencyShares Canadian Dollar Trust (NYSE:FXC): Stock price is 12% lower than last year.

Top-rated oil, gas and consumable fuels companies:

  • Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P (NASDAQ:CLMT): Stock price is 45% higher than last year.
  • NuStar GP Holdings, LLC (NYSE:NSH): Stock price is 25% higher than last year.

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