Black Box (Nasdaq: BBOX) 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 Black Box's revenues will compress -5.1% and EPS will improve 3.3%.

The average estimate for revenue is $254.8 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.62.

Revenue details
 Last quarter, Black Box chalked up revenue of $256.0 million. GAAP reported sales were 0.4% higher than the prior-year quarter's $255.0 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 $0.65. GAAP EPS of $0.63 for Q4 were 6.0% 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 32.3%, 170 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 6.4%, 190 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 4.4%, 40 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $1.06 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.88.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 66 members out of 78 rating the stock outperform, and 12 members rating it underperform. Among 18 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 16 give Black Box a green thumbs-up, and two give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Black Box is hold, with an average price target of $31.00.

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