Every week, I take a look at a few companies that lapped their profit targets. Leaving Wall Street's pros with quizzical looks on their faces can be a good thing. It usually means that the companies have more in the tank than analysts figured and capital appreciation often follows.

Let's take a look at a few companies that humbled the prognosticators this past week.

We'll start with GameStop (NYSE:GME). The video game retailer saw its fiscal first-quarter profits double to $0.15 per share. That was comfortably ahead of the $0.14 a share that analysts had been expecting.

The magic to GameStop's success has been in its used games and gear resale business. Sure, folks are snapping up high-priced consoles and handhelds but that's actually a low-margin business for retailers. The markups are richer on the software side, but it takes a few years before new systems penetrate markets. That leaves GameStop more than happy to sell trade-ins at even higher markups.

Shanda Interactive (NASDAQ:SNDA) is another topper. The online gaming pioneer in China earned $0.36 per ADS this past quarter, before a one-time asset sale gain. The pros were looking for a profit of just $0.29 per share. Shanda's thumping shouldn't have come as a surprise to savvy investors that saw Chinese rivals NetEase (NASDAQ:NTES) and The9 (NASDAQ:NCTY) top projections earlier.

Then we have Toro (NYSE:TTC) mowing down the analysts. The maker of ride-on lawn mowers and other lawn care equipment earned $1.77 a share in its fiscal second quarter. Wall Street was looking for the greenery to sprout a profit of just $1.69 per share. The company has beaten bottom-line targets for 17 consecutive quarters now.

So, keep watching the companies that lap expectations. Over time, it will be a rewarding 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.

GameStop is a Motley Fool Stock Advisor newsletter recommendation. Shanda and NetEase are picks in the Rule Breakers growth stock research service. Free 30-day trial subscriptions may help you get an early lead on future market beaters.

Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz is a fan of toppers. He does not own shares in any of the companies in this story. He is also part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early. The Fool has a disclosure policy.