When a stock's share price is lower than the mercury in a North Dakota thermometer in February, investors tend to give it the cold shoulder. But as the market warms to a stock's prospects, its price can heat up in a hurry. Alas, you can rarely tell that a stock is melting investors' hearts until afterit has made that move up.

Taking the market's temperature
But Motley Fool CAPS' proprietary ratings, aggregated from the opinions and accuracyof 140,000-plus members, offer a great way to monitor investor sentiment. Following a CAPS rating trendcan help us determine the best time to invest. Let's look at previously rated one- or two-star companies that recently enjoyed a bump in investor confidence to see whether they're truly heating up.

Company

CAPS Rating (out of 5)

Recent Price

EPS Estimates (This Year-Next Year)

American Apparel (NYSE: APP)

***

$2.83

$0.03 - $0.41

Isilon Systems (Nasdaq: ISLN)

***

$6.67

($0.29) - ($0.12)

Labopharm (Nasdaq: DDSS)

***

$1.94

($0.37) - ($0.12)

Safeguard Scientifics (NYSE: SFE)

*****

$11.91

NA - NA

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS)

*** Continued...