Does The Street Have NuStar Energy Figured Out?

NuStar Energy (NYSE: NS  ) is expected to report Q4 earnings on Jan. 31. 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 NuStar Energy's revenues will compress -50.2% and EPS will grow 6.7%.

The average estimate for revenue is $959.1 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.32.

Revenue details
Last quarter, NuStar Energy booked revenue of $1.74 billion. GAAP reported sales were 4.4% lower than the prior-year quarter's $1.82 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 $0.19. GAAP EPS were -$0.09 for Q3 against $0.93 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 6.6%, 180 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 2.9%, 220 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was -0.4%, 370 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $6.30 billion. The average EPS estimate is $0.82.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 350 members out of 369 rating the stock outperform, and 19 members rating it underperform. Among 127 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 123 give NuStar Energy 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 NuStar Energy is hold, with an average price target of $56.55.

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