AFLAC - Chmn. & CEO Interview.

(From CEOWire)

Byline: Liz Claman

LIZ CLAMAN, CNBC ANCHOR: The duck is back. AFLAC`s first-quarter profits up by 33 percent, helped by growing U.S. and Japanese sales, and a stronger yen. Translation: a weaker dollar. The supplemental insurance provider earned 61 cents a share, excluding items, earned 57 cents, that is 3 cents ahead of estimates. Revenues climbed nearly 17 percent to $3.28 billion. With us now, Dan Amos, chairman and CEO of AFLAC, joining us live from Columbus, Georgia.

Good to see you, Mr. Amos. Thank you for being here.

DAN AMOS, CHMN. & CEO, AFLAC: Good morning. Thank you for having me.

CLAMAN: Well, total revenues up close to 17 percent year-over-year. I do see that that does reflect a stronger yen to the dollar. U.S. sales, though, a point of past weakness, and we`ve talked about that here on WAKE UP CALL often. They did beat estimates, growing 13.8 percent. Are you pleased with the growth there, or would you like to see that segment expand more quickly?

AMOS: Well, of course, I would always like to see it expand. But at the same time, our goal was a 10 to 12 percent increase, and so being up 13.8 is back on track with what I like to see. I think there`s a huge potential in the United States, and I think the only reason last year we ran a little behind is because we`d had such accelerated growth the three years before, compounded at 24 percent. So I think what it shows is we`re back on track, and I expect to have a fabulous year this year in our U.S. operation, as well as in Japan.