It's been a tough three months for the stock market. The S&P 500 currently sits 8% below its late-July high, and is still knocking on the door of lower lows. In fact, most stocks are down for this time frame, albeit to varying degrees.

The so-called "smart money," however, knows these pullbacks are buying opportunities. These smart investors also know which stocks are the best ones to buy while they're beaten down. Here's a closer look at three such names that have seen more than a little bit of heavy-duty buying since the sell-off began. 

The energy business can be a tricky one to handicap. Oil prices are perpetually in flux, and oil companies don't always do a particularly great job of managing their production in a way that balances supply with demand. The advent and ongoing commercialization of alternative energy only adds to the unpredictability of oil and gas stocks.

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Source Fool.com