If you're looking for good ASX dividend stocks, it can pay to check out the various funds run by Wilson Asset Management.
They have a number of funds listed on the ASX, including WAM Income Maximiser Ltd (ASX: WMX), which pays out monthly, WAM Microcap Ltd (ASX: WMI), which is currently paying a trailing dividend of 7.1%, and WAM Active Ltd (ASX: WAA).
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Good news for this ASX dividend performer
Today, I'm going to focus on WAM Active because it recently reported strong investment returns, which have translated into a strong final dividend and a special dividend, both of which are still on the table, with record dates much later this year.
WAM said in its recent statement to the ASX that its investment portfolio increased by a record 75.5% in the year to the end of June, outperforming the Bloomberg AusBond Bank Bill Index (Cash) and the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Accumulation Index by 71.6% and 69.8%, respectively.
Chairman Geoff Wilson said regarding the result:
FY2026 is the strongest year in WAM Active's history since the Company was established in January 2008. This record result reflects the strength of WAM Active's disciplined and flexible investment strategy, outstanding stock selection and active portfolio management. We remained focused on delivering strong long term returns and a growing stream of fully franked dividends for shareholders.
The WAM board declared a fully-franked final dividend of 3.2 cents per share and a special dividend of 2 cents per share.
The ex-dividend dates for the fund's ordinary dividend and special dividend are 17 November and 4 December, respectively, meaning there's plenty of time to buy if you're keen on those dividends.
So, let's look at our $1,000 target. In order to reap this from the upcoming dividends, you'd need to hold 19,230 WAM Active shares.
It's also useful to look at it from a full-year perspective.
WAM Active will pay a total of 9.4 cents per share, fully franked over the full year, including the recently declared dividends.
That would translate to $1807.62 in dividends, or as the company said in its recent statement, a fully-franked dividend yield of 8.6% and a grossed-up dividend yield of 12.3%.
While past performance is not a predictor of future performance where investing is concerned, that's an impressive effort over the past year by any measure.
Fund invests into major macroeconomic themes
The fund's lead portfolio manager, Oscar Oberg, explained that the fund's outperformance was driven by exposure to four key themes: critical minerals, electrification and grid infrastructure, precious metals, and artificial intelligence (AI).
He added:
Equity markets over the 2026 financial year were characterised by elevated volatility, rapid shifts in macroeconomic expectations and pronounced rotation across sectors and themes. Changes to interest rate outlooks, geopolitical developments and the accelerating AI adoption contributed to periods where company fundamentals were often overshadowed by broader market positioning. These conditions created dislocations across parts of the market, particularly in smaller and less well-covered companies, providing opportunities for the investment team to identify mispriced securities using WAM Active's market-driven approach.
