So this earnings season hasn't turned out as bad as some had feared. In fact, we've seen some pretty stellar results from the likes of Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN), Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), and Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO).

Then there was the Fed's Beige Book report, which suggested that the U.S. economy had stabilized -- and even improved a bit in some sectors.

Well, the earnings crunch rolls on this coming week leading up to Halloween. Do analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect more treats or tricks from coming quarterly reports?

The earnings crunch rolls on this coming week, with quarterly reports expected from Coach Inc. (NYSE: COH), Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM), Kellogg (NYSE: K), MasterCard (NYSE: MA), Motorola (NYSE: MOT), Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S), Travelers (NYSE: TRV), Time Warner (NYSE: TWX), U.S. Steel (NYSE: X), Viacom (NYSE: VIA), Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS), and many others.

Below are some reporting companies for which analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters have high hopes. What does that mean? Well, all of them are expected to report double-digit earnings grown in the most recent quarter. They have tended to offer positive surprises in recent quarters. They have long-term EPS growth forecasts of greater than 10%, and they have earnings multiples that are higher than their industry or sector averages, or higher than at least one top competitor. And they all have First Call consensus recommendations to buy.

It goes without saying that this market remains a stock picker's market. Select the wrong stock, and there's a 30-40% haircut up ahead; select the correct stock, and you're positioned for the recovery with modest downside exposure. For a chance at the latter, consider O'Reilly Automotive (NYSE: ORLY).

Nothing fancy schmancy about the O'Reilly value story: it's the third largest automotive aftermarket parts supplier (alternators, starters, fuel pumps, brake shoes, brake pads, filters, etc.), with 3,285 stores in 38 states.

Auto parts company O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: ORLY- option chain) is one of the newest additions to the S&P 500 Index (SPX). Standard & Poor's announced late Thursday that ORLY will join the venerable index after the close of trading on March 26, where it will replace Noble Corp. (NYSE: NE).

The news caps off a pretty good week for ORLY; on Wednesday, Robert W. Baird initiated coverage of the stock with an "outperform" rating, and the equity tagged a new 52-week high of $36.17 in Thursday's session.

Leo Fasciocco is a technician focused on "breakout" stocks; in his Ticker Tape Digest, two recent such breakout ideas were both from the out-of-favor auto parts sector: O'Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ: ORLY) and Autozone (NYSE: AZO).

Noting the recent strength in these auto parts stocks -- both have recently rose to new 52-week highs despite the market's sharp declines -- the advisor explains, "Auto parts stocks may see strong product demand as more people keep their car and not buy a new one."

"O'Reilly Automotive is one of the largest specialty retailers of automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment, and accessories in the U.S, with annual revenues of $3.1 billion.

Father's Day is a special occasion for many of us, a day to show our daddies how much we love them. We give dad some extra attention that day and usually also a present that could make him happy. Kiplinger.com has an interesting idea -- one that I really like -- for a Father's Day present you may want to consider: Find a good stock that could bring him a lot of money.

Let's look at some of the companies Kiplinger's Anne Kates Smith believes would be good options this year:

• O'Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ: ORLY) is an auto parts retailer that is facing weak demand as a result of soaring crude oil prices. However, analysts believe the company's strategy to buy CSK Auto will bring a lot of national success. ORLY is expected to show earnings of $1.76 per share this year and $2.02 next year.
• Stanley Works (NYSE: SWK), headquartered in New Britain, Conn., has the advantage of being one of only two companies offering a complete line of hand tools for consumers. The company focuses its performance on both its industrial tool division and a security business. Analysts forecast a profit of $4.18 this year, and $4.63 a share for next year.