KUALA LUMPUR, March 29 — Amanah Saham Nasional Bhd (ASNB), the wholly-owned unit trust management company of Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB), has announced a total income distribution payout of RM1.55 billion for the financial year ending March 31, 2021, for five of its funds.
In a statement today, PNB said the five funds include two fixed price funds namely Amanah Saham Bumiputera 2 (ASB 2) and Amanah Saham Malaysia (ASM), as well as three variable price funds which are ASN Equity 3, ASN Imbang 2 and ASN Sara 1.
For ASB 2, PNB has declared a dividend of 4.25 per cent, translating into a total income distribution payout of RM488.2 million benefitting 459,416 unit holders who currently hold 11.5 billion units.
For ASM, the company has declared a total income distribution payout of RM851.2 million or 4.0 per cent dividend, benefitting 559,222 unit holders who currently hold 21.3 billion units.
“As of March 25, 2021, ASB 2 recorded a net realised income of RM499 million, while ASM recorded a net realised income of RM727.6 million. The performance of ASB 2 and ASM is benchmarked against the 1.95 per cent return of Maybank’s 12-month fixed deposit,” it said.
Meanwhile, PNB said ASN Equity 3, ASN Imbang 2 and ASN Sara 1 registered double-digit total returns of 18.7 per cent, 17 per cent and 10.8 per cent respectively for the financial year ending March 31, 2021, driven largely by the recovery of the equity markets from the lows in the year 2020.
“These returns are benchmarked against the FTSE Bursa Malaysia Top 100 Index (FBM 100) and Maybank’s 12-month fixed deposit, at a ratio customised to each fund.
“During the same period, the FBM KLCI strengthened from 1,351 points to 1,598 points by 18.27 per cent following improved sentiment with the rollout of the vaccination programme globally and the anticipated recovery of the global economy,” it said.
With these returns, the company said ASNB declared a total income distribution payout of RM76.4 million for ASN Equity 3, which is equivalent to 3.53 sen per unit to 86,306 unit holders with 2.2 billion units.
Meanwhile, ASN Imbang 2 declared a total income distribution payout of RM45.4 million, which is equivalent to 3.11 sen per unit to 85,147 unit holders with 1.5 billion units, and ASN Sara 1 declared a total income distribution payout of RM91.8 million, which is equivalent to 3.52 sen per unit to 85,776 unit holders with 2.6 billion units.
“These represent a dividend yield of 3.15-3.95 per cent for each fund based on its respective net asset value (NAV) as of March 25, 2021.
“The income distributions declared by these funds are derived from the funds’ realised gains, dividends and other income. Income from international investment grew significantly with contributions of 40 per cent to 52 per cent to each respective fund for the financial year to date, reflecting the positive impact of the diversification initiatives undertaken by these funds,” it added. — Bernama
