KUALA LUMPUR: Amanah Saham Nasional Bhd (ASNB) has declared an income distribution of 5.00 sen per unit for Amanah Saham Malaysia 3 (ASM 3) for the financial year ending Sept 30, 2026, its highest payout in seven years.
The wholly-owned unit trust company of Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) said the total income distribution amounted to RM1.01bil and would benefit 818,137 unitholders holding 20.97 billion units.
The 5.00 sen distribution is higher than the 4.75 sen per unit declared in the previous financial year.
ASNB said ASM 3 outperformed its benchmark, the Maybank 12-month fixed deposit rate of 1.99%, by 301 basis points.
As of Sept 23, the fund recorded a net realised income of RM1.23bil.
ASNB said the fund's income was supported by realised gains, dividend income and other income from its diversified investments across domestic and international markets.
At the same time, its allocation across fixed income, real estate and private investments contributed to greater diversification of income sources and helped strengthen portfolio resilience amid changing market conditions.
For unitholders who opted for the Zakat Khultah Class B payment method, a 2.57% deduction will be applied to the dividend for zakat, translating into an estimated net dividend rate of 4.87% based on the 5.00% distribution.
The income distribution will be automatically reinvested as additional units in unitholders' accounts on Oct 1.
ASNB said transactions for ASM 3 at its branches and agents, as well as online channels and internet banking, have been temporarily suspended from Sept 27 to Sept 30 to facilitate the income distribution computation.
Transactions will resume on Oct 1 through the myASNB portal and mobile application, as well as at ASNB branches and agents nationwide.
Meanwhile, ASNB's Unlock ASM 3 campaign will run until Dec 31, offering eligible new investors a special allocation of up to RM10,000 in ASM 3, subject to unit availability and on a first-come, first-served basis.
