Murphy Oil (NYSE: MUR) is expected to report Q3 earnings on Oct. 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 Murphy Oil's revenues will compress -2.3% and EPS will contract -31.8%.

The average estimate for revenue is $7.08 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.18.

Revenue details
 Last quarter, Murphy Oil reported revenue of $7.19 billion. GAAP reported sales were 2.8% lower than the prior-year quarter's $7.38 billion.

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 $1.52. GAAP EPS of $1.52 for Q2 were 5.0% lower than the prior-year quarter's $1.60 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 14.1%, 120 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 6.8%, 20 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 4.1%, 10 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $28.44 billion. The average EPS estimate is $5.63.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 497 members out of 513 rating the stock outperform, and 16 members rating it underperform. Among 120 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 114 give Murphy Oil a green thumbs-up, and six give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Murphy Oil is hold, with an average price target of $62.45.

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