Aflac Incorporated Announces Fourth Quarter Results, Reports Fourth Quarter Net Earnings of $1.4 Billion, Reiterates Increase in First Quarter Dividend of 5.2%

Core Insights - Aflac Incorporated reported a decline in total revenues and net earnings for the fourth quarter and full year of 2025 compared to 2024, indicating challenges in financial performance [1][5][18]. Financial Performance - Total revenues for Q4 2025 were $4.9 billion, down from $5.4 billion in Q4 2024, representing a decrease of 9.9% [1][25]. - Net earnings for Q4 2025 were $1.4 billion, or $2.64 per diluted share, compared to $1.9 billion, or $3.42 per diluted share in Q4 2024, reflecting a decline of 27.5% [1][26]. - For the full year 2025, total revenues decreased by 9.3% to $17.2 billion from $18.9 billion in 2024 [5][25]. - Net earnings for the full year 2025 were $3.6 billion, or $6.82 per diluted share, down from $5.4 billion, or $9.63 per diluted share in 2024, marking a 33.0% decline [5][26]. Investment Gains - Q4 2025 net investment gains were $537 million, or $1.03 per diluted share, compared to $1.0 billion, or $1.86 per diluted share in Q4 2024 [2][32]. - The investment gains were influenced by net gains on derivatives and foreign currency activities, alongside losses from sales and redemptions [2]. Adjusted Earnings - Adjusted earnings for Q4 2025 were $818 million, down 5.4% from $865 million in Q4 2024 [3][32]. - Adjusted earnings per diluted share increased by 0.6% to $1.57 in Q4 2025 [3][32]. - For the full year 2025, adjusted earnings were $4.0 billion, or $7.49 per diluted share, compared to $4.1 billion, or $7.21 per diluted share in 2024, reflecting a slight decrease of 1.6% [5][34]. Shareholders' Equity - Shareholders' equity at the end of Q4 2025 was $29.5 billion, or $56.85 per share, up from $26.1 billion, or $47.45 per share at the end of Q4 2024 [4][37]. - The increase in shareholders' equity was attributed to changes in discount rate assumptions on insurance reserves [4]. Aflac Japan Performance - In yen terms, Aflac Japan's net earned premiums for Q4 2025 were ¥252.6 billion, a decrease of 1.9% year-over-year [7][8]. - Adjusted net investment income in yen decreased by 3.9% to ¥97.4 billion [7]. - For the full year, net earned premiums in yen were ¥1.0 trillion, down 3.9% from the previous year [8]. Aflac U.S. Performance - Aflac U.S. net earned premiums increased by 4.0% to $1.5 billion in Q4 2025, reflecting improved sales [12][13]. - Total adjusted revenues for Aflac U.S. were up 3.3% to $1.7 billion in Q4 2025 [12]. - For the full year, net earned premiums increased by 2.9% to $6.0 billion [13]. Capital Management - The board declared a first-quarter dividend of $0.61 per share, payable on March 2, 2026 [17]. - Aflac repurchased $800 million worth of shares in Q4 2025, with a total of $3.5 billion in share repurchases for the year [17][22].