COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) — COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) — Aflac Inc. (AFL) on Wednesday reported first-quarter earnings of $1.88 billion.

The Columbus, Georgia-based company said it had net income of $3.25 per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring gains, were $1.66 per share.

The results beat Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of seven analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.58 per share.

The insurer posted revenue of $5.44 billion in the period, which also beat Street forecasts. Six analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $4.32 billion.

Aflac shares have risen roughly 3% since the beginning of the year, while the S&P's 500 index has climbed slightly more than 5%. In the final minutes of trading on Wednesday, shares hit $84.83, a rise of 21% in the last 12 months.

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