Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE: RCL) is expected to report Q4 earnings around Jan. 27. 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 Royal Caribbean Cruises's revenues will grow 2.6% and EPS will wither -64.7%.

The average estimate for revenue is $1.82 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.06.

Revenue details
 Last quarter, Royal Caribbean Cruises reported revenue of $2.23 billion. GAAP reported sales were 4.1% lower than the prior-year quarter's $2.32 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, EPS came in at $1.68. GAAP EPS of $1.68 for Q3 were 7.7% lower than the prior-year quarter's $1.82 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 39.4%, 10 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 20.3%, 160 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 16.5%, 70 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $7.70 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.95.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 408 members out of 492 rating the stock outperform, and 84 members rating it underperform. Among 166 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 152 give Royal Caribbean Cruises a green thumbs-up, and 14 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Royal Caribbean Cruises is outperform, with an average price target of $31.13.

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