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 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 Intuitive Surgical (Nasdaq: ISRG).

Shares of the medical robotics specialist hit an all-time high last week, as earnings climbed 32% to $2.91 a share. Analysts were only banking on a profit of $2.71 a share. The growing popularity of its da Vinci surgical system is creating a healthy stream of recurring procedural revenue.

Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) also bested the pros. The microprocessor maker's net income of $0.09 a share was less than the $0.11 a share it rang up a year earlier, but Wall Street was expecting AMD's bottom line to fall down to $0.08 a share. The recent slowdown in PCs and laptops may challenge AMD and larger rival Intel (Nasdaq: INTC), but they're obviously not going down without a fight.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG) shareholders were in hog heaven after the motorcycle icon revved up a quarterly profit of $0.81 a share last week, well ahead of the $0.71 a share mark where the bottom-line estimates were parked. As good as Harley's profitability sounds, its free cash flow over the past year has nearly doubled its reported earnings. Well ridden, Harley!

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.