Income and growth: Ausbil's DIVI ETF hits the ASX
This interview was filmed on Tuesday 19 August 2025.
With interest rates coming down and dividend yields following suit, income opportunities are harder to find.
Michael Price, portfolio manager of the Ausbil Active Dividend Income Fund, believes that makes it a great time to be offering accessible income.
After seven years of distributing 7% p.a. income (as of 31 July 2025)¹, the Ausbil Active Dividend Income Fund is now also available as an ETF on the ASX (ASX: DIVI), offering income-focused investors what is potentially a "very attractive opportunity", according to Price.
"The forward dividend yield on the market is basically as low as it's been for over 30 years," said Price. "If you have a look at where the income came from in 2024, 60% came from just two sectors - the banks and the resources."
For income investors, there's a worry you can end up overexposed, which is where the potential benefit of an actively-managed fund comes in.
"We're able to use the full breadth of resources of the Ausbil team to help maintain the dividend yield, despite dividends being lower... and not just rely on one or two sectors."
That means searching for opportunities further afield.

There's a few key themes Ausbil is targeting right now both here and abroad.
Despite the growing calls around the end of American exceptionalism, Price still sees a lot of strength in US stocks.
"We've been quite confident that the US will be stronger than people expect, despite the tariffs. So investing in companies with exposure to US growth has been a good thing," said Price.
Resources companies are also high on Ausbil's list, thanks to the investments from decarbonisation and electrification, and relaxed fiscal policy and increased defence spending in Europe.
It means they're looking at "the full range of resources: iron ore, copper, lithium, gas for the energy transition, even gold is quite attractive with current gold prices putting out lots of dividends," said Price.
Closer to home, they're expecting increasing growth in the Australian economy thanks to interest rate cuts.
"Investing in companies that are exposed to growth in the Australian economy is something we want to do."
An example is consumer discretionary stocks that pay good dividends and will benefit from local growth.
All up, Price believes the objective of DIVI is fairly straightforward - it's for investors who want to receive ongoing income without having to draw down on their original investment, and have that income potentially grow over time.
- Net of fees but including franking credits.
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