Marathon Petroleum (NYSE: MPC) is expected to report Q1 earnings on April 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 Marathon Petroleum's revenues will drop -0.4% and EPS will grow 26.5%.

The average estimate for revenue is $20.19 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $2.15.

Revenue details
 Last quarter, Marathon Petroleum recorded revenue of $20.71 billion. GAAP reported sales were 6.4% higher than the prior-year quarter's $18.12 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 $2.26. GAAP EPS were $2.23 for Q4 against -$0.23 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 9.5%, 750 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 6.2%, 710 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 3.9%, 430 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $92.21 billion. The average EPS estimate is $10.54.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a four-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 172 members out of 180 rating the stock outperform, and eight members rating it underperform. Among 44 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 42 give Marathon Petroleum a green thumbs-up, and two give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Marathon Petroleum is outperform, with an average price target of $69.81.

Looking for an alternative to Marathon Petroleum? By investing in this multibillion-dollar energy company, you can get in before its stock rebounds, when natural gas prices eventually do turn upward. And until natural gas prices do rebound (which a top Motley Fool analyst expects will happen by 2014), you can cash in on its stable 5.7% dividend. Click here for instant access to this free report.