Underpromise, overdeliver. At The Motley Fool, we love this mantra.

We loved it when Blackboard (Nasdaq: BBBB) overdelivered on earnings last year. Loved it still when Synopsys and Ciena turned in similarly sterling performances last month.

But second only to this mantra is our love for companies that just plain promise ... then deliver.

That's what defense contractor and ceramics specialist Ceradyne (Nasdaq: CRDN) did earlier today. Two months ago, as you may recall, Ceradyne threw a hand-holding party for nervous investors, assuring us it was about to land a $400 million contract to supply "ESAPI" body armor to the U.S. Special Forces command. One month ago, Ceradyne reiterated the promise.

And today? Today, Ceradyne delivered on its promise, announcing that it has won the contract and already received its first installment on the orders. It's gratifying to see that while other contractors -- Armor Holdings and Mine Safety Appliances  (NYSE: MSA), to name two -- make similar armor, the entire award today went to Ceradyne. But more gratifying is the reaffirmation that what Ceradyne promises, it delivers.

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