3 Stocks That Blew the Market Away: Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST), Renren Inc (RENN), Peregrine Pharmaceuticals (PPHM)

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 pros over the past few trading days.

We can start with Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST).

The leading warehouse club operator came through with bulk-sized profit margins in its latest quarter. A healthy 5% pop in same-store sales shows that consumers as well as mom and pop businesses continue to flock to Costco for their shopping needs.

Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST)’s net income of $1.10 a share clocked in ahead of both the $0.90 a share it posted a year earlier and the $1.06 a share that Wall Street was targeting.

We also have Peregrine Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:PPHM) besting the pros.

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:PPHM) is a small biotech that’s tapping monoclonal antibodies for cancer-tackling solutions. Peregrine Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:PPHM)’s still losing money at this stage, but its quarterly deficit of $0.04 a share was far narrower than the $0.07 a share in red ink that analysts were forecasting.

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:PPHM)’s been doing a good job of keeping its cash burn in check. It has posted smaller deficits than Wall Street was expecting in each of the past four quarters. Investors tend to gloss over the bottom line when it comes to small companies toiling on medical solutions. They’re eyeing the bigger prize. However, the bottom line in the near term still matters. Delcath Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:DCTH) — another small upstart aiming for oncology applications with its drug/device combination product clocked in with its third straight quarter of delivering smaller losses than the pros were prognosticating.

Finally, we have Renren Inc (NYSE:RENN) edging out Mr. Market. China’s leading search engine saw its revenue soar 49% on the strength of strong online gaming revenue. Renren Inc (NYSE:RENN)’s quarterly loss of $0.06 a share was marginally better than the $0.07 a share that Wall Street was predicting.

The article 3 Stocks That Blew the Market Away originally appeared on Fool.com.

Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST). The Motley Fool owns shares of Costco Wholesale.

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