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 140,000-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

Raser Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:RZ)

$1.76

Auto Components

1 Stars

376 of 708

Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENER)

$10.33

Electrical Equipment

4 Stars

1119 of 1206

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

$9.62

Natural Resources Funds

4 Stars

1240 of 1291

Source: Motley Fool CAPS, as of September 2, 2009

Top-rated auto components companies:

  • China Automotive Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CAAS): Stock price is 36% higher than last year.
  • Drew Industries, Inc. (NYSE:DW): Stock price is 22% higher than last year.

Top-rated electrical equipment companies:

  • Encore Wire Corp (NASDAQ:WIRE): Stock price is 27% higher than last year.
  • Madeco S.A. (ADR) (NYSE:MAD): Stock price is 8% higher than last year.

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