Alon USA Energy (NYSE: ALJ) is expected to report Q2 earnings on Aug. 6. 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 Alon USA Energy's revenues will contract -18.6% and EPS will wither -47.2%.

The average estimate for revenue is $1.55 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.28.

Revenue details
 Last quarter, Alon USA Energy reported revenue of $1.65 billion. GAAP reported sales were 8.0% lower than the prior-year quarter's $1.78 billion.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures are normalized by S&P Capital IQ and may vary to maintain comparability with normalized estimates.

EPS details
 Last quarter, EPS came in at $0.80. GAAP EPS were $0.80 for Q1 compared to -$0.52 per share for the prior-year quarter.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures are normalized by S&P Capital IQ and may vary to maintain comparability with normalized estimates.

Recent performance
 For the preceding quarter, gross margin was 12.2%, 650 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 7.7%, 830 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 3.3%, 500 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $6.24 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 373 members out of 396 rating the stock outperform, and 23 members rating it underperform. Among 91 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 85 give Alon USA Energy a green thumbs-up, and six give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Alon USA Energy is hold, with an average price target of $20.14.

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