PETALING JAYA: Permodalan Nasional Bhd’s (PNB) unit trust management, Amanah Saham Nasional Bhd (ASNB), has declared a total distribution of 4.25 sen per unit for the financial year ending Dec 31 for its Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB) which translates into a total payout of RM7.6 billion for its 10.2 million unit holders.
The payout consists of a distribution of 3.5 sen and a bonus of 0.75 sen per unit.
In addition, all ASB unit holders will receive a special 30th Anniversary Ehsan payment of 0.75 sen per unit for their first 30,000 units.
PNB group chairman Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz commended the unit trust’s competitive distribution against the backdrop of volatile financial markets,
“ASB’s performance remains competitive relative to other low-risk investment instruments. ASB continues to be a sound option for individuals with a low risk profile and a long-term investment horizon,” she said in a statement.
She noted that ASB’s portfolio diversification strategy has continued to see progress in 2020, with increased exposure to international equities, private equity, real estate and fixed income.
Currently, its share of international assets has grown to 5.9% from 3.6% in 2019.
“Amidst global market volatility, this strategy has begun to yield positive results, with the proportion of gross income contribution from international public equity increasing from 6.3% in 2019 to 24.2% in 2020,” said Zeti.
Meanwhile, PNB’s total assets under management grew to RM320.5 billion as at November 2020, a 2.7% increase from the previous year.
The total number of units in circulation for its 15 funds grew by 3.4% to 263.2 billion, with more than 200,000 new accounts registered for the year, bringing the total number of accounts to 14.5 million, with 12.2 million unique account holders.
PNB recorded a total payout of RM11.2 billion across all funds in 2020, bringing its cumulative income distribution payout since inception to RM211.4 billion.
