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.
Since the Fourth of July holiday was naturally quiet on the earnings front, let's take a look at a few companies that humbled the prognosticators this past quarter.
We all know that Apple
So it shouldn't have come as a surprise to find Mac Daddy earn $0.87 a share this past quarter after it had posted a profit of $0.47 a share a year earlier. The rub here is that analysts were expecting the company to earn just $0.64 per share. A slow lot? Perhaps. Apple has obliterated earnings targets for 17 consecutive quarters now. One would think that the pros would tire of underestimating Apple's profit power.
Intuitive Surgical
Let's wrap up this quarterly overview with Disney
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.
Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz is a fan of toppers. He does not own shares in any of the companies in this story, save for Disney, a Stock Advisor selection. He is also part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.