Macquarie Korea infrastructure fund’s profit inches up in H1

Macquarie Korea Infrastructure Fund said Monday it saw a slight increase in its return on investment and its dividend payout to end-investors in the first half of 2020.

According to the final estimate, MKIF recorded a return of 191.2 billion won ($160.3 million), up 1.2 percent on-year. MKIF also vowed to pay 360 won per share to investors in interim dividends, or a 6.2 percent dividend payout ratio, for the first half.

MKIF, trading on the nation’s main bourse Kospi since 2006, has committed its investment in 13 private infrastructure projects, with 12 of them already in operation. In return, MKIF is designed to distribute its income, which mainly comes from toll revenue.

Suh Boum-sik, representative director of MKIF manager Macquarie Korea Asset Management, said the fund was eyeing a new investing opportunity thanks to greater room for leveraging and fundraising of 150 billion won in 2017.

MKIF’s market cap stood at some 4 trillion won as of end-June. The fund was backed by some 60,000 investors. Its Korean institutional investors and retail investors accounted for some 80 percent in June.

By Son Ji-hyoung (consnow@heraldcorp.com)