Kuala lumpur: Axis Real Estate Investment Trust (Axis-REIT) plans to step up acquisitions in 2026, focusing mainly on industrial assets. Axis REIT Managers Bhd chief executive officer and executive director Leong Kit May stated that the strategy mirrors the trust's 2025 plan, targeting up to four industrial facilities, primarily in Penang, Johor, and the Klang Valley. "We believe the acquisition of four industrial assets could potentially be completed in 2026," she said at an analysts' and fund managers' briefing here today.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Axis REIT completed the acquisition of an industrial facility in Northport, Port Klang, for RM50 million on January 27. Additionally, the trust plans to finalize the acquisition of an RM80 million warehouse facility in Telok Gong, Port Klang, in the fourth quarter of 2026. This will be followed by the acquisition of industrial buildings in Seberang Perai, Penang, and an industrial facility in Senai, Johor, expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2027 and fourth quarter of 2027, respectively.

Leong expressed confidence in the positive outlook of both the overall REIT market and Axis REIT moving into 2026. Axis REIT reported a rise in net profit to RM133.87 million for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2025, from RM91.01 million a year earlier, supported by resilient net property income. Revenue for the quarter increased by four percent to RM91.31 million from RM87.76 million previously, as stated in a filing with Bursa Malaysia.

For the full year, net profit rose to RM282.08 million from RM210.01 million a year earlier, while revenue grew to RM364.2 million from RM320.1 million. The trust declared a distribution of 2.75 sen per unit for the quarter, bringing total distribution for the financial year to 10.55 sen, up from 9.27 sen a year earlier.