KUALA LUMPUR: Amanah Saham Nasional Bhd (ASNB) today announced a total income distribution pay-out of RM1.55 billion for the financial year ending March 31, 2021 for five of its funds.
These are two fixed price funds namely Amanah Saham Bumiputera 2 (ASB 2) and Amanah Saham Malaysia (ASM), together with three variable price funds which are ASN Equity 3, ASN Imbang 2 and ASN Sara 1.
ASNB is the wholly owned unit trust management company of Permodalan Nasional Bhd. (PNB)
In a statement today, PNB said ASB 2 declared a total income distribution pay-out of RM488.2 million benefitting 459,416 unit holders who currently hold 11.5 billion units.
ASM declared a total income distribution pay-out of RM851.2 million 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 RM499.0 million, whilst ASM recorded a net realised income of RM727.6 million.
"The performance of ASB 2 and ASM is benchmarked against the Maybank 12-month fixed deposit.
"For the financial year ending March 31, 2021, ASB 2 and ASM recorded annual total returns of 4.25 per cent and 4.0 per cent respectively, compared to the 1.95 per cent return of the Maybank 12-month fixed deposit," it said.
ASN Equity 3, ASN Imbang 2 and ASN Sara 1 registered double-digit total returns of 18.7 per cent, 17.0 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.
PNB said these returns are benchmarked against the FTSE Bursa Malaysia Top 100 Index (FBM 100) and Maybank 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.
PNB said with these returns, ASNB declared a total income distribution pay-out 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 pay-out 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 pay-out 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 between 3.15 per cent and 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, PNB said.
Income from international investment grew significantly with contributions between 40 per cent and 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.
Moving forward, PNB said given the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the group remains steadfast with its diversification strategies, by increasing investment into global markets and other asset classes such as real estate, private investments and fixed income instruments.
"PNB will continue to remain focused on the execution of its strategic plan in building a portfolio that is financially resilient and sustainable," it added.