Why settle for ordinary quarterly reports?

Every week, I look at three companies that have trounced market expectations, since I believe that having done so is the biggest factor in a stock's beating the market. Leaving Wall Street's pros with quizzical looks usually means the companies have more in the tank than analysts figured, and capital appreciation often follows.

Let's take a look at a few companies that humbled the prognosticators over the past few trading days.

We can start with GameStop (NYSE:GME). The leading video-game retail chain earned $0.34 a share, well ahead of the $0.28 a share that Wall Street was expecting. There's nothing like having a steady flow of hot titles coming in, and it also helps that hardware makers such as Sony (NASDAQ:SNE) are slashing their console prices to bring in a new wave of gamers who need to build up their libraries with high-margin software titles. Whether it's the record-breaking Grand Theft Auto IV or the buzz over next month's new Guitar Hero installment from Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ:ATVI), there always seems to be something going on at GameStop.

Some retailers, such as Chico's FAS (NYSE:CHS), are smarting in this tricky climate, but GameStop's comps are coming in 20% higher. Investors shouldn't bet against that kind of momentum. GameStop has now beaten analyst guesstimates in each of the past seven quarters.

Burger King (NYSE:BKC) is a Whopper topper. The country's second-largest fast-food chain netted a profit of $0.37 a share. It was a 28% advance on the bottom line, leaving the pros to ponder their wilted-lettuce projections of $0.34 a share in net income.

Rising food costs are a challenge for the industry, but the burger chains, such as McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) and Burger King, are having no problem growing sales at the unit level. The BK victory is as common as an onion-ring engagement proposal, with the regal company working on an eight-quarter streak of surpassing earnings estimates.

Heinz (NYSE:HNZ) is, in a sense, another Whopper topper. The ketchup king posted a profit of $0.72 a share in its fiscal first quarter, fueled by double-digit organic sales growth. Mr. Market figured that the food giant would muster -- or is that mustard? -- a profit of just $0.66 a share.

So keep watching the companies that lap expectations. Over time, it will be a rewarding experience for investors as the market rewards the overachievers. That's the kind of surprise we look for in the Rule Breakers newsletter service. Want in? Check out a 30-day trial subscription.

Either way, come back next Monday to learn about more stocks that blew the market away.