Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) is expected to report Q3 earnings on Oct. 18. 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 Chipotle Mexican Grill's revenues will grow 18.7% and EPS will grow 21.1%.

The average estimate for revenue is $702.5 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $2.30.

Revenue details
 Last quarter, Chipotle Mexican Grill tallied revenue of $690.9 million. GAAP reported sales were 21% higher than the prior-year quarter's $571.6 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, EPS came in at $2.56. GAAP EPS of $2.56 for Q2 were 61% higher than the prior-year quarter's $1.59 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 38.8%, 210 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 19.6%, 470 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 11.8%, 290 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $2.73 billion. The average EPS estimate is $9.02.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 2,680 members out of 3,153 rating the stock outperform, and 473 members rating it underperform. Among 947 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 858 give Chipotle Mexican Grill a green thumbs-up, and 89 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Chipotle Mexican Grill is hold, with an average price target of $438.84.