General Electric (NYSE: GE) is expected to report Q4 earnings on Jan. 18. 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 General Electric's revenues will grow 2.0% and EPS will expand 10.3%.

The average estimate for revenue is $38.71 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.43.

Revenue details
 Last quarter, General Electric booked revenue of $36.35 billion. GAAP reported sales were 2.8% higher than the prior-year quarter's $35.36 billion.

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 $0.36. GAAP EPS of $0.33 for Q3 were 50% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.22 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 36.2%, 160 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 11.6%, 50 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 9.6%, 50 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $145.78 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.50.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 15,469 members out of 16,510 rating the stock outperform, and 1,041 members rating it underperform. Among 3,146 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 2,997 give General Electric a green thumbs-up, and 149 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on General Electric is outperform, with an average price target of $23.75.

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