Imperial Oil (AMEX: IMO) is expected to report Q4 earnings on Feb. 1. 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 Imperial Oil's revenues will wane -3.7% and EPS will contract -14.7%.

The average estimate for revenue is $7.70 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.99.

Revenue details
 Last quarter, Imperial Oil recorded revenue of $8.46 billion. GAAP reported sales were 11% higher than the prior-year quarter's $7.29 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 $1.24. GAAP EPS of $1.24 for Q3 were 28% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.97 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 23.4%, 280 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 17.2%, 260 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 13.1%, 180 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $31.28 billion. The average EPS estimate is $4.20.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 344 members out of 360 rating the stock outperform, and 16 members rating it underperform. Among 91 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 87 give Imperial Oil a green thumbs-up, and four give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Imperial Oil is hold, with an average price target of $50.14.

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