Don't settle for ordinary quarterly reports. Each week, I review three companies that beat market expectations. 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 and market-beating performance typically follow.

Let's check out a few companies that humbled the prognosticators over the past few trading days.

We can start with Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX). The rental service screened a beauty of a quarter. Earnings soared 55% to $0.87 a share, well ahead of the pros' predictions. They'd been banking on net income to clock in at $0.71 a share. Netflix also topped the high end of its range for net subscriber additions during the quarter, closing out the period with just more than 20 million accounts.

Bears who felt that Netflix shares were overvalued heading into the report are now licking their wounds. The stock shot 19% higher in the two trading days after Wednesday night's report. Tech blog Engadget reported over the weekend that Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) may be planning to begin offering members of its premium Prime loyalty shopping select video streaming at no additional cost, although the offer apparently disappeared after Engadget's initial report. Regardless, Netflix has carved out a cozy living by hurdling competing obstacles in the past.  

VMware (NYSE: VMW) also sped past Wall Street. The virtualization software giant's quarterly profit climbed 56% on a non-GAAP basis, with EPS coming in at $0.46. Analysts were expecting just $0.44 a share on the tweaked bottom line.

Finally, performance apparel specialist Under Armour (NYSE: UA) overachieved, delivering earnings of $0.44 a share in its latest quarter. That 47% EPS spurt sprinted past Wall Street's profit target of $0.37 a share. Under Armour continues to grow faster than rival footwear behemoth Nike (NYSE: NKE), although Under Armour's also trading at a sharply higher multiple.

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 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.