Marathon Petroleum (NYSE: MPC) is expected to report Q3 earnings around Nov. 1. 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 Marathon Petroleum's revenues will drop -5.1% and EPS will expand 0.9%.

The average estimate for revenue is $19.59 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $3.19.

Revenue details
 Last quarter, Marathon Petroleum reported revenue of $20.26 billion. GAAP reported sales were 3.5% lower than the prior-year quarter's $19.50 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 $2.53. GAAP EPS of $2.38 for Q2 were 6.2% higher than the prior-year quarter's $2.24 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 10.5%, 90 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 6.9%, 20 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 4.3%, 20 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $78.96 billion. The average EPS estimate is $9.05.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 114 members out of 117 rating the stock outperform, and three members rating it underperform. Among 27 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 26 give Marathon Petroleum a green thumbs-up, and one give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Marathon Petroleum is outperform, with an average price target of $52.79.

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