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 110,000-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 (as signified by four- and five-star ratings) could be a sign that further research is in order.

Here are three such stocks:

 

Today’s Low

Industry

CAPS Rating (out of 5)

Fools Saying Outperform

Reddy Ice Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:FRZ)

$10.07

Food & Beverage

**

53 of 68

American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NYSE:AEP)

$38.12

Utilities

****

252 of 265

The Geo Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO)

$18.47

Diversified Services

***

104 of 111

Source: Motley Fool CAPS, as of Aug. 7, 2008.

Five-Star Food & Beverage Companies
Molson Coors Brewing Company (NYSE:TAP) -- up 10.3% in the past year.
PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE:PEP) -- up 2.3% in the past year.

Five-Star Utility Companies
Public Service Enterprise Group, Inc. (NYSE:PEG) -- stock price is 4.4% cheaper than a year ago.
TransCanada Corp (NYSE:TRP) -- up 10.7% in the past year.

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