SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]

See Note 1 for a discussion of the stock split that occurred in March 2018. All share and per-share amounts have been adjusted to reflect the stock split for any of the periods presented.

The following table is a reconciliation of the number of shares of the Company's common stock for the years ended December 31.



(In thousands of shares)	2018	2017	2016
Common stock - issued:
Balance, beginning of period	1,345,762	1,342,498	1,339,446
Exercise of stock options and issuance of restricted shares	1,778	3,264	3,052
Balance, end of period	1,347,540	1,345,762	1,342,498
Treasury stock:
Balance, beginning of period	564,852	530,877	490,686
Purchases of treasury stock:
Open market	28,949	35,510	43,236
Other	392	1,018	662
Dispositions of treasury stock:
Shares issued to AFL Stock Plan	(1,306)	(1,782)	(2,130)
Exercise of stock options	(519)	(734)	(1,366)
Other	(114)	(37)	(211)
Balance, end of period	592,254	564,852	530,877
Shares outstanding, end of period	755,286	780,910	811,621

Outstanding share-based awards are excluded from the calculation of weighted-average shares used in the computation of basic EPS. The following table presents the approximate number of share-based awards to purchase shares, on a weighted-average basis, that were considered to be anti-dilutive and were excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share at December 31:



(In thousands)	2018		2017		2016
Anti-dilutive share-based awards		44		510		1,822

The weighted-average shares used in calculating earnings per share for the years ended December 31 were as follows:



(In thousands of shares)	2018	2017	2016
Weighted-average outstanding shares used for calculating basic EPS	769,588	792,042	822,942
Dilutive effect of share-based awards	5,062	5,819	4,899
Weighted-average outstanding shares used for calculating diluted EPS	774,650	797,861	827,841

Share Repurchase Program: During 2018, the Company repurchased 28.9 million shares of its common stock in the open market, compared with 35.5 million shares in 2017 and 43.2 million shares in 2016. As of December 31, 2018, a remaining balance of 69.0 million shares of the Company's common stock was available for purchase under share repurchase authorizations by its board of directors.

Voting Rights: In accordance with the Parent Company's articles of incorporation, shares of common stock are generally entitled to one vote per share until they have been held by the same beneficial owner for a continuous period of 48 months, at which time they become entitled to 10 votes per share.

Reclassifications from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

The tables below are reconciliations of accumulated other comprehensive income by component for the years ended December 31.

Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income



2018
(In millions)	Unrealized Foreign Currency Translation Gains (Losses)				Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Investment Securities				Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Derivatives				Pension Liability Adjustment				Total
Balance, beginning of period		$	(1,750	)		$	5,964			$	(23	)		$	(163	)		$	4,028
Cumulative effect of change in accounting principle - financial instruments		0				(148		)		0				0				(148		)
Cumulative effect of change in accounting principle - tax effects from tax reform		(325		)		734				(3		)		(32		)		374
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassification		228				(2,350		)		2				(30		)		(2,150		)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)		0				34				0				13				47
Net current-period other comprehensive income (loss)		228				(2,316		)		2				(17		)		(2,103		)
Balance, end of period		$	(1,847	)		$	4,234			$	(24	)		$	(212	)		$	2,151

All amounts in the table above are net of tax.



2017
(In millions)	Unrealized Foreign Currency Translation Gains (Losses)				Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Investment Securities			Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Derivatives				Pension Liability Adjustment				Total
Balance, beginning of period		$	(1,983	)		$	4,805		$	(24	)		$	(168	)		$	2,630
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassification		233				1,158			1				(6		)		1,386
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)		0				1			0				11				12
Net current-period other comprehensive income (loss)		233				1,159			1				5				1,398
Balance, end of period		$	(1,750	)		$	5,964		$	(23	)		$	(163	)		$	4,028

All amounts in the table above are net of tax.



2016
(In millions)	Unrealized Foreign Currency Translation Gains (Losses)				Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Investment Securities				Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Derivatives				Pension Liability Adjustment				Total
Balance, beginning of period		$	(2,196	)		$	2,986			$	(26	)		$	(139	)		$	625
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassification		213				1,854				2				(32		)		2,037
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)		0				(35		)		0				3				(32		)
Net current-period other comprehensive income (loss)		213				1,819				2				(29		)		2,005
Balance, end of period		$	(1,983	)		$	4,805			$	(24	)		$	(168	)		$	2,630

All amounts in the table above are net of tax.

For the year ended December 31, 2018, see Note 1 for discussion of the amounts reclassified between AOCI and retained earnings upon the adoption of new accounting pronouncements.

The tables below summarize the amounts reclassified from each component of accumulated other comprehensive income based on source for the years ended December 31.

Reclassifications Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income



(In millions)	2018
Details about Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Components	Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income				Affected Line Item in the Statements of Earnings
Unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities		$	(63	)	Other-than-temporary impairment losses realized
		17			Other gains (losses)
		(46		)	Total before tax
		12			Tax (expense) or benefit⁽¹⁾
		$	(34	)	Net of tax
Amortization of defined benefit pension items:
Actuarial gains (losses)		$	(18	)	Acquisition and operating expenses⁽²⁾
Prior service (cost) credit		0			Acquisition and operating expenses⁽²⁾
		5			Tax (expense) or benefit⁽¹⁾
		$	(13	)	Net of tax
Total reclassifications for the period		$	(47	)	Net of tax

⁽¹⁾Based on 27% blended tax rate

⁽²⁾These accumulated other comprehensive income components are included in the computation of net periodic pension cost (see

Note 14 for additional details).



(In millions)	2017
Details about Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Components	Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income				Affected Line Item in the Statements of Earnings
Unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities		$	(29	)	Other-than-temporary impairment losses realized
		27			Other gains (losses)
		(2		)	Total before tax
		1			Tax (expense) or benefit⁽¹⁾
		$	(1	)	Net of tax
Amortization of defined benefit pension items:
Actuarial gains (losses)		$	(17	)	Acquisition and operating expenses⁽²⁾
Prior service (cost) credit		0			Acquisition and operating expenses⁽²⁾
		6			Tax (expense) or benefit⁽¹⁾
		$	(11	)	Net of tax
Total reclassifications for the period		$	(12	)	Net of tax

⁽¹⁾Based on 35% tax rate

⁽²⁾These accumulated other comprehensive income components are included in the computation of net periodic pension cost (see Note 14 for additional details).



(In millions)	2016
Details about Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Components	Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income				Affected Line Item in the Statements of Earnings
Unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities		$	(83	)	Other-than-temporary impairment losses realized
		136			Other gains (losses)
		53			Total before tax
		(18		)	Tax (expense) or benefit⁽¹⁾
		$	35		Net of tax
Amortization of defined benefit pension items:
Actuarial gains (losses)		$	(15	)	Acquisition and operating expenses⁽²⁾
Prior service (cost) credit		11			Acquisition and operating expenses⁽²⁾
		1			Tax (expense) or benefit⁽¹⁾
		$	(3	)	Net of tax
Total reclassifications for the period		$	32		Net of tax

⁽¹⁾Based on 35% tax rate

⁽²⁾These accumulated other comprehensive income components are included in the computation of net periodic pension cost (see Note 14 for additional details).