Arkansas Teacher Retirement System

About Arkansas Teacher Retirement System

The Arkansas Teacher Retirement System's investment portfolio is valued at $20.61 billion as of June 30, 2023, with investments in real estate, hedge funds, real assets, natural resources, infrastructure, private equity, special opportunity, cash, equities, fixed income, and other alternative asset classes. Its returns for the 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years were 9.2%, 11.5%, and 7.5%, compared to the benchmark return of 9.2%, 10%, and 7.8%, respectively. As of June 30, 2023, the private equity portfolio was valued at $3.17 billion, representing 15.4% of the total portfolio. The private equity allocation consists of $443.71 million invested in venture capital and $1.39 billion invested in buyout strategies. This is a decrease compared to June 30, 2022, when the private equity portfolio was valued at $3.19 billion. As of June 30, 2023, the fund's private equity return for the 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years were 2.1%, 16.6%, and 13.4%, compared to the benchmark return of -6.9%, 20.7%, and 12.5%, respectively. Investments in private equity include buyout, co-investment, fund of funds, mezzanine, private equity growth expansion, distressed debt, and venture capital fund strategies diversified in geographical locations across the globe except for Africa. The fund is open to first-time fund investments. It had unfunded commitments amounting to $1.53 billion as of June 30, 2023. The pension fund's investments are governed by the board of trustees, with Mr. Danny Knight serving as Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Franklin Park Associates, Aon Hewitt Investment Consulting, and Arkansas Capital Corporation serve as the LP Consultant.