JAKARTA. PT Astra International Tbk (ASII) is proposing to allocate an even higher final dividend than the previous year, which amounts to IDR 552 per share.

Gita Tiffani Boer, Corporate Secretary of ASII, explained that the total amount of final dividend that has been proposed excludes the interim dividend of IDR 88 per share, which had been distributed back in October 2022. "The total dividend that is proposed for 2022 now amounts to IDR 640 per share," Boer said in the information disclosure in Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX).

Boer then mentioned that this final dividend suggestion, made by the Board of Directors of ASII, was made based on the coal price surge in 2022. Thus, it is deemed possible, especially for PT United Tractors Tbk (UNTR), its subsidiary, to grant higher final dividend after conducting its Annual General Shareholders Meeting.

For the record, ASII has allocated IDR 26.4 trillion for capital expenditure and investment in 2022. It was twice as high as the budget set in the previous year of 2021.

This year, ASII plans to continue to invest with a significant amount in Indonesia. It aligns with the company's strategic priority through the organic growth and acquisition. "The company remains confident in its long-term growth potential, which will then allow the company to return some of the excess capital to the shareholders," Boer explained. (KR/ZH)