Southern (NYSE: SO) 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 Southern's revenues will grow 10.0% and EPS will increase 6.6%.

The average estimate for revenue is $5.97 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.13.

Revenue details
 Last quarter, Southern tallied revenue of $4.18 billion. GAAP reported sales were 7.5% lower than the prior-year quarter's $4.52 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, non-GAAP EPS came in at $0.69. GAAP EPS of $0.71 for Q2 were 1.4% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.70 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 43.0%, 330 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 26.9%, 180 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 14.9%, 150 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $18.03 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.64.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 1,022 members out of 1,078 rating the stock outperform, and 56 members rating it underperform. Among 301 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 292 give Southern a green thumbs-up, and nine give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Southern is hold, with an average price target of $45.88.

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