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 can start with NYSE Euronext
Timely acquisitions, effective cost controls, and record summer trading helped drive NYSE Euronext's performance higher. It's the same mix of variables that has buffed up the financials at trading rival Nasdaq
Bankrate
Reaching out to financial institutions may seem like a crummy business with credit tight on the lending side and rates falling on the investing side. Then again, that is also fertile ground for desperate providers to pay up in order to get noticed on Bankrate. That's the key. It's not the Internet, because other e-friendly companies like Popular's
Finally we have Crocs
Crocs shares fell, though. The problem? Inventory levels grew at an alarming clip, leading investors to believe that the shoes aren't selling as briskly as they used to. This doesn't appear to be Heelys
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 Motley Fool Rule Breakers newsletter service. Want in? Check out a free 30-day trial subscription.
Either way, come back next Monday to learn about more stocks that blew the market away.