Lufkin Industries (Nasdaq: LUFK) 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 Lufkin Industries's revenues will increase 42.9% and EPS will expand 32.2%.

The average estimate for revenue is $331.2 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.78.

Revenue details
 Last quarter, Lufkin Industries booked revenue of $305.6 million. GAAP reported sales were 35% higher than the prior-year quarter's $226.8 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 $0.66. GAAP EPS of $0.57 for Q2 were 5.0% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.60 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 25.0%, 30 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 11.5%, 130 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 6.3%, 180 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $1.27 billion. The average EPS estimate is $3.01.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 589 members out of 608 rating the stock outperform, and 19 members rating it underperform. Among 170 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 168 give Lufkin Industries 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 Lufkin Industries is outperform, with an average price target of $88.17.

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