BUZZ-Street View: Verizon's holiday performance is a good start

** Verizon VZ.N forecast annual profit and free cash flow above market expectations on Friday, after aggressive promotions during peak holiday period fueled its highest quarterly wireless subscriber additions in six years

** On average, 27 analysts rate the stock "hold"; median PT $48, as per data compiled by LSEG

REAL TEST STARTS NOW

** Morgan Stanley ("equal weight," PT: $49) says VZ's results should help allay concerns that the company's strategic realignment and ambitions to improve financial and operational performance could destroy its value

** Bernstein ("market perform," PT: $48) says "despite a worsened competitive dynamics, we’re incrementally more optimistic about what lies ahead for VZ"

** Wells Fargo ("equal weight," PT: $44) says the story sounds encouraging if VZ can strike the right balance between subs and profitability to accelerate EBITDA/free cash flow growth** Says, "There is a lot of execution risk, however, around the cost/capex cuts that give us some pause"

** UBS ("neutral," PT: $48) sees 2026 as a year of investment/transition and the stock's performance will increasingly hinge on its ability to deliver sustainable subscriber/EBITDA growth beyond this year

(Reporting by Joel Jose in Bengaluru)

((joeljose@thomsonreuters.com))