Targets are set. Investors should applaud the companies that aim higher. There is usually something good brewing at entities that are able to accomplish that kind of feat, and individual investors like you and me are ahead of the curve in embracing companies that Wall Street has underestimated.

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 Best Buy (NYSE:BBY). The leading consumer electronics retailer lived up to its name, with earnings soaring 38% higher despite a mere 14% uptick on the top line. The Motley Fool Stock Advisor recommendation earned $0.47 a share, comfortably ahead of the $0.36 per share that the market was expecting.

These have been good times for players like Best Buy and Circuit City (NYSE:CC) as consumers are going ga-ga over LCD and plasma television sets, digital cameras, satellite radio receivers, and digital music players.

World Wrestling Entertainment (NYSE:WWE) was another topper that pounded projections to the canvas. Providing action and drama to fans of bulked-up grapplers, the company earned $0.15 a share this past quarter. That was two cents ahead of where Wall Street was looking to complete the tag.

The media giant's results did clock in lower than last year's fiscal fourth quarter showing, but that's not the point of beating the market. Analysts were being too pessimistic here, and that's a good reason to get pumped. As Steve Mallas points out, the year as a whole looked pretty good with revenue and earnings surging higher. That's important because quarterly results can be lumpy given the timing of pay-per-view showcases and venue events.

Then we had Casey's General (NASDAQ:CASY). The convenience store chain with a rural bent was able to trounce the $0.14 per share showing that the market was looking for it to ring up, by earning $0.22 a share. Where has the market been all this time? The stock shot up roughly 20% after Wednesday's stellar report but the good news shouldn't have come as a surprise to those following the company. If this kind of analyst-clobbering performance seems familiar it's because I've been able to single out the company as a topper not once but twice over the past year.

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 as the average Rule Breaker 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 not own shares in any of the companies in this story. The Fool has a disclosure policy. He is also part of theRule Breakersnewsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early.