Vietnam Opportunities paying dividends – Following consultations with the major shareholders of, and advisers to, VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund Limited, the Board of Directors has decided to amend VOF’s dividend policy.
With immediate effect, the Board intends that the Company will pay a dividend twice per year, normally declared in March and October. The first of these has been declared today.
The change in the dividend policy reflects various factors related both to the development of the Vietnamese capital markets and to VOF itself. These factors
include:
- The flow of dividend income received from underlying investments is relatively stable and is expected to grow over time.
- The Board’s intention to introduce a further measure to help control the level of the share price discount to net asset value by broadening the shareholder base to equity investors who will only consider companies which provide regular dividend income.
It is the intention of the Board to declare semi-annual dividends for the foreseeable future of an amount of at least 4.8 US cents per share, or the equivalent in UK pence. This amount is approximately equal to 1 per cent of VOF’s unaudited net asset value at 30 June 2017. As and when circumstances permit, it is the Board’s intention to increase the dividend.
Dividend payments will not necessarily be fully covered by income and, as such, may represent a return of capital to shareholders.
Dividends will be declared in US dollars, which is the fund’s functional currency. Shareholders may opt to have dividends paid in either US dollars or in Pounds sterling, which is the currency in which the share price is quoted on the London Stock Exchange. By default, shareholders with registered addresses in the UK and Channel Islands will receive dividends in sterling. Shareholders registered in other jurisdictions will receive dividends in dollars. Shareholders may, however, inform the registrars that they wish to receive their dividends in either currency and the procedure for informing the registrars is set out in today’s first dividend announcement.
Shareholders should note that the change in dividend policy is in addition to the share buyback programme, which has been the primary mechanism for attempting to control the share price discount to net asset value.
VOF : Vietnam Opportunities paying dividends