It's Showtime for ConocoPhillips

ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP  ) is expected to report Q1 earnings on April 25. 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 ConocoPhillips's revenues will wane -73.0% and EPS will wane -29.7%.

The average estimate for revenue is $15.18 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.42.

Revenue details
Last quarter, ConocoPhillips logged revenue of $16.37 billion. GAAP reported sales were 2.3% higher than the prior-year quarter's $14.92 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 $1.43. GAAP EPS of $1.16 for Q4 were 55% lower than the prior-year quarter's $2.56 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 44.4%, 250 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 21.5%, 320 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 9.3%, much worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $57.45 billion. The average EPS estimate is $5.83.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 5,646 members out of 5,797 rating the stock outperform, and 151 members rating it underperform. Among 1,355 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 1,326 give ConocoPhillips a green thumbs-up, and 29 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on ConocoPhillips is hold, with an average price target of $61.65.

Looking for an alternative to ConocoPhillips? 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.

Add ConocoPhillips to My Watchlist.