Forest Oil (NYSE: FST) reported earnings on Feb. 21. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), Forest Oil missed estimates on revenue and whiffed on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue dropped significantly and GAAP earnings per share increased significantly.

Gross margin shrank, operating margin improved, and net margin expanded.

Revenue details
Forest Oil booked revenue of $176.7 million. The 12 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ looked for a top line of $190.3 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 17% lower than the prior-year quarter's $213.9 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
Non-GAAP EPS came in at $0.18. The 18 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ forecast $0.27 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS of $0.17 for Q4 were 21% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.14 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 77.1%, 140 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 38.7%, 1,700 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 11.0%, 340 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $187.0 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.22.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $795.1 million. The average EPS estimate is $1.02.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 339 members out of 354 rating the stock outperform, and 15 members rating it underperform. Among 98 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 92 give Forest 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 Forest Oil is outperform, with an average price target of $19.59.

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