Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE: APC) is expected to report Q3 earnings on Oct. 29. 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 Anadarko Petroleum's revenues will expand 4.9% and EPS will increase 13.6%.

The average estimate for revenue is $3.36 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.75.

Revenue details
 Last quarter, Anadarko Petroleum booked revenue of $3.22 billion. GAAP reported sales were 14% lower than the prior-year quarter's $3.73 billion.

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 $0.85. GAAP EPS were -$0.18 for Q2 versus $1.08 per share for the prior-year quarter.

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 79.7%, 290 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 3.8%, 3,400 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was -2.8%, 1,740 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $13.62 billion. The average EPS estimate is $3.46.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 1,442 members out of 1,492 rating the stock outperform, and 50 members rating it underperform. Among 311 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 304 give Anadarko Petroleum a green thumbs-up, and seven give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Anadarko Petroleum is outperform, with an average price target of $100.26.

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