IPC The Hospitalist (Nasdaq: IPCM) is expected to report Q1 earnings on April 24. 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 IPC The Hospitalist's revenues will grow 14.5% and EPS will grow 10.0%.

The average estimate for revenue is $148.6 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.55.

Revenue details
 Last quarter, IPC The Hospitalist booked revenue of $137.6 million. GAAP reported sales were 17% higher than the prior-year quarter's $117.9 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 $0.50. GAAP EPS of $0.50 for Q4 were 2.0% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.51 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 27.1%, 20 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 10.0%, 10 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 6.1%, 120 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $599.3 million. The average EPS estimate is $2.17.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 68 members out of 72 rating the stock outperform, and four members rating it underperform. Among 14 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 14 give IPC The Hospitalist a green thumbs-up, and give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on IPC The Hospitalist is hold, with an average price target of $39.09.

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Seth Jayson had no position in any company mentioned here at the time of publication. You can view his stock holdings here. He is co-advisor of Motley Fool Hidden Gems, which provides new small-cap ideas every month, backed by a real-money portfolio. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.