KUALA LUMPUR: Permodalan Nasional Bhd’s (PNB) wholly-owned unit trust management company, Amanah Saham Nasional Berhad (ASNB) has announced a total income distribution payout of RM1.39bil for the financial year ending March 31, 2022.

       In a statement, it said Amanah Saham Bumiputera 2 (ASB 2) declared a total income distribution payout of RM514.5mil, equivalent to 4.30 sen

       per unit to 481,030 unit holders who currently own 11.96 billion units.

       Amanah Saham Malaysia (ASM) declared a total income distribution payout of RM883.5mil, which is equivalent to 4.00 sen per unit to 567,904 unit holders with 22.09 billion units.

       As of March 22, ASB 2 recorded a net realised income of RM563.93mil, whilst ASM recorded RM1.03bil.

       “The income distributions of ASB 2 and ASM translate to total returns of 4.30% and 4.00% respectively, both outperforming the benchmark of Maybank’s 12-Month Fixed Deposit at 1.85% by 245 basis points for ASB 2 and 215 basis points for ASM,” PNB said.

       Both funds derived their incomes from realised gains, dividends, as well as other income from domestic and international investments, generally driven by the reopening of economies in most countries as we move towards the endemic phase.

       PNB said the funds have also benefited from the diversification strategy of their portfolios with the increasing allocation to international investment.

       “For ASB 2, the international investment rose to 18.7% compared to 15.7% in the previous year, whilst for ASM, it rose to 20.5% from 19.8% in 2021,” it added.

       The computation of income distribution for ASB 2 and ASM is based on the average minimum monthly balance held throughout the financial year of each fund.

       The distribution declared by these funds will be automatically reinvested into unit holders’ accounts on April 1.