AK Steel Holding (NYSE: AKS) is expected to report Q4 earnings on Jan. 29. 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 AK Steel Holding's revenues will contract -6.0% and EPS will remain in the red.

The average estimate for revenue is $1.42 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is -$0.36.

Revenue details
 Last quarter, AK Steel Holding recorded revenue of $1.46 billion. GAAP reported sales were 7.7% lower than the prior-year quarter's $1.59 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 -$0.25. GAAP EPS were -$0.55 for Q3 versus -$0.03 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 5.4%, 110 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was -0.8%, 150 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was -4.2%, 400 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $5.93 billion. The average EPS estimate is -$0.63.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 855 members out of 946 rating the stock outperform, and 91 members rating it underperform. Among 195 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 171 give AK Steel Holding a green thumbs-up, and 24 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on AK Steel Holding is hold, with an average price target of $6.44.

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Seth Jayson had no position in any company mentioned here at the time of publication. You can view his stock holdings here. He is co-advisor of Motley Fool Hidden Gems, which provides new small-cap ideas every month, backed by a real-money portfolio. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.