Universal Forest Products (Nasdaq: UFPI) is expected to report Q3 earnings around Oct. 17. 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 Universal Forest Products's revenues will expand 8.3% and EPS will expand 31.0%.

The average estimate for revenue is $508.1 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.38.

Revenue details
 Last quarter, Universal Forest Products recorded revenue of $593.7 million. GAAP reported sales were 9.1% higher than the prior-year quarter's $544.1 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 $0.66. GAAP EPS of $0.88 for Q2 were 300% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.22 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 12.1%, 170 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 3.8%, 170 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 2.9%, 210 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $2.01 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.36.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 80 members out of 102 rating the stock outperform, and 22 members rating it underperform. Among 33 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 25 give Universal Forest Products a green thumbs-up, and eight give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Universal Forest Products is outperform, with an average price target of $38.33.