Aflac (NYSE: AFL) reported Q4 EPS of $1.57, $0.13 worse than the analyst estimate of $1.70. Revenue for the quarter came in at $4.87 billion versus the consensus estimate of $4.28 billion.

OUTLOOK

Commenting on the company\'s results, Aflac Incorporated Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Daniel P. Amos stated: \"Aflac delivered solid earnings for the quarter and the year. These results reflect our focused efforts to execute on our strategy of creating long-term value for shareholders.

\"Looking at our operations in Japan, I am pleased with Aflac Japan\'s quarterly sales increase of 15.7% and annual sales increase of 16.0%. These strong results benefited largely from sales of our cancer insurance product Miraito. We continue to promote awareness for third sector protection to new and younger customers through our innovative first sector product Tsumitasu, which was repriced for new policies effective in September. Plus, we launched our new medical policy Anshin Palette in late December and will be promoting all three products in 2026. Overall, I believe we are advancing the right strategy focused on sales of third sector products to new and younger customers to provide them with integrated financial protection and services throughout their different stages of life.

\"In the U.S., I continue to be encouraged by our ability to add $1.6 billion in new sales for the year, but more importantly, maintain strong persistency of 79.2%. As a result, we saw an increase of 4.0% in net earned premiums for the fourth quarter and 2.9% for the year. This is part of our focus on more profitable growth through strong underwriting discipline and improved productivity of agents and brokers. We also expect to continue our prudent approach to expense management and maintaining a strong pretax margin.

\"We continue to generate strong capital and cash flows while maintaining our commitment to prudent liquidity and capital management. Our investments continue to produce strong net investment income that fits the needs of our operations in Japan, the U.S. and Bermuda. We treasure our 2025 milestone of 43 consecutive years of dividend increases and remain committed to extending this record, supported by our financial strength. Additionally, I am pleased with the Board\'s decision to increase the first quarter 2026 dividend by 5.2%. We repurchased $800 million in shares for the quarter and $3.5 billion for the year. We 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.