Trading Aflac's Earnings (AFL, ALL, F)

As health and life insurance provider, Aflac

, is set to release fourth quarter earnings today, investors should know the tools at their disposal to help them realize a profit on this report. Aflac is expected to report earnings per share (

) of $1.35 at the close of business today. This estimate is greater than the EPS reported same quarter last year, $1.18. Revenues are expected to be $5.59 billion this quarter compared with $4.60 billion at the same time last year. Because analysts expect Aflac's earnings to beat those from last year, Aflac has a lot of pressure to report earnings that meet expectations or exceed them. Failure to meet expectations may lead to a similar downward spike that companies like Ford

experienced (a 17% decline) following a worse-than-expected earnings report. Competitors with Aflac include mostly privately held companies: American Fidelity, Transamerica, Benefit Communications, National Enrollment, Allstate

, Univers, Impact Interactive, and Farmington. Investors should be wary when investing near earnings reports because stocks can perform either really well or really poorly in the hours and days following a report. Because analysts for Aflac have high expectations, investors should be aware that disappointing earnings could spell big short-term losses for those who chose to invest. The risky day trader may consider taking a short position in Aflac and hope for poor earnings in order to capitalize on the decline in the stock price. Neither Benzinga nor its staff recommends that you buy, sell, or hold any security. We do not offer investment advice, personalized or otherwise. Benzinga recommends that you conduct your own due diligence and consult a certified financial professional for personalized advice about your financial situation.