3 Stocks That Blew the Market Away

Don't settle for ordinary quarterly reports.

Every week, I take a look at three companies that beat market expectations, since I believe that'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 Focus Media (Nasdaq: FMCN  ) . The leading real-world marketer saw its adjusted earnings nearly double to $0.30 a share, ahead of the $0.27 a share that analysts were targeting. Focus Media's network of LCD monitors and poster frames in well-trafficked areas continues to draw eyeballs and sponsors.

It was generally a good week for Chinese companies, despite investors' hesitancy to buy into the volatile country. Qihoo 360 (Nasdaq: QIHU  ) , KongZhong (Nasdaq: KONG  ) , and Perfect World (Nasdaq: PWRD  ) all joined Focus Media in blowing past Wall Street expectations on an adjusted basis.

Take-Two Interactive (Nasdaq: TTWO  ) also was more "grand" than "theft" for the pros that "auto" know better. The video game publisher's deficit of $0.18 a share did reverse a juicy year-ago profit, but the market was on the lookout for a loss that was more than double what Take-Two delivered.

Finally, we have Campbell Soup (NYSE: CPB  ) pouring out better-than-expected profitability. Soup sales may have fallen for the fourth consecutive quarter, but healthy snack sales and international growth helped Campbell land a quarterly profit of $0.57 a share, surpassing both the $0.52 a share that analysts were banking on and the $0.54 a share it earned a year earlier.

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.