Don't settle for ordinary quarterly reports.

I take a look at three companies that beat market expectations every week, since I believe that it's the biggest factor in a stock beating the market. Leaving Wall Street's pros with stunned expressions can be a good thing. It usually means that the companies have more in the tank than analysts figured. Capital appreciation typically follows.

Let's take a look at a few companies that humbled the prognosticators over the past few trading days.

We can start with Ebix (Nasdaq: EBIX). The enterprise software provider for the insurance industry saw its diluted earnings per share climb 35% to $0.42 in the fourth quarter, well ahead of the $0.33 a share that Wall Street was targeting.

lululemon athletica (Nasdaq: LULU) also dressed to kill. The upscale activewear retailer earned $0.64 a share in its holiday quarter before a favorable tax adjustment benefit. Analysts figured that lululemon's yoga mom clientele would only be good for $0.57 a share on the bottom line.

Investors should have seen it coming, since lululemon has been smoking past the pros all fiscal year.

Quarter EPS Est. Diff.
Q1 2010 $0.27 $0.21 29%
Q2 2010 $0.30 $0.24 25%
Q3 2010 $0.36 $0.25 44%
Q4 2010 $0.64 $0.57 12%

Source: Thomson Reuters.

The success of lululemon doesn't mean that consumers are springing for high-ticket duds. Designer denim specialist True Religion (Nasdaq: TRLG) has missed Wall Street's profit targets in two of the past three quarters, while rival Joe's Jeans (Nasdaq: JOEZ) has simply met quarterly profit estimates over the past year.

It's not just the niche, as lululemon's performance is a worthy achievement on its own.

Finally we have GeoEye (Nasdaq: GEOY) keeping its eye on the prize. The provider of satellite imagery posted a quarterly profit of $0.68 a share -- or $0.42 a share on an adjusted basis. Wall Street figured that GeoEye's adjusted profitability would clock in at just $0.37 a share.

It's important to keep watching the companies that surpass expectations. Over time, it will be a lucrative experience for investors as the market rewards the overachievers. That's the kind of surprise that 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.

Add Ebix, lululemon athletica, and GeoEye to My Watchlist today for continuing Foolish coverage and performance tracking.