Murphy Oil (NYSE: MUR) is expected to report Q4 earnings on Jan. 30. 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 Murphy Oil's revenues will wane -1.1% and EPS will expand 2.3%.

The average estimate for revenue is $6.74 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.34.

Revenue details
 Last quarter, Murphy Oil logged revenue of $7.12 billion. GAAP reported sales were 0.9% lower than the prior-year quarter's $7.19 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 $1.17. GAAP EPS of $1.16 for Q3 were 44% lower than the prior-year quarter's $2.09 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 13.1%, 20 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 5.8%, 140 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 3.2%, 240 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $28.16 billion. The average EPS estimate is $5.51.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 503 members out of 520 rating the stock outperform, and 17 members rating it underperform. Among 128 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 121 give Murphy Oil a green thumbs-up, and seven give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Murphy Oil is outperform, with an average price target of $60.64.

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