Aflac Rises After Earnings Results (AFL)

Insurance company Aflac AFL released its Q1 earnings results after the closing bell on Wednesday. The company reported net earnings of $395 million or $0.84 per share compared to $636 million or $1.35 per share in the year ago period. On an non-GAAP basis, EPS were $1.63. This compared to analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41. Revenues rose 1% to $5.12 billion compared to $5.07 billion in the prior year quarter. This missed Wall Street estimates of $5.57 billion. Looking ahead, the company said that it expects EPS to be between $6.09 to $6.34, which compares with Street estimates of $6.17. For the second quarter, AFL sees EPS between $1.51 to $1.57. Wall Street analysts are currently projecting AFL will report EPS of $1.54 in Q2. The company's board declared a cash dividend of $0.30 which is payable on June 1, 2011. In the after hours trading session, AFL shares have added 1.33% to $55.01.