Core Viewpoint - Verizon Communications has shown significant improvement in its financial performance, making it an attractive option for income investors, particularly due to its robust free cash flow growth, accelerating earnings, and an improving underlying business. Group 1: Financial Performance - Verizon's shares increased by 11.83% following its Q4 update, reflecting positive investor sentiment [2][3] - The company reported free cash flow of $20.1 billion for 2025, an increase from $19.8 billion in the previous year, with guidance projecting a further growth of at least 7% to $21.5 billion in 2026 [3][4] - Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be between $4.90 and $4.95 in 2026, indicating a year-over-year growth of 4% to 5% [5][6] Group 2: Business Improvement - Verizon's underlying business is showing noticeable improvement, with the highest quarterly postpaid phone net additions since 2019 [6][8] - Wireless services revenue rose by 1.1% to $21 billion in Q4, while wireless equipment revenue increased by 9.1% year over year to $8.2 billion [8] - The company has successfully reduced its net unsecured debt to $110.1 billion at the end of Q4 2025, down from $113.7 billion the previous year [8] Group 3: Strategic Moves - The acquisition of Frontier Communications, set to close on January 20, 2026, is viewed as a pivotal step in Verizon's turnaround strategy, significantly expanding its fiber footprint to over 30 million homes and businesses [9]

Core Insights - Wall Street analysts are shifting focus from steady earnings growth to earnings acceleration due to October's stock market volatility, as earnings acceleration is a key driver of stock prices [1][9] - Companies like NIO Inc., Roku, Inc., and Groupon, Inc. are demonstrating significant earnings acceleration, indicating potential for stock price rallies [2][9] Earnings Acceleration - Earnings acceleration refers to the incremental growth in a company's earnings per share (EPS), characterized by an increase in quarter-over-quarter earnings growth rates [3] - This concept helps identify stocks that have not yet attracted investor attention, which can lead to a subsequent rally in share prices [4] Earnings Growth Indicators - A rising percentage of earnings growth suggests a fundamentally sound company, while stagnant or declining growth rates may indicate consolidation or potential price declines [5] - Analysts recommend looking for stocks where the last two quarter-over-quarter EPS growth rates exceed previous periods, with projected growth rates for the upcoming quarter also expected to surpass prior periods [6][9] Stock Screening Criteria - Specific criteria for identifying earnings accelerators include: - Current quarter EPS growth rate must exceed the previous quarter's growth rate [7] - Completed quarter's growth rate must exceed the growth rate from two quarters ago [7] - Current stock price should be greater than or equal to $5 to filter out low-priced stocks [7] - Average 20-day trading volume should be at least 50,000 to ensure adequate liquidity [8] Featured Companies - **NIO Inc.**: Expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 34.4%, focusing on smart electric vehicles [10] - **Roku, Inc.**: Expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 113.5%, operating a TV streaming platform [11] - **Groupon, Inc.**: Expected earnings growth rate for the current year is nearly 153%, connecting consumers to merchants through discounted offerings [12]

Core Viewpoint - The article emphasizes the importance of contrarian investment strategies based on macroeconomic views and specific stock turnaround stories to achieve significant returns with a favorable risk/reward profile [1]. Group 1: Investment Strategy - The investment approach focuses on making contrarian bets, which involves taking positions that are contrary to prevailing market trends [1]. - The strategy aims to identify stock-specific turnaround stories that can lead to outsized returns [1]. Group 2: Experience and Expertise - The author has over fifteen years of experience in the investment banking sector, specializing in industry and company research [1]. - The expertise includes analyzing various news, events, and financial reports to uncover potential investment opportunities and risks [1].