Nailing profit targets should be easy. Analysts talk to companies, their suppliers, and their customers. Then they compile their data in elaborate profit models. That's why it's noteworthy when a company is doing so well that it leaves the market mavens in the dust.
That said, let's take a closer look at a few of the companies that humbled the prognosticators this past week.
We'll start with Pixar
It's a healthy habit that Pixar has cultivated over the years. The previous quarter, Pixar doubled the $0.11 a share in earnings that Wall Street was projecting. The market-crushing report was made even more impressive a few days later, when rival DreamWorks Animation
Hansen Natural
IMAX
The Rule Breakers pick took off on the news, especially since IMAX revealed that it had already received "several" unsolicited offers. It could get pretty interesting, especially since IMAX has been growing in popularity as the multiplex operators have seen ticket sales slide for three straight years.
So keep watching the companies that lap expectations. Over time, it will be a rewarding experience for investors. That's the kind of surprise that market-watchers relish in the Rule Breakers newsletter service. The strategy has paid off -- the average Rule Breakers selection has trounced the S&P 500's market return. 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.
Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz is a fan of toppers. He does own shares in Pixar and Disney. The Foo l has a disclosure policy. He is also part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early.