Actuate (Nasdaq: BIRT) is expected to report Q4 earnings on Feb. 4. 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 Actuate's revenues will wither -3.6% and EPS will compress -40.0%.

The average estimate for revenue is $34.0 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.09.

Revenue details
 Last quarter, Actuate reported revenue of $32.2 million. GAAP reported sales were 4.8% lower than the prior-year quarter's $33.8 million.

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 $0.08. GAAP EPS dropped to zero from the prior-year quarter's $0.09.

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 82.4%, 160 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 9.0%, 1,160 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 0.3%, 1,370 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $137.3 million. The average EPS estimate is $0.39.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 486 members out of 501 rating the stock outperform, and 15 members rating it underperform. Among 102 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 97 give Actuate a green thumbs-up, and five give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Actuate is outperform, with an average price target of $8.67.

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