PETALING JAYA: Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) has declared a five sen dividend income for its flagship fund, Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB), higher than last year thanks to its diversification effort to invest in overseas assets.
The dividend comprises an income distribution of 4.25 sen per unit and a bonus of 0.75 sen per unit.
Last year, the country’s largest fund manager declared a lower dividend of 4.25 sen per unit for Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB) unitholders due to market weakness led by the Covid-19 pandemic uncertainties.
PNB said the total income distribution amounts to RM8.9bil and will benefit 10.4 million ASB unit holders.
This brings the fund’s total cumulative income distribution and bonus to RM168.5bil since it was first introduced in 1990.
In a statement on Thursday, PNB group chairman Tun Arifin Zakaria said: “We are pleased to see that our continuous efforts in diversifying and strengthening the portfolio have yielded positive results.
“The stronger performance of our global equity investments has managed to cushion the impact of the challenging domestic market.
“This exemplifies the importance of a well-diversified portfolio in managing portfolio risks and delivering sustainable returns.”
PNB said ASB allocation in international investments increased from 5.9% in 2020 to 8.2% this year. International public equities contributed 30.7% share to gross income in 2021 as compared to 24.2% last year.
Source: The Star
