BMC Software (Nasdaq: BMC) is expected to report Q1 earnings on July 31. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

The 10-second takeaway
Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict BMC Software's revenue will improve 3.9% and EPS will expand 4.2%.

The average estimate for revenue is $521.9 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.75.

Revenue details
Last quarter, BMC Software reported revenue of $564.7 million. GAAP reported sales were 0.4% higher than the prior-year quarter's $562.2 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
Last quarter, non-GAAP EPS came in at $0.74. GAAP EPS of $0.43 for Q4 were 36% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.67 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Recent performance
For the preceding quarter, gross margin was 71.7%, 450 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 18.8%, 640 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 12.5%, 930 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
The full year's average estimate for revenue is $2.30 billion. The average EPS estimate is $3.51.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 331 members out of 350 rating the stock outperform, and 19 members rating it underperform. Among 108 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 102 give BMC Software a green thumbs-up, and six give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on BMC Software is outperform, with an average price target of $42.23.

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