Can Marathon Petroleum Meet These Numbers?

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE: MPC  ) is expected to report Q4 earnings on Jan. 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 -0.6% and EPS will wither -1061.9%.

The average estimate for revenue is $19.32 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $2.02.

Revenue details
Last quarter, Marathon Petroleum logged revenue of $21.25 billion. GAAP reported sales were 1.6% higher than the prior-year quarter's $19.30 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 $3.31. GAAP EPS of $3.59 for Q3 were 14% higher than the prior-year quarter's $3.16 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 11.9%, 20 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 8.7%, 30 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 6.2%, 30 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $81.17 billion. The average EPS estimate is $9.61.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 147 members out of 150 rating the stock outperform, and three members rating it underperform. Among 46 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 45 give Marathon Petroleum a green thumbs-up, and one 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 $61.08.

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