Stillwater Mining (NYSE: SWC) is expected to report Q3 earnings on Oct. 30. 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 Stillwater Mining's revenues will wither -18.0% and EPS will compress -86.5%.

The average estimate for revenue is $208.1 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.05.

Revenue details
 Last quarter, Stillwater Mining notched revenue of $212.8 million. GAAP reported sales were 4.4% lower than the prior-year quarter's $222.6 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 $0.15. GAAP EPS of $0.15 for Q2 were 62% lower 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 21.0%, 1,400 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 6.5%, 1,550 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 8.6%, 1,060 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $808.0 million. The average EPS estimate is $0.26.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 621 members out of 670 rating the stock outperform, and 49 members rating it underperform. Among 145 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 132 give Stillwater Mining a green thumbs-up, and 13 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Stillwater Mining is outperform, with an average price target of $15.80.

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