United States Steel (NYSE: X) reported earnings on Jan. 29. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
 For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), United States Steel beat expectations on revenues and exceeded expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue dropped and GAAP loss per share contracted.

Margins grew across the board.

Revenue details
 United States Steel logged revenue of $4.49 billion. The 12 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ predicted sales of $4.34 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 6.9% lower than the prior-year quarter's $4.82 billion.

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

EPS details
 EPS came in at -$0.35. The 18 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ forecast -$0.74 per share. GAAP EPS were -$0.35 for Q4 versus -$1.58 per share for the prior-year quarter.

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 6.0%, 240 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was -0.9%, 280 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was -1.1%, 330 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
 Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $4.63 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.30.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $18.89 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.57.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 1,949 members out of 2,105 rating the stock outperform, and 156 members rating it underperform. Among 477 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 438 give United States Steel a green thumbs-up, and 39 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on United States Steel is hold, with an average price target of $25.82.

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