While some investors are still feeling lukewarm about the market, earnings season proved to me that this is a great time to be buying stocks. There are some powerful companies trading at bargain prices because Wall Street is too timid to buy—but anyone who takes the time to look at the numbers will see there is plenty to be excited about. My Emerging Growth subscribers know the drill. The 25 Buy List stocks that have recently reported quarterly results have shown an average earnings surprise of more than 14%!

What is an "earnings surprise?" Simply put, it is a percentage that indicates how much a company's actual earnings topped what the "experts" on Wall Street predicted. If forecasts indicate that XYZ Corp.'s quarterly profits will be $1.00 a share and the company reports earnings of $1.10 a share, XYZ has posted a 10% earnings surprise. Stocks that consistently report earnings surprises show they are performing better than their competitors and better than investors and economists had predicted.

As earnings season draws to a close, I want to share three of the best-performing stocks on my Emerging Growth Buy List so you can get a taste of the kind of companies we look for—and the kind of profits we experience after a stock we own reports a big earnings surprise!

For each stock, I'll share the risk category it is in so you know what kind of role this company has in your own personal portfolio. Remember, I advocate a 60/30/10 mix of 60% Conservative stocks, 30% Moderately Aggressive stocks and 10% Aggressive stocks. For more information on diversification and reducing your risk, read my article about the perfect portfolio mix.

Now, on to the three companies that are leading the market in earnings!