** Verizon VZ shares down 1.5% ahead of qtrly earnings report early on Tues, with investors focused on tepid wireless subscriber growth

** Mon's drop in VZ was less than the S&P 500's nearly 3% slump, with Wall Street unnerved by U.S. President Donald Trump's attacks against Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell

** VZ in March warned that off-season promotions by rivals would lead to "soft" wireless subscriber growth in first qtr, sparking a selloff in the telecom sector

** US telecoms have leaned on incentives in a battle for customers as growth slows in a saturated market

** Analysts expect qtrly rev up 0.8% to $33.24 bln, with adjusted EPS seen at $1.15, unchanged from yr-ago, per LSEG

** VZ stock recently at 9 times expected earnings, in line with its 5-yr avg, suggesting it may be close to fairly valued, per LSEG data

** The co's stock has climbed about 8% YTD, outperforming the S&P 500 .SPX, which has fallen 13%

** In past 30 days, five out of 25 analysts raised EPS estimates for the qtr, while two revised downwards

(Reporting by Noel Randewich)

((noel.randewich@thomsonreuters.com))