AES (NYSE: AES) is expected to report Q1 earnings on May 9. 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 AES's revenues will wither -2.4% and EPS will shrink -18.9%.

The average estimate for revenue is $4.62 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.30.

Revenue details
 Last quarter, AES logged revenue of $4.64 billion. GAAP reported sales were 15% higher than the prior-year quarter's $4.03 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 $0.32. GAAP EPS were $0.24 for Q4 compared to -$0.27 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 20.3%, 660 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 18.7%, 550 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 3.8%, 900 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $18.41 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.28.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 503 members out of 535 rating the stock outperform, and 32 members rating it underperform. Among 114 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 110 give AES 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 AES is buy, with an average price target of $13.06.

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