Advisory Board (Nasdaq: ABCO) is expected to report Q4 earnings on May 9. 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 Advisory Board's revenues will grow 17.4% and EPS will grow 21.7%.

The average estimate for revenue is $117.9 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.28.

Revenue details
 Last quarter, Advisory Board chalked up revenue of $116.2 million. GAAP reported sales were 18% higher than the prior-year quarter's $98.5 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, non-GAAP EPS came in at $0.28. GAAP EPS of $0.12 for Q3 were 48% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.23 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 46.4%, 110 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 8.9%, 360 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 3.8%, 440 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $449.0 million. The average EPS estimate is $1.17.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a one-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 42 members out of 72 rating the stock outperform, and 30 members rating it underperform. Among 30 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 22 give Advisory Board a green thumbs-up, and eight give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Advisory Board is outperform, with an average price target of $50.44.

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