athenahealth (Nasdaq: ATHN) 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 athenahealth's revenues will expand 30.3% and EPS will grow 13.0%.

The average estimate for revenue is $109.1 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.26.

Revenue details
 Last quarter, athenahealth logged revenue of $103.5 million. GAAP reported sales were 33% higher than the prior-year quarter's $77.9 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 $0.24. GAAP EPS of $0.11 for Q2 were 21% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.14 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 60.4%, 230 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 5.4%, 670 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 4.0%, 270 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $430.1 million. The average EPS estimate is $0.99.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 183 members out of 239 rating the stock outperform, and 56 members rating it underperform. Among 64 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 47 give athenahealth a green thumbs-up, and 17 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on athenahealth is hold, with an average price target of $65.00.