Bucknell endowment blasts benchmark with 34.3% return

Bucknell University's $1.1 billion endowment returned 34.3% for the fiscal year ended June 30.

The university's endowment significantly outperformed its benchmark return of 25.7% for the period, according to an endowment report posted on the Lewisburg, Pa.-based university's website.

For the three, five and 10 years ended June 30, the endowment returned 12.3%, 12.1% and 8%, respectively, compared with the respective benchmarks of 11.6%, 11.3% and 8.6%.

The endowment had returned 0.8% for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2020.

For the most recent fiscal year, growth assets returned 47.7% for the year ended June 30, exceeding its benchmark return of 39.3%. The endowment's growth assets asset class consists of public equities, private equity and venture capital.

The next-best performer was real estate, which returned 25.8% for the fiscal year, well above its 7% benchmark, and hybrid assets returned 11.8% for the fiscal year ended June 30, above its benchmark return of 4.2%. The endowment's hybrid assets asset class consists of hedged, high-yield and opportunistic public and private credit strategies.

Low-volatility assets, which consists primarily of high-quality fixed income and cash, returned 1.1% for the fiscal year ended June 30, above the benchmark return of -0.3%.

The endowment report did not specify whether the returns were gross or net of fees.

As of June 30, the actual allocation was 67% growth assets, 16% hybrid assets, 10% real estate and 7% low-volatility assets.

Angela Motto, the university's director, investments and endowment operations, could not be immediately reached for further information.