3 Stocks That Blew the Market Away

Why settle for ordinary quarterly reports?

I take a look at three companies that beat market expectations every week, since I believe that it's the biggest factor in a stock beating the market. Leaving Wall Street's pros with quizzical looks on their faces can be a good thing. It usually means that 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 AeroVironment (Nasdaq: AVAV). The maker of unmanned aircraft -- yes, the cool stuff the military use for recon missions -- posted a fiscal first quarter profit of $0.22 a share. Wall Street was only looking for net income to clock in at $0.18 a share for the period, in line with what it earned a year ago.

With the order backlog growing quickly, AeroVironment is positioned to keep the welcome surprises coming. Defense spending can be fickle, of course, but tech-fueled companies like AeroVironment and PackBot maker iRobot (Nasdaq: IRBT) offer casualty-sparing automatons that should grow in popularity regardless of the climate.

lululemon athletica (Nasdaq: LULU) is another topper. The fitness apparel retailer saw quarterly earnings from continuing operations more than double to $0.18 a share. Analysts had a more modest profit target of $0.13 a share.

Yes, there are winners even in retail. The malls may not be so crowded these days, but even a high-end yoga specialist like lululemon can still draw record crowds, going by its healthy 13% surge in comps on a constant-dollar basis.

Finally, we have Korn/Ferry International (NYSE: KFY) punching in. The executive headhunter generated income of $0.36 a share in its latest quarter, flat with last year's showing, but comfortably ahead of the $0.30 a share that the market was braced for. Companies that provide human resource services -- from outsourcing giants like Manpower (NYSE: MAN) and Robert Half (NYSE: RHI) to workforce recruiters like Monster Worldwide (Nasdaq: MNST) -- should hold up better than the iffy economy as employee turnover picks up.

So, keep watching the companies that top 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.