🧾 What This Document Is

This is a Form 8-K, a required filing companies use to announce major news to investors. Think of it as a formal alert system. This specific filing has two key announcements: a preview of some financial results and the date for their main quarterly earnings presentation.

👉 Why it matters: It gives investors a heads-up on a specific, important profit metric before the official quarterly report is ready, which is unusual and significant.

🏢 What The Company Does

Athene Holding Ltd. is a major retirement services company. In simple terms, they are in the business of managing and investing money for pensions and annuities. They take in capital and use it to invest in a wide range of assets, from traditional stocks and bonds to more complex "alternative" investments like private equity and real estate. They are a subsidiary of the giant investment firm Apollo Global Management.

💰 The Key Financial Preview: Alternative Income

This is the core news of the filing. Athene is providing early estimates for its "Alternative Net Investment Income" for the first quarter of 2026 (Q1 2026).

• Estimated Income: Approximately $205 million (pre-tax) for Q1 2026.
• Estimated Return: This equates to an annualized return of about 6% on their alternative investments.
• Performance Breakdown:
  • The main pool of alternative investments returned an estimated 7% annualized.
  • Investments in retirement platforms (like Athora) returned an estimated 3% annualized.
• Important Context: The filing notes this performance occurred while the S&P 500 index had an annualized return of approximately (17)% for the same quarter, highlighting that these alternative investments held up better than the public stock market.

👉 Why it matters: This shows how Athene's complex investment strategy performed during a rough quarter for stocks. The ~7% return on its main pool is a key indicator of health for their business model.

📢 The Big Announcement: Earnings Call

Athene's parent company, Apollo, will host a public webcast to review its full Q1 2026 financial results. This is when all the details will be released.

• Date & Time: May 6, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. ET.
• Where to Find It: A public webcast will be available at https://ir.apollo.com. A replay will be posted one hour after the live event.

👉 Why it matters: This is the date to circle on your calendar. The preliminary numbers today are a teaser; the full picture, including how other parts of the business did, will come on May 6.

⚠️ A Critical Caveat: It's Preliminary

The filing includes strong, repeated warnings about these numbers. They are preliminary estimates.

• Not Final: The company's financial closing procedures are not complete.
• Not Audited: The independent accountants have not checked these numbers.
• Potential for Change: The final figures "may differ, possibly materially," from these estimates.
• Not a Substitute: These should not be seen as a replacement for the official, audited financial statements.

👉 Why it matters: You should use this information as an early signal, not a confirmed fact. It’s designed to manage expectations and reduce surprise when the full, official report comes out.

🔗 Connection to Apollo

This filing highlights the deep integration between Athene and Apollo Global Management, Inc., its parent company. The earnings call is hosted by Apollo, and Athene's results are a critical part of Apollo's overall performance. This structure is common where a specialized operating company (Athene) sits under a larger asset manager (Apollo).

🧠 The Analogy

Think of Athene like a specialized boat captain in a stormy sea (the Q1 2026 market). While many other boats (the S&P 500) are taking on water, the captain is radioing ahead to say, "We're holding a steady course and our specialized equipment (alternative investments) is keeping us afloat at about a 6% pace." The official, detailed ship's log (the full earnings report) will be delivered in a few weeks.

📇 Key Contacts & People

• Signatory: Louis-Jacques Tanguy, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
• Investor Relations Website: https://ir.apollo.com (for the webcast and future materials).

🧩 Final Takeaway

Athene is providing an early, positive signal that its alternative investment portfolio performed resiliently (~6% annualized return) during a tough market quarter. However, these are strictly preliminary numbers. The full, verified story will be told on May 6, 2026, during Apollo's earnings call.