• Dividend comprises income distribution 3.35 sen, bonus 1.25 sen, Bonus Tambahan 0.5 sen
• Total payout RM8.9 billion benefits 10.6 million unit holders  

PERMODALAN Nasional Bhd (PNB) has declared a distribution payout of 4.6 sen a unit and an additional bonus of 0.5 sen a unit for its flagship fund, Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB), for the current financial year.

The payout comprises of an income distribution of 3.35 sen a unit, a bonus of 1.25 sen a unit and a Bonus Tambahan of 0.50 sen a unit for balances of up to 30,000 ASB units in the year ending Dec 31, 2022.

The total distribution of RM8.9 billion will benefit 10.6 million unit holders owning 186.4 billion units in the fund.

PNB Group chairman Tun Ariffin Zakaria in a statement said, Amanah Saham Nasional Berhad (ASNB) has delivered a competitive income distribution for ASB in spite of the challenging market.

“Despite difficult market conditions, we have delivered a competitive income distribution for ASB, which this year includes a Bonus Tambahan. (This bonus) is to assist our unitholders during (the current) period of cost of living pressures,” he said.

President and Group CEO Ahmad Zulqarnain Onn said Malaysian companies were the largest contributors to ASB returns, driven by its investments in financial services, plantation and healthcare sectors.

“ASB took advantage of the relatively strong domestic equity market performance in the first half of 2022 to capture gains, rebalance its portfolio and increase its cash holdings,” he added.

Last year, ASB distributed 5 sen per unit to its unit holders, comprising an income distribution of 4.25 sen per unit and a bonus of 0.75 sen per unit.

For the year under review, ASB’s number of accounts increased by more than 200,000 to 10.6 million accounts, whilst units in circulation rose by 4.6 billion or 2.53% to 186.4 billion units, indicating continued confidence in ASB as an essential savings and investment tool for the Bumiputera community.

“We are pleased to see the steady rise of Malaysians investing with us, as well as the increase in the size of their investments. ASB remains a fundamental component for our unit holders’ financial planning,” Ahmad Zulqarnain said.

He added ASB continues to deliver over its benchmark as a result of the asset allocation and diversification strategies employed by ASNB in recent years. – TMR / pic by Muhd Amin Naharul