3 Stocks That Blew the Market Away

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Why settle for ordinary quarterly reports?

Every week, I look at three companies that have beaten market expectations, since leaving Wall Street's pros puzzled usually means that the companies have more in the tank than the analysts figured -- and capital appreciation often follows.

So, let's look at a few companies that humbled the prognosticators over the past few trading days.

We can start with eLong (Nasdaq: LONG). The Chinese travel portal posted a first-quarter profit of $0.01 a share, when investors were braced for another quarterly loss. Apparently, eLong's sector is a good one to be in. Larger rival Ctrip.com (Nasdaq: CTRP) also topped Wall Street's projections several weeks ago.

Bargain retailer Big Lots (NYSE: BIG) also came up big, earning $0.44 a share when Mr. Market was banking on a $0.40-per-share showing. Thriftiness is in, naturally, but several high-end apparel specialists, including Polo Ralph Lauren (NYSE: RL) and Perry Ellis (Nasdaq: PERY), have trounced guesstimates lately.

Finally, we have China Mass Media on the move. The cash-rich Chinese television-advertising enabler earned a profit of $0.37 a share during the first quarter. The showing was 48% ahead of the $0.25 a share that analysts were targeting.

Keep watching the companies that surpass expectations. Over time, doing so 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.