NEW YORK, Dec. 20, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- The Board of Trustees of Nicholas-Applegate International & Premium Strategy Fund (the "Fund") (NYSE:NAI) announced today that it has declared a dividend of $0.37319 per share.
It is expected that this distribution will comprise net investment income, and net gains from index option premiums and the sale of portfolio securities. The Fund will provide a notice accompanying this distribution with respect to the estimated source (as between net income and gains) of the distribution made and will indicate the proportion of its capital gain distributions that constitute short-term and long-term gains annually.
The dividend will be payable on January 13, 2006 to shareholders of record on December 30, 2005 with an ex-dividend date of December 28, 2005.
The Fund also announced that it will change its dividend schedule going forward so that quarterly dividends coincide with calendar quarter ends. It is anticipated that the Fund's next quarterly dividend will be declared on March 17, 2006 and be payable on March 31, 2006.
The Fund is a diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund's primary investment objective is to seek total return comprised of current income, current gains and long-term capital appreciation.
Allianz Global Investors Fund Management LLC, an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Allianz Global Investors of America L.P., serves as the Fund's investment manager and is a member of Munich-based Allianz Group (NYSE:AZ). Nicholas-Applegate Capital Management LLC (manager of the Fund's international equity portfolio) and PEA Capital LLC (manager of the Fund's index option strategy), each an Allianz Global Investors Fund Management affiliate, serve as the Fund's sub-advisers. Allianz is a leading global financial services company.
The Fund's daily New York Stock Exchange closing price and net asset value per share as well as other information is available at http://www.allianzinvestors.com or by calling the Fund's transfer agent at 800-331-1710.
Certain statements in this release constitute forward-looking statements, which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual composition and character of the distribution described above and future distributions of the Fund to be materially different from the composition or character of such distributions expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include the varied nature of the Fund's investments and the performance of those investments, and that the ultimate characterization of the Fund's distributions made in a calendar or fiscal year cannot finally be determined until after the end of the fiscal year, resulting in the possibility that the Fund may make total distributions during a calendar or fiscal year in an amount that exceeds the Fund's net investment income and net realized capital gains for the fiscal year, resulting in a return of capital. As a result of the foregoing and other factors, no assurance can be given as to the composition or character of Fund distributions, and neither the Fund, Allianz Global Investors Fund Management LLC, Nicholas-Applegate Capital Management LLC, PEA Capital LLC, nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of such statements.