Don't 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 stunned expressions can be a good thing. It usually means that the companies have more in the tank than analysts figured. Capital appreciation typically follows.

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

We can start with Family Dollar (NYSE: FDO). For the 6,700-store chain, fiscal third-quarter profits soared 24% on a per- share basis to $0.77, just ahead of the $0.76 a share that analysts were banking on. Shareholders turned on the discounter after it revealed a lukewarm outlook, but it's clear that cash-strapped shoppers are still trekking out to the bargain-based retailers. Fellow thrift magnets Dollar General (NYSE: DG), 99 Cents Only, and Big Lots (NYSE: BIG) also landed ahead of the pros in their most recent quarters.

Thriftiness doesn't mean an end to vanity. Looking good still matters, going by Helen of Troy's (Nasdaq: HELE) fiscal first-quarter showing. The make of curling irons, hair styling products, and other household goods cleaned up nicely in earning $0.59 a share for the period. Wall Street was expecting net income of $0.57 a share for the quarter.

Finally we have WD-40 (Nasdaq: WDFC) squeaking by the pros, earning $0.54 a share in its fiscal third quarter. The street's target for the company behind Lava hand cleaners, 2000 Flushes automatic toilet cleaners, and its namesake lubricant was a mere $0.42 a share. It's welcome news for WD-40, since cheapskates usually turn to cheaper store knockoffs over the proven brand names when money's tight.

It's important to keep watching the companies that surpass expectations. Over time, it will be a lucrative experience for investors as the market rewards the overachievers. That's the kind of surprise that 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.