Aflac (NYSE: AFL) reported Q1 EPS of $1.66, $0.08 better than the analyst estimate of $1.58. Revenue for the quarter came in at $5.4 billion versus the consensus estimate of $4.09 billion.

OUTLOOK

Commenting on the company\'s results, Aflac Incorporated Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President Daniel P. Amos stated: \"Aflac delivered very solid earnings for the quarter. We have continued to actively concentrate on driving profitable growth in the U.S. and Japan with new products and distribution strategies. We believe our strategy will continue to create long-term value for shareholders.

\"Looking at our operations in Japan, we have maintained disciplined underwriting and expense management to drive strong pretax profit margins. We expect sales campaigns around our 50th anniversary in Japan starting in the second quarter to get us back on track for the year.

\"In the U.S., we continue to focus on more profitable growth by exercising a stronger underwriting discipline with an emphasis on persistency. As a result, we are seeing positive results in both net earned premiums growth and persistency. At the same time, we continue our disciplined approach to expense management and maintaining a strong pretax margin. We expect to drive further improvements throughout the year.

\"We continue to generate strong capital and cash flows while maintaining our commitment to prudent liquidity and capital management. We treasure our track record of 41 consecutive years of dividend growth and remain committed to extending it, supported by our financial strength. In the quarter, we repurchased a record $750 million in shares and intend to continue our balanced approach of investing in growth and driving long-term operating efficiencies.\"

For earnings history and earnings-related data on Aflac (AFL) click here.