3 Stocks That Blew the Market Away

Don't settle for ordinary quarterly reports.

Every week I take a look at three companies that beat market expectations, 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 pros over the past few trading days.

We can start with Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYS: CMG) . The burrito roller served up an adjusted quarterly profit of $1.97 a share, 35% ahead of last year's showing and comfortably ahead of the $1.93 a share that the pros were projecting.

Then again, things have a funny way of going right for the chain of 1,265 quick-service eateries when comps soar 12.7% and Chipotle's able to tackle food inflation with menu price hikes of its own.

Intuitive Surgical (NAS: ISRG) also made the cut. The robotics specialist behind the da Vinci surgical arm that's revolutionizing many procedures busted out with a quarterly profit of $3.50 a share. Wall Street was settling for net income of $3.14 a share.

Finally, we have E*TRADE (NAS: ETFC) movin' on up. Investors saw larger discount brokers TD AMERITRADE (NAS: AMTD) and Charles Schwab (NYS: SCHW) merely meet analyst estimates earlier in the week, but along came the cleverly marketed discounter with a profit of $0.13 a share when the market was banking on just $0.09 a share on the bottom line.

Moving in the right direction
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. If that's not up your alley just yet, you can still check out a free special report detailing the next trillion-dollar revolution.

Either way, come back next week to learn about more stocks that blow the market away in the coming days.

If these three victors aren't enough, check out a new report that reveals three hidden winners in a booming niche that will only get bigger in the future. It's a free report, so check it out soon.

At the time thisarticle was published The Motley Fool owns shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill and Intuitive Surgical.Motley Fool newsletter serviceshave recommended buying shares of Charles Schwab, Intuitive Surgical, Chipotle Mexican Grill, and TD AMERITRADE.Motley Fool newsletter serviceshave also recommended creating a bear put spread position in Chipotle Mexican Grill and a bull put spread position in TD AMERITRADE. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe thatconsidering a diverse range of insightsmakes us better investors. Try any of our Foolish newsletter servicesfree for 30 days.Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz calls them as he sees them. He does not own shares in any of the stocks in this story. Rick is also part of theRule Breakersnewsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early.

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