By Stephen Culp

NEW YORK, Jan 29 (Reuters) - ** Shares of Verizon Communications VZ.N up 1.2% on Thurs in advance of its qtrly results due before the bell on Fri

** Analysts expect telecom firm to report Q4 adj EPS of $1.05, down 4.2% y/y, on rev of $36.06 bln vs $35.68 bln in Q4 2024, based on LSEG data

** The co has met or beaten analysts' earnings expectations the past eight reporting periods, per LSEG

** On Jan 15, California authorities approved VZ's $20 bln purchase of Frontier Communications FYBR.O

** On Nov 13 co announced 15,000 job cuts as part of restructuring effort

** Of the 27 analysts covering the stock, recommendations are as follows: 10 "buy" or stronger, 16 "hold" and 1 "sell"

** The median 12-mo PT on VZ is $47.00, up a dollar from a month ago (LSEG)

** VZ options imply a 3.6% swing for the shares, in either direction, by Fri; that's just below the stock's 3.8% eight-qtr avg post-earnings move, according to Trade Alert

** YTD, VZ shares are down ~2% compared with the Dow's .DJI 1.8% gain over the same period

(Reporting by Stephen Culp; Additional reporting by Saqib Ahmed)

((stephen.culp@thomsonreuters.com))