Paychex (Nasdaq: PAYX) is expected to report Q3 earnings around March 27. 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 Paychex's revenues will grow 4.1% and EPS will increase 5.4%.

The average estimate for revenue is $592.6 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.39.

Revenue details
 Last quarter, Paychex reported revenue of $569.4 million. GAAP reported sales were 4.3% higher than the prior-year quarter's $545.7 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 $0.41. GAAP EPS of $0.41 for Q2 were 5.1% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.39 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 71.1%, 90 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 40.4%, 50 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 26.0%, 30 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $2.33 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.60.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 1,472 members out of 1,545 rating the stock outperform, and 73 members rating it underperform. Among 565 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 554 give Paychex a green thumbs-up, and 11 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Paychex is hold, with an average price target of $33.06.

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