Will These Numbers from Calpine Be Good Enough for You?

Calpine (NYSE: CPN  ) is expected to report Q4 earnings on Feb. 13. 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 Calpine's revenues will grow 107.9% and EPS will remain in the red.

The average estimate for revenue is $3.03 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is -$0.04.

Revenue details
Last quarter, Calpine booked revenue of $2.00 billion. GAAP reported sales were 9.6% lower than the prior-year quarter's $2.21 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 $0.46. GAAP EPS of $0.94 for Q3 were 141% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.39 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 44.9%, 1,790 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 35.0%, 1,700 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 21.9%, 1,330 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $6.35 billion. The average EPS estimate is $0.33.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 213 members out of 228 rating the stock outperform, and 15 members rating it underperform. Among 75 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 69 give Calpine 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 Calpine is outperform, with an average price target of $21.12.

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