KONTAN.CO.ID - JAKARTA. PT Astra International (ASII) will pay a cash dividend of Rp 154.13 per share. That means around Rp. 6.23 trillion of the 2018 net profit will be distributed as dividends. Owners of Astra shares will receive cash dividends on the upcoming May 24, 2019.

With this additional dividend, ASII will pay a total dividend of IDR 214.13 per share or IDR 8.66 trillion from profit for 2018. On October 31, 2019, then ASII has paid an interim dividend of IDR 60 per share (total IDR 2.42 trillion).

The dividend value is higher than the payment for the 2017 financial year dividend. Last year Astra paid a dividend of Rp. 5.26 trillion or Rp. 130 per share.

After this dividend payment, Astra still leaves a profit of Rp 13 trillion as retained earnings.

Astra International President Director Prijono Sugiarto said ASII's performance was quite right in the first quarter of 2019. "We expect ASII will still enjoy an increase in contributions from existing businesses," he said after the General Meeting of Shareholders (GMS) on Thursday (25/4) )

The ASII financial report shows that in the first quarter of 2019 the net profit was IDR 5.2 trillion, up 2.81% compared to the first quarter of last year.

This increase in profit occurs due to several factors. In addition to the rise in business contributions in the financial services sector, Astra also began to enjoy the mining contracting business and the gift of the newly acquired gold mining business. Also, motorcycle sales also increased by 19% from the same period last year.

Astra's consolidated net income increased by 6.79% to Rp. 59.61 trillion. Higher income generation occurs in almost all business segments, especially heavy equipment business, mining, construction, energy, and banking business.

Prijono continued, Astra still faces the challenges of weak demand and intense competition in the car market. The decline in commodity prices is also a challenge for Astra. Even so, ASII will continue to strive to innovate, expand market share, and increase fleet support to Go-Car.

Editor: Hasbi Maulana