Forest Oil (NYSE: FST) is expected to report Q4 earnings on Feb. 20. 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 Forest Oil's revenues will contract -2.3% and EPS will contract -44.4%.

The average estimate for revenue is $172.7 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.10.

Revenue details
 Last quarter, Forest Oil reported revenue of $156.1 million. GAAP reported sales were 10% lower than the prior-year quarter's $174.0 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 $0.10. GAAP EPS were -$3.97 for Q3 against $0.72 per share for the prior-year quarter.

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 74.5%, 560 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was -50.5%, 12,590 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was -293.9%, 34,150 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $666.3 million. The average EPS estimate is $0.37.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 332 members out of 348 rating the stock outperform, and 16 members rating it underperform. Among 85 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 76 give Forest Oil a green thumbs-up, and nine give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Forest Oil is hold, with an average price target of $9.14.

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