Aflac Incorporated Increases Quarterly Cash Dividend By 18.2%, Authorizes Additional Share Repurchase
February 14 2006 - 4:04PM
PR Newswire (US)
COLUMBUS, Ga., Feb. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Aflac
Incorporated's board of directors today approved an 18.2% increase
in the quarterly cash dividend from $.11 to $.13 per share. The
increase is effective with the first quarter dividend, which is
payable on March 1, 2006, to shareholders of record at the close of
business on February 17, 2006. The board of directors also
authorized the purchase of up to 30 million shares of its common
stock. This authorization is in addition to the 17 million shares
that remained under a previous authorization as of December 31,
2005, bringing the total number of shares available for purchase to
approximately 47 million. The company anticipates that the
repurchase of shares will be conducted from time to time in open
market or negotiated transactions, depending on market conditions.
Commenting on the board of directors' actions, Aflac Incorporated
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Daniel P. Amos stated: "This
marks the 24th consecutive year of cash dividend increases for
Aflac Incorporated. I believe the board's decision to increase the
dividend and to authorize additional shares for repurchase reflects
our continued optimism in Aflac's outlook." For 50 years, Aflac
products have given policyholders the opportunity to direct cash
where it is needed most when a life-interrupting medical event
causes financial challenges. Aflac is the number one provider of
guaranteed- renewable insurance in the United States and the number
one insurance company in terms of individual insurance policies in
force in Japan. Aflac's insurance products provide protection to
more than 40 million people worldwide. Aflac has been included in
Fortune magazine's listing of America's Most Admired Companies and
Forbes magazine's Platinum 400 List of America's Best Big Companies
for five consecutive years. In January 2006, Aflac was included in
Fortune magazine's list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in
America for the eighth consecutive year. Aflac was also included in
Fortune magazine's list of the Top 50 Employers for Minorities in
August 2005, and in September 2005, Aflac Japan was named the Life
Insurance Company of the Year at the Asia Insurance Industry
Awards, sponsored by the Asia Insurance Review. Aflac Incorporated
(NYSE:AFL) is a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock
Exchange under the symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac, visit
aflac.com. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
provides a "safe harbor" to encourage companies to provide
prospective information, so long as those informational statements
are identified as forward-looking and are accompanied by meaningful
cautionary statements identifying important factors that could
cause actual results to differ materially from those included in
the forward-looking statements. We desire to take advantage of
these provisions. This document contains cautionary statements
identifying important factors that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those projected herein, and in any other
statements made by company officials in oral discussions with the
financial community and contained in documents filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Forward-looking
statements are not based on historical information and relate to
future operations, strategies, financial results or other
developments. Furthermore, forward- looking information is subject
to numerous assumptions, risks, and uncertainties. In particular,
statements containing words such as "expect," "anticipate,"
"believe," "goal," "objective," "may," "should," "estimate,"
"intends," "projects," "will," "assumes," "potential," "target," or
similar words as well as specific projections of future results,
generally qualify as forward-looking. Aflac undertakes no
obligation to update such forward-looking statements. We caution
readers that the following factors, in addition to other factors
mentioned from time to time in our reports filed with the SEC,
could cause actual results to differ materially from those
contemplated by the forward-looking statements: legislative and
regulatory developments; assessments for insurance company
insolvencies; competitive conditions in the United States and
Japan; new product development and customer response to new
products and new marketing initiatives; ability to attract and
retain qualified sales associates; ability to repatriate profits
from Japan; changes in U.S. and/or Japanese tax laws or accounting
requirements; credit and other risks associated with Aflac's
investment activities; significant changes in investment yield
rates; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; deviations
in actual experience from pricing and reserving assumptions
including, but not limited to, morbidity, mortality, persistency,
expenses, and investment yields; level and outcome of litigation;
downgrades in the company's credit rating; changes in rating agency
policies or practices; subsidiary's ability to pay dividends to
parent company; ineffectiveness of hedging strategies used to
minimize the exposure of our shareholders' equity to foreign
currency translation fluctuations; catastrophic events; and general
economic conditions in the United States and Japan. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041202/CLTH019LOGO) Analyst
and investor contact - Kenneth S. Janke Jr., 800.235.2667 - option
3, FAX: 706.324.6330, or Media contact - Laura Kane, 706.596.3493,
FAX: 706.320.2288, or First Call Analyst: FCMN Contact:
bbarfield@aflac.com
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20041202/CLTH019LOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Aflac Incorporated CONTACT:
Analyst and investors, Kenneth S. Janke Jr., +1-800-235-2667 -
option 3, or Fax, +1-706-324-6330, or , or Media, Laura Kane,
+1-706-596-3493, or Fax, +1-706-320-2288, or , both of Aflac
Incorporated Web site: http://www.aflac.com/
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