Don't settle for ordinary quarterly reports.

I take a look at three companies that beat market expectations every week, since I believe 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 Paychex (Nasdaq: PAYX). The payroll processor rang up a profit of $0.36 a share in its latest quarter. Wall Street figured that Paychex's showing would be flat with the $0.34 a share it earned a year earlier. Unemployment hasn't gotten a whole lot better over the past year, but Paychex is still finding ways to improve its bottom line.

Xyratex (Nasdaq: XRTX) is taking big steps in data storage. Profitability more than tripled to $1.20 a share on an adjusted basis, well ahead of the $1 a share the pros were expecting. Concerns that orders may be diminishing at its largest customer -- NetApp (Nasdaq: NTAP) -- are clearly being made up elsewhere.

Xyratex's shares still took a hit, as the fast-growing tech company issued an uninspiring near-term outlook. Blowing the market away is only good if investors believe that the welcome surprises will continue.

Finally, we have Walgreen (NYSE: WAG) filling Mr. Market's prescription for better than expected earnings. The drugstore chain posted a profit of $0.49 a share in its latest quarter. Analysts were only targeting net income to clock in at $0.44 a share. Positive store-level comps mirror growth at rival CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS) and help distinguish Walgreen from struggling competitor Rite-Aid (NYSE: RAD), which has a streak of negative comps.

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.