UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION |
Washington, D.C. 20549 |
FORM N-CSR |
CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES |
Investment Company Act file number: | (811-01682) |
Exact name of registrant as specified in charter: | Putnam Voyager Fund |
Address of principal executive offices: | One Post Office Square, Boston, Massachusetts 02109 |
Name and address of agent for service: | Robert T. Burns, Vice President One Post Office Square Boston, Massachusetts 02109 |
Copy to: | Bryan Chegwidden, Esq. Ropes & Gray LLP 1211 Avenue of the Americas New York, New York 10036 |
Registrant's telephone number, including area code: | (617) 292-1000 |
Date of fiscal year end: | July 31, 2016 |
Date of reporting period : | August 1, 2015 — July 31, 2016 |
Item 1. Report to Stockholders: |
The following is a copy of the report transmitted to stockholders pursuant to Rule 30e-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940: |
Putnam
Voyager
Fund
Annual report
7 | 31 | 16
Message from the Trustees | 1 | ||
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Interview with your fund’s portfolio manager | 2 | ||
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Performance snapshot | 2 | ||
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Your fund’s performance | 8 | ||
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Your fund’s expenses | 11 | ||
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Terms and definitions | 13 | ||
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Other information for shareholders | 14 | ||
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Important notice regarding Putnam’s privacy policy | 15 | ||
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Trustee approval of management contract | 16 | ||
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Financial statements | 22 | ||
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Federal tax information | 52 | ||
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About the Trustees | 53 | ||
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Officers | 55 | ||
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Consider these risks before investing: Stock prices may fall or fail to rise over time for several reasons, including general financial market conditions and factors related to a specific company or industry. Growth stocks may be more susceptible to earnings disappointments, and the market may not favor growth-style investing. Investments in small and/or midsize companies increase the risk of greater price fluctuations. You can lose money by investing in the fund.
Message from the Trustees
Dear Fellow Shareholder:
Through the first half of 2016, markets around the world have shown great resilience in the face of multiple challenges. Now, as we enter the fall, many additional factors raise new concerns.
Against a backdrop of sluggish growth and following a colorful political campaign, the United States will be electing a new president in a few short weeks. Overseas, challenges are widespread, from sluggish growth in Europe, Japan, and many emerging markets to global fallout from the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union. As non-U.S. central banks consider new actions to boost economic growth, here at home the Federal Reserve seeks stronger economic data before it raises interest rates. The uncertainty caused by these unfolding events could well spur renewed bouts of market volatility.
But we believe that opportunities can emerge despite the markets’ ups and downs. At Putnam, our portfolio managers actively pursue these opportunities. Backed by a network of global analysts, they draw on their long experience and expertise in navigating changing conditions.
We share Putnam’s deep conviction that an active approach based on fundamental research can play a valuable role in your portfolio. In the following pages, you will find an overview of your fund’s performance for the reporting period ended July 31, 2016, as well as an outlook for the coming months.
Now may be a good time for you to consult with your financial advisor, who can help you in determining if your portfolio remains aligned with your long-term goals, time horizon, and tolerance for risk.
As always, thank you for investing with Putnam.
Interview with
your fund’s
portfolio manager
Rob, what can you tell us about the investing environment for the 12-month reporting period ended July 31, 2016?
The period began in August 2015, a month in which U.S. stock market volatility picked up dramatically after a relatively calm few months. During the month, investors witnessed some of the biggest swings in the history of the U.S. stock market, including a historic 1,000-point intraday plunge in the Dow Jones Industrial Average on August 24.
For the first time since 2011, major U.S. equity indexes experienced a correction, defined as a decline of 10% or more from a recent high. Investors were concerned about a number of issues, including volatile oil prices and severe declines in energy stocks, as well as worries across global financial markets about an economic slowdown in China. In addition, the strengthening U.S. dollar hurt the earnings of U.S. companies that depended on non-U.S. markets for revenue.
Current performance may be lower or higher than the quoted past performance, which cannot guarantee future results. Share price, principal value, and return will fluctuate, and you may have a gain or a loss when you sell your shares. Performance of class A shares assumes reinvestment of distributions and does not account for taxes. Fund returns in the bar chart do not reflect a sales charge of 5.75%; had they, returns would have been lower. See pages 3 and 8–10 for additional performance information. For a portion of the periods, the fund had expense limitations, without which returns would have been lower. To obtain the most recent month-end performance, visit putnam.com.
* The fund’s benchmark, the Russell 1000 Growth Index, was introduced on 12/31/78, which post-dates the inception of the fund’s class A shares.
2 | Voyager Fund |
Stocks recovered from their August 2015 lows, but remained unsettled. In addition to weakness in commodity prices and China’s economy, there was uncertainty about the timing and extent of U.S. Federal Reserve action on interest rates. The Fed’s long-anticipated initial move came in December, when it raised short-term rates by 0.25%, the first increase in almost a decade. U.S. stocks ended 2015 with a modest gain.
In January 2016, volatility in the financial markets picked up immediately and dramatically, and new concerns emerged, such as the potential for a recession in the U.S. economy. The stock market, as measured by the S&P 500 Index, posted one of its worst-ever January losses. The downturn continued through February 11, when indexes were down more than 10% since the start of the year. Stocks then staged a remarkable rebound. As recession fears subsided and oil prices stabilized, turbulence eased, and in March the S&P 500 Index recorded its best monthly return in five months. In late June, however, market volatility spiked again, largely in response to Brexit — the decision by United Kingdom voters to leave the European Union.
U.S. stock prices plummeted more than 5% in the two days after the vote, followed by a dramatic three-day recovery and a relatively calm July in which U.S. stocks delivered gains.
How did the fund perform for the annual period ended July 31, 2016?
It was a challenging 12 months for the fund, which returned –9.27% for class A shares before sales charge. The fund underperformed its benchmark, the Russell 1000 Growth Index, which returned 4.35%, and the average return of 0.05% for funds in its Lipper peer group, Large-Cap Growth Funds.
Were there any notable shifts in portfolio holdings during the reporting period?
Since assuming management of the portfolio in February 2016, I have conducted a significant realignment of portfolio holdings. My goal was to bring the fund’s portfolio in line with my investment approach, which is based on thematic research and has a greater focus on large companies.
This comparison shows your fund’s performance in the context of broad market indexes for the 12 months ended 7/31/16. See pages 2 and 8–10 for additional fund performance information. Index descriptions can be found on page 13.
Voyager Fund | 3 |
What are some holdings that detracted from fund performance relative to the benchmark?
The top detractor for the period was the stock of AMAG Pharmaceuticals, a drug company specializing in maternal health, anemia, and cancer supportive care. In the case of this holding, we underestimated the threat of an aggressive competitor to AMAG’s key product, Makena, a drug designed to prevent preterm birth. By the close of the period, we had sold the fund’s position in AMAG as we had grown increasingly concerned about the long-term earnings prospects for the business.
Jazz Pharmaceuticals, a midsize drug company, also detracted from performance. The company is known for its pricing power and lineup of quality drugs, including its block-buster narcolepsy drug, Xyrem. During the period, Jazz underperformed due to concerns about high prices across the pharmaceutical industry, which has garnered a great deal of attention as a presidential campaign topic.
Another portfolio disappointment was Genel Energy, which is not a component of the fund’s benchmark. The company has an oil asset in Northern Iraq in Kurdish territory, where political strife has made it difficult to do business. The stock struggled as investors grew skittish about the situation. As of the close of the period, Genel was no longer a holding in the fund’s portfolio.
Can you provide examples of stocks or strategies that helped fund performance for the period?
The top contributor to performance was the fund’s investment in social networking company Facebook. Its stock price surged in response to strong advertising growth and success in many of the company’s business segments, such as Instagram and its Messenger app.
Allocations are shown as a percentage of the fund’s net assets as of 7/31/16. Cash and net other assets, if any, represent the market value weights of cash, derivatives, short-term securities, and other unclassified assets in the portfolio. Summary information may differ from the portfolio schedule included in the financial statements due to the inclusion of derivative securities, any interest accruals, the exclusion of as-of trades, if any, the use of different classifications of securities for presentation purposes, and rounding. Holdings and allocations may vary over time.
4 | Voyager Fund |
Also among the top performers was the stock of Amazon.com, the country’s largest online retailer, which continued to deliver impressive profit growth. More notable, however, was the success of Amazon Web Services, or AWS, a segment of Amazon’s business that has grown explosively. AWS is a service that enables other businesses to rent Amazon’s compute power — its cloud computing capabilities, computers, storage, and software. In many cases, companies using AWS have been able to close down their own data centers to cut costs. For Amazon, it has been an efficient way to use its extensive technology infrastructure at times when it would otherwise be underutilized. Also helping the stock price was the positive reaction from investors when the company provided more detailed data on the profitability of AWS.
Fund performance benefited from our decision to maintain an underweight position versus the benchmark in the stock of Apple, which underperformed for the period. We moved away from Apple, trimming the fund’s position out of concern that the smartphone market was becoming saturated. In addition, after the success of the iPhone 6, we weren’t anticipating any innovative product launches from Apple in the near term. In late April, Apple announced a 13% decline in revenue, its first year-over-year quarterly sales drop since 2003.
What role did derivatives play in the portfolio?
Although derivative investments were not a significant part of the portfolio, they did affect performance during the period. Specifically,
This table shows the fund’s top 10 holdings by percentage of the fund’s net assets as of 7/31/16. Short-term investments and derivatives, if any, are excluded. Holdings may vary over time.
Voyager Fund | 5 |
purchased and written options were used to seek to manage downside risks, enhance returns, and hedge against changes in values of securities that are currently held or expected to be purchased. In addition, total return swaps were used to gain exposure to a basket of securities or to specific sectors or industries.
As the fund begins a new fiscal year, what is your outlook for the markets and the economy?
As the reporting period came to a close, one of the most pressing concerns for investors was uncertainty, which can be quite disruptive — for the markets, for the economy, and for businesses. And another dose of uncertainty came on June 23, with the Brexit decision by United Kingdom voters. In our view, it is much too early to determine the long-term impact of that vote, but we could see slowing growth in markets around the world as companies assess its effects on their business.
At the same time, the U.S. market has continued to wrestle with low interest rates and changing speculation about when the Fed will hike rates next. We have seen some trends that we believe could lead to continued improvement in the U.S. economy in the months ahead. We have seen relatively solid data on job creation and employment, and growth in the housing market has also been steady.
Thank you, Rob, for your time and insights today.
The views expressed in this report are exclusively those of Putnam Management and are subject to change. They are not meant as investment advice.
This chart shows the fund’s largest allocation shifts, by percentage, over the past six months. Allocations are shown as a percentage of the fund’s net assets. Current period summary information may differ from the portfolio schedule included in the financial statements due to the inclusion of derivative securities, any interest accruals, the exclusion of as-of trades, if any, the use of different classifications of securities for presentation purposes, and rounding. Holdings and allocations may vary over time.
6 | Voyager Fund |
Please note that the holdings discussed in this report may not have been held by the fund for the entire period. Portfolio composition is subject to review in accordance with the fund’s investment strategy and may vary in the future. Current and future portfolio holdings are subject to risk.
Portfolio Manager Robert M. Brookby has an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.A. from Northwestern University. Rob joined Putnam in 2008 and has been in the investment industry since 1999.
IN THE NEWS
With central banks exhausting the more traditional methods aimed at stimulating their economies, some are considering more novel strategies. Increasingly, central bankers and economists are discussing the merits of so-called “helicopter money,” which conjures images of money being dropped on the populace from the sky. Considered somewhat radical, the term was adopted in 1969 by economist Milton Friedman, who described the idea of a central bank printing money and injecting the cash directly into the economy, with the aim of boosting consumer demand and spending, and kick-starting a recovery. It differs from traditional stimulus measures, such as the U.S. government selling U.S. Treasury securities to the public in order to finance spending. With interest rates at zero — or even in negative territory — in major world economies like Japan and some European nations, the concept of helicopter money is gaining popularity. Under this strategy, cash could be transferred to people in the form of a government tax break or by simply making a direct deposit into individual bank accounts. Critics of helicopter money, however, say it could cause runaway inflation
Voyager Fund | 7 |
Your fund’s performance
This section shows your fund’s performance, price, and distribution information for periods ended July 31, 2016, the end of its most recent fiscal year. In accordance with regulatory requirements for mutual funds, we also include performance information as of the most recent calendar quarter-end and expense information taken from the fund’s current prospectus. Performance should always be considered in light of a fund’s investment strategy. Data represent past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. More recent returns may be less or more than those shown. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate, and you may have a gain or a loss when you sell your shares. Performance information does not reflect any deduction for taxes a shareholder may owe on fund distributions or on the redemption of fund shares. For the most recent month-end performance, please visit the Individual Investors section at putnam.com or call Putnam at 1-800-225-1581. Class R, R5, R6, and Y shares are not available to all investors. See the Terms and Definitions section in this report for definitions of the share classes offered by your fund.
Fund performance Total return for periods ended 7/31/16
Class A | Class B | Class C | Class M | Class R | Class R5 | Class R6 | Class Y | |||||
(inception dates) | (4/1/69) | (4/27/92) | (7/26/99) | (12/1/94) | (1/21/03) | (7/2/12) | (7/2/12) | (3/31/94) | ||||
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Before | After | Before | After | Net | Net | Net | Net | |||||
sales | sales | Before | After | Before | After | sales | sales | sales | asset | asset | asset | |
charge | charge | CDSC | CDSC | CDSC | CDSC | charge | charge | value | value | value | value | |
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Annual average | ||||||||||||
(life of fund) | 10.41% | 10.27% | 10.22% | 10.22% | 9.58% | 9.58% | 9.74% | 9.65% | 10.13% | 10.55% | 10.56% | 10.54% |
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10 years | 107.27 | 95.35 | 95.04 | 95.04 | 92.17 | 92.17 | 97.14 | 90.24 | 102.08 | 113.21 | 114.06 | 112.50 |
Annual average | 7.56 | 6.93 | 6.91 | 6.91 | 6.75 | 6.75 | 7.02 | 6.64 | 7.29 | 7.86 | 7.91 | 7.83 |
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5 years | 45.32 | 36.96 | 39.98 | 37.98 | 39.99 | 39.99 | 41.75 | 36.79 | 43.51 | 47.64 | 48.23 | 47.15 |
Annual average | 7.76 | 6.49 | 6.96 | 6.65 | 6.96 | 6.96 | 7.23 | 6.47 | 7.49 | 8.10 | 8.19 | 8.03 |
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3 years | 22.34 | 15.30 | 19.62 | 16.73 | 19.61 | 19.61 | 20.48 | 16.27 | 21.40 | 23.47 | 23.83 | 23.27 |
Annual average | 6.95 | 4.86 | 6.15 | 5.29 | 6.15 | 6.15 | 6.41 | 5.15 | 6.68 | 7.28 | 7.38 | 7.22 |
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1 year | –9.27 | –14.48 | –9.93 | –14.17 | –9.95 | –10.81 | –9.71 | –12.87 | –9.52 | –8.99 | –8.90 | –9.03 |
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Current performance may be lower or higher than the quoted past performance, which cannot guarantee future results. After-sales-charge returns for class A and M shares reflect the deduction of the maximum 5.75% and 3.50% sales charge, respectively, levied at the time of purchase. Class B share returns after contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) reflect the applicable CDSC, which is 5% in the first year, declining over time to 1% in the sixth year, and is eliminated thereafter. Class C share returns after CDSC reflect a 1% CDSC for the first year that is eliminated thereafter. Class R, R5, R6, and Y shares have no initial sales charge or CDSC. Performance for class B, C, M, R, and Y shares before their inception is derived from the historical performance of class A shares, adjusted for the applicable sales charge (or CDSC) and the higher operating expenses for such shares, except for class Y shares, for which 12b-1 fees are not applicable. Performance for class R5 and R6 shares prior to their inception is derived from the historical performance of class Y shares and has not been adjusted for the lower investor servicing fees applicable to class R5 and R6 shares; had it, returns would have been higher.
Recent performance may have benefited from one or more legal settlements.
For a portion of the periods, the fund had expense limitations, without which returns would have been lower.
Class B share performance reflects conversion to class A shares after eight years.
8 | Voyager Fund |
Comparative index returns For periods ended 7/31/16
Lipper Large-Cap Growth | ||
Russell 1000 Growth Index | Funds category average† | |
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Annual average (life of fund) | —* | 9.76% |
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10 years | 147.72% | 121.86 |
Annual average | 9.50 | 8.20 |
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5 years | 89.32 | 74.31 |
Annual average | 13.62 | 11.70 |
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3 years | 43.76 | 37.29 |
Annual average | 12.86 | 11.10 |
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1 year | 4.35 | 0.05 |
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Index and Lipper results should be compared with fund performance before sales charge, before CDSC, or at net asset value.
* The fund’s benchmark, the Russell 1000 Growth Index, was introduced on 12/31/78, which post-dates the inception of the fund’s class A shares.
† Over the 1-year, 3-year, 5-year, 10-year, and life-of-fund periods ended 7/31/16, there were 686, 628, 549, 395, and 9 funds, respectively, in this Lipper category.
Past performance does not indicate future results. At the end of the same time period, a $10,000 investment in the fund’s class B and C shares would have been valued at $19,504 and $19,217, respectively, and no contingent deferred sales charges would apply. A $10,000 investment in the fund’s class M shares ($9,650 after sales charge) would have been valued at $19,024. A $10,000 investment in the fund’s class R, R5, R6, and Y shares would have been valued at $20,208, $21,321, $21,406, and $21,250, respectively.
Voyager Fund | 9 |
Fund price and distribution information For the 12-month period ended 7/31/16
Distributions | Class A | Class B | Class C | Class M | Class R | Class R5 | Class R6 | Class Y | ||
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Number | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
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Income | $0.336162 | $0.151162 | $0.126162 | $0.204162 | $0.184162 | $0.423162 | $0.460162 | $0.399162 | ||
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Capital gains | ||||||||||
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Long-term gains | 0.730641 | 0.730641 | 0.730641 | 0.730641 | 0.730641 | 0.730641 | 0.730641 | 0.730641 | ||
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Short-term gains | 0.514197 | 0.514197 | 0.514197 | 0.514197 | 0.514197 | 0.514197 | 0.514197 | 0.514197 | ||
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Total | $1.581000 | $1.396000 | $1.371000 | $1.449000 | $1.429000 | $1.668000 | $1.705000 | $1.644000 | ||
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Before | After | Net | Net | Before | After | Net | Net | Net | Net | |
sales | sales | asset | asset | sales | sales | asset | asset | asset | asset | |
Share value | charge | charge | value | value | charge | charge | value | value | value | value |
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7/31/15 | $31.47 | $33.39 | $25.53 | $28.54 | $28.44 | $29.47 | $30.78 | $33.23 | $33.26 | $33.13 |
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7/31/16 | 26.99 | 28.64 | 21.62 | 24.35 | 24.25 | 25.13 | 26.44 | 28.59 | 28.61 | 28.51 |
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The classification of distributions, if any, is an estimate. Before-sales-charge share value and current dividend rate for class A and M shares, if applicable, do not take into account any sales charge levied at the time of purchase. After-sales-charge share value, current dividend rate, and current 30-day SEC yield, if applicable, are calculated assuming that the maximum sales charge (5.75% for class A shares and 3.50% for class M shares) was levied at the time of purchase. Final distribution information will appear on your year-end tax forms.
Fund performance as of most recent calendar quarter
Total return for periods ended 6/30/16
Class A | Class B | Class C | Class M | Class R | Class R5 | Class R6 | Class Y | |||||
(inception dates) | (4/1/69) | (4/27/92) | (7/26/99) | (12/1/94) | (1/21/03) | (7/2/12) | (7/2/12) | (3/31/94) | ||||
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Before | After | Before | After | Net | Net | Net | Net | |||||
sales | sales | Before | After | Before | After | sales | sales | asset | asset | asset | asset | |
charge | charge | CDSC | CDSC | CDSC | CDSC | charge | charge | value | value | value | value | |
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Annual average | ||||||||||||
(life of fund) | 10.30% | 10.16% | 10.11% | 10.11% | 9.47% | 9.47% | 9.63% | 9.54% | 10.02% | 10.44% | 10.45% | 10.43% |
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10 years | 89.89 | 78.97 | 78.67 | 78.67 | 76.15 | 76.15 | 80.56 | 74.24 | 85.17 | 95.31 | 96.11 | 94.71 |
Annual average | 6.62 | 5.99 | 5.98 | 5.98 | 5.83 | 5.83 | 6.09 | 5.71 | 6.35 | 6.92 | 6.97 | 6.89 |
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5 years | 33.48 | 25.81 | 28.54 | 26.54 | 28.57 | 28.57 | 30.19 | 25.64 | 31.80 | 35.54 | 36.09 | 35.12 |
Annual average | 5.95 | 4.70 | 5.15 | 4.82 | 5.15 | 5.15 | 5.42 | 4.67 | 5.68 | 6.27 | 6.36 | 6.20 |
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3 years | 24.67 | 17.50 | 21.90 | 18.95 | 21.87 | 21.87 | 22.78 | 18.48 | 23.70 | 25.79 | 26.15 | 25.60 |
Annual average | 7.63 | 5.52 | 6.82 | 5.96 | 6.82 | 6.82 | 7.08 | 5.82 | 7.35 | 7.95 | 8.05 | 7.89 |
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1 year | –12.77 | –17.78 | –13.41 | –17.48 | –13.40 | –14.22 | –13.21 | –16.25 | –12.97 | –12.51 | –12.42 | –12.56 |
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See the discussion following the fund performance table on page 8 for information about the calculation of fund performance.
10 Voyager Fund |
Your fund’s expenses
As a mutual fund investor, you pay ongoing expenses, such as management fees, distribution fees (12b-1 fees), and other expenses. In the most recent six-month period, your fund’s expenses were limited; had expenses not been limited, they would have been higher. Using the following information, you can estimate how these expenses affect your investment and compare them with the expenses of other funds. You may also pay one-time transaction expenses, including sales charges (loads) and redemption fees, which are not shown in this section and would have resulted in higher total expenses. For more information, see your fund’s prospectus or talk to your financial representative.
Expense ratios
Class A | Class B | Class C | Class M | Class R | Class R5 | Class R6 | Class Y | |
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Total annual operating expenses for | ||||||||
the fiscal year ended 7/31/15 | 1.05% | 1.80% | 1.80% | 1.55% | 1.30% | 0.75% | 0.65% | 0.80% |
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Annualized expense ratio for the | ||||||||
six-month period ended 7/31/16*† | 0.95% | 1.70% | 1.70% | 1.45% | 1.20% | 0.64% | 0.54% | 0.70% |
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Fiscal-year expense information in this table is taken from the most recent prospectus, is subject to change, and may differ from that shown for the annualized expense ratio and in the financial highlights of this report.
Expenses are shown as a percentage of average net assets.
* Expense ratios for each class are for the fund’s most recent fiscal half year. As a result of this, ratios may differ from expense ratios based on one-year data in the financial highlights.
† Includes a decrease of 0.15% from annualizing the performance fee adjustment for the six months ended 7/31/16.
Expenses per $1,000
The following table shows the expenses you would have paid on a $1,000 investment in each class of the fund from 2/1/16 to 7/31/16. It also shows how much a $1,000 investment would be worth at the close of the period, assuming actual returns and expenses.
Class A | Class B | Class C | Class M | Class R | Class R5 | Class R6 | Class Y | |
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Expenses paid per $1,000*† | $4.99 | $8.91 | $8.91 | $7.61 | $6.30 | $3.36 | $2.84 | $3.68 |
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Ending value (after expenses) | $1,113.00 | $1,108.70 | $1,108.80 | $1,109.80 | $1,111.40 | $1,114.60 | $1,115.40 | $1,114.10 |
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* Expenses for each share class are calculated using the fund’s annualized expense ratio for each class, which represents the ongoing expenses as a percentage of average net assets for the six months ended 7/31/16. The expense ratio may differ for each share class.
† Expenses are calculated by multiplying the expense ratio by the average account value for the period; then multiplying the result by the number of days in the period; and then dividing that result by the number of days in the year.
Voyager Fund | 11 |
Estimate the expenses you paid
To estimate the ongoing expenses you paid for the six months ended 7/31/16, use the following calculation method. To find the value of your investment on 2/1/16, call Putnam at 1-800-225-1581.
Compare expenses using the SEC’s method
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has established guidelines to help investors assess fund expenses. Per these guidelines, the following table shows your fund’s expenses based on a $1,000 investment, assuming a hypothetical 5% annualized return . You can use this information to compare the ongoing expenses (but not transaction expenses or total costs) of investing in the fund with those of other funds. All mutual fund shareholder reports will provide this information to help you make this comparison. Please note that you cannot use this information to estimate your actual ending account balance and expenses paid during the period.
Class A | Class B | Class C | Class M | Class R | Class R5 | Class R6 | Class Y | |
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Expenses paid per $1,000*† | $4.77 | $8.52 | $8.52 | $7.27 | $6.02 | $3.22 | $2.72 | $3.52 |
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Ending value (after expenses) | $1,020.14 | $1,016.41 | $1,016.41 | $1,017.65 | $1,018.90 | $1,021.68 | $1,022.18 | $1,021.38 |
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* Expenses for each share class are calculated using the fund’s annualized expense ratio for each class, which represents the ongoing expenses as a percentage of average net assets for the six months ended 7/31/16. The expense ratio may differ for each share class.
† Expenses are calculated by multiplying the expense ratio by the average account value for the six-month period; then multiplying the result by the number of days in the six-month period; and then dividing that result by the number of days in the year.
12 Voyager Fund |
Terms and definitions
Important terms
Total return shows how the value of the fund’s shares changed over time, assuming you held the shares through the entire period and reinvested all distributions in the fund.
Before sales charge , or net asset value, is the price, or value, of one share of a mutual fund, without a sales charge. Before-sales-charge figures fluctuate with market conditions, and are calculated by dividing the net assets of each class of shares by the number of outstanding shares in the class.
After sales charge is the price of a mutual fund share plus the maximum sales charge levied at the time of purchase. After-sales-charge performance figures shown here assume the 5.75% maximum sales charge for class A shares and 3.50% for class M shares.
Contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) is generally a charge applied at the time of the redemption of class B or C shares and assumes redemption at the end of the period. Your fund’s class B CDSC declines over time from a 5% maximum during the first year to 1% during the sixth year. After the sixth year, the CDSC no longer applies. The CDSC for class C shares is 1% for one year after purchase.
Share classes
Class A shares are generally subject to an initial sales charge and no CDSC (except on certain redemptions of shares bought without an initial sales charge).
Class B shares are not subject to an initial sales charge and may be subject to a CDSC.
Class C shares are not subject to an initial sales charge and are subject to a CDSC only if the shares are redeemed during the first year.
Class M shares have a lower initial sales charge and a higher 12b-1 fee than class A shares and no CDSC.
Class R shares are not subject to an initial sales charge or CDSC and are only available to employer-sponsored retirement plans.
Class R5 and R6 shares are not subject to an initial sales charge or CDSC, and carry no 12b-1 fee. They are only available to employer-sponsored retirement plans.
Class Y shares are not subject to an initial sales charge or CDSC, and carry no 12b-1 fee. They are generally only available to corporate and institutional clients and clients in other approved programs.
Comparative indexes
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is an unmanaged index of U.S. investment-grade fixed-income securities.
BofA Merrill Lynch U.S. 3-Month Treasury Bill Index is an unmanaged index that seeks to measure the performance of U.S. Treasury bills available in the marketplace.
Russell 1000 Growth Index is an unmanaged index of those companies in the large-cap Russell 1000 Index chosen for their growth orientation.
S&P 500 Index is an unmanaged index of common stock performance.
Indexes assume reinvestment of all distributions and do not account for fees. Securities and performance of a fund and an index will differ. You cannot invest directly in an index.
Lipper is a third-party industry-ranking entity that ranks mutual funds. Its rankings do not reflect sales charges. Lipper rankings are based on total return at net asset value relative to other funds that have similar current investment styles or objectives as determined by Lipper. Lipper may change a fund’s category assignment at its discretion. Lipper category averages reflect performance trends for funds within a category.
Voyager Fund 13 |
Other information for shareholders
Putnam Voyager Fund merger information
A merger of Putnam Voyager Fund into Putnam Growth Opportunities Fund, subject to certain closing conditions, is expected to occur in the fourth quarter of 2016.
Proxy voting
Putnam is committed to managing our mutual funds in the best interests of our shareholders. The Putnam funds’ proxy voting guidelines and procedures, as well as information regarding how your fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the 12-month period ended June 30, 2016, are available in the Individual Investors section of putnam.com, and on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) website, www.sec.gov. If you have questions about finding forms on the SEC’s website, you may call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. You may also obtain the Putnam funds’ proxy voting guidelines and procedures at no charge by calling Putnam’s Shareholder Services at 1-800-225-1581.
Fund portfolio holdings
The fund will file a complete schedule of its portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-Q. Shareholders may obtain the fund’s Form N-Q on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, the fund’s Form N-Q may be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. You may call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for information about the SEC’s website or the operation of the Public Reference Room.
Trustee and employee fund ownership
Putnam employees and members of the Board of Trustees place their faith, confidence, and, most importantly, investment dollars in Putnam mutual funds. As of July 31, 2016, Putnam employees had approximately $495,000,000 and the Trustees had approximately $131,000,000 invested in Putnam mutual funds. These amounts include investments by the Trustees’ and employees’ immediate family members as well as investments through retirement and deferred compensation plans.
14 Voyager Fund |
Important notice regarding Putnam’s privacy policy
In order to conduct business with our shareholders, we must obtain certain personal information such as account holders’ names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth. Using this information, we are able to maintain accurate records of accounts and transactions.
It is our policy to protect the confidentiality of our shareholder information, whether or not a shareholder currently owns shares of our funds. In particular, it is our policy not to sell information about you or your accounts to outside marketing firms. We have safeguards in place designed to prevent unauthorized access to our computer systems and procedures to protect personal information from unauthorized use.
Under certain circumstances, we must share account information with outside vendors who provide services to us, such as mailings and proxy solicitations. In these cases, the service providers enter into confidentiality agreements with us, and we provide only the information necessary to process transactions and perform other services related to your account. Finally, it is our policy to share account information with your financial representative, if you’ve listed one on your Putnam account.
Voyager Fund 15 |
Trustee approval of management contract
General conclusions
The Board of Trustees of The Putnam Funds oversees the management of each fund and, as required by law, determines annually whether to approve the continuance of your fund’s management contract with Putnam Investment Management, LLC (“Putnam Management”) and the sub-management contract with respect to your fund between Putnam Management and its affiliate, Putnam Investments Limited (“PIL”). The Board, with the assistance of its Contract Committee, requests and evaluates all information it deems reasonably necessary under the circumstances in connection with its annual contract review. The Contract Committee consists solely of Trustees who are not “interested persons” (as this term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”)) of The Putnam Funds (“Independent Trustees”).
At the outset of the review process, members of the Board’s independent staff and independent legal counsel discussed with representatives of Putnam Management the annual contract review materials furnished to the Contract Committee during the course of the previous year’s review, identifying possible changes in these materials that might be necessary or desirable for the coming year. Following these discussions and in consultation with the Contract Committee, the Independent Trustees’ independent legal counsel requested that Putnam Management and its affiliates furnish specified information, together with any additional information that Putnam Management considered relevant, to the Contract Committee. Over the course of several months ending in June 2016, the Contract Committee met on a number of occasions with representatives of Putnam Management, and separately in executive session, to consider the information that Putnam Management provided, as well as supplemental information provided in response to an additional request made by the Contract Committee. Throughout this process, the Contract Committee was assisted by the members of the Board’s independent staff and by independent legal counsel for The Putnam Funds and the Independent Trustees.
In May 2016, the Contract Committee met in executive session to discuss and consider its recommendations with respect to the continuance of the contracts. At the Trustees’ June 24, 2016 meeting, the Contract Committee met in executive session with the other Independent Trustees to review a summary of the key financial, performance and other data that the Contract Committee considered in the course of its review. The Contract Committee then presented its written report, which summarized the key factors that the Committee had considered and set forth its recommendations. The Contract Committee then recommended, and the Independent Trustees approved, the continuance of your fund’s management and sub-management contracts, effective July 1, 2016. (Because PIL is an affiliate of Putnam Management and Putnam Management remains fully responsible for all services provided by PIL, the Trustees have not attempted to evaluate PIL as a separate entity, and all subsequent references to Putnam Management below should be deemed to include reference to PIL as necessary or appropriate in the context.)
The Independent Trustees’ approval was based on the following conclusions:
• That the fee schedule in effect for your fund represented reasonable compensation in light of the nature and quality of the services being provided to the fund, the fees paid by competitive funds, the costs incurred by Putnam Management in providing services to the
16 Voyager Fund |
fund, and the continued application of certain reductions and waivers noted below; and
• That the fee schedule in effect for your fund represented an appropriate sharing between fund shareholders and Putnam Management of such economies of scale as may exist in the management of the fund at current asset levels.
These conclusions were based on a comprehensive consideration of all information provided to the Trustees and were not the result of any single factor. Some of the factors that figured particularly in the Trustees’ deliberations and how the Trustees considered these factors are described below, although individual Trustees may have evaluated the information presented differently, giving different weights to various factors. It is also important to recognize that the management arrangements for your fund and the other Putnam funds are the result of many years of review and discussion between the Independent Trustees and Putnam Management, that some aspects of the arrangements may receive greater scrutiny in some years than others, and that the Trustees’ conclusions may be based, in part, on their consideration of fee arrangements in previous years. For example, with some minor exceptions, the funds’ current fee arrangements under the management contracts were first implemented at the beginning of 2010 following extensive review by the Contract Committee and discussions with representatives of Putnam Management, as well as approval by shareholders.
Management fee schedules and total expenses
The Trustees reviewed the management fee schedules in effect for all Putnam funds, including fee levels and breakpoints. The Trustees also reviewed the total expenses of each Putnam fund, recognizing that in most cases management fees represented the major, but not the sole, determinant of total costs to shareholders. (In a few instances, funds have implemented so-called “all-in” management fees covering substantially all routine fund operating costs.)
In reviewing fees and expenses, the Trustees generally focus their attention on material changes in circumstances — for example, changes in assets under management, changes in a fund’s investment style, changes in Putnam Management’s operating costs or profitability, or changes in competitive practices in the mutual fund industry — that suggest that consideration of fee changes might be warranted. The Trustees concluded that the circumstances did not indicate that changes to the management fee structure for your fund would be appropriate at this time.
Under its management contract, your fund has the benefit of breakpoints in its management fee schedule that provide shareholders with economies of scale in the form of reduced fee rates as assets under management in the Putnam family of funds increase. The Trustees concluded that the fee schedule in effect for your fund represented an appropriate sharing of economies of scale between fund shareholders and Putnam Management.
In addition, your fund’s management contract provides that its management fees will be adjusted up or down depending upon whether your fund’s performance is better or worse than the performance of an appropriate index of securities prices specified in the management contract. In the course of reviewing investment performance, the Trustees examined the operation of your fund’s performance fees and concluded that these fees were operating effectively to align further Putnam Management’s economic interests with those of the fund’s shareholders.
As in the past, the Trustees also focused on the competitiveness of each fund’s total expense ratio. In order to support the effort to have fund expenses meet competitive standards, the Trustees and Putnam Management have
Voyager Fund 17 |
implemented certain expense limitations that were in effect during your fund’s fiscal year ending in 2015. These expense limitations were: (i) a contractual expense limitation applicable to specified retail open-end funds, including your fund, of 32 basis points on investor servicing fees and expenses and (ii) a contractual expense limitation applicable to specified open-end funds, including your fund, of 20 basis points on so-called “other expenses” (i.e., all expenses exclusive of management fees, distribution fees, investor servicing fees, investment-related expenses, interest, taxes, brokerage commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses and extraordinary expenses). These expense limitations attempt to maintain competitive expense levels for the funds. Most funds, including your fund, had sufficiently low expenses that these expense limitations were not operative during their fiscal years ending in 2015. Putnam Management has agreed to maintain these expense limitations until at least November 30, 2017 and to reduce the contractual expense limitation on investor servicing fees and expenses from 32 basis points to 25 basis points effective September 1, 2016. Putnam Management’s support for these expense limitation arrangements was an important factor in the Trustees’ decision to approve the continuance of your fund’s management and sub-management contracts.
The Trustees reviewed comparative fee and expense information for a custom group of competitive funds selected by Lipper Inc. (“Lipper”). This comparative information included your fund’s percentile ranking for effective management fees and total expenses (excluding any applicable 12b-1 fee), which provides a general indication of your fund’s relative standing. In the custom peer group, your fund ranked in the second quintile in effective management fees (determined for your fund and the other funds in the custom peer group based on fund asset size and the applicable contractual management fee schedule) and in the second quintile in total expenses (excluding any applicable 12b-1 fees) as of December 31, 2015. The first quintile represents the least expensive funds and the fifth quintile the most expensive funds. The fee and expense data reported by Lipper as of December 31, 2015 reflected the most recent fiscal year-end data available in Lipper’s database at that time.
In connection with their review of fund management fees and total expenses, the Trustees also reviewed the costs of the services provided and the profits realized by Putnam Management and its affiliates from their contractual relationships with the funds. This information included trends in revenues, expenses and profitability of Putnam Management and its affiliates relating to the investment management, investor servicing and distribution services provided to the funds. In this regard, the Trustees also reviewed an analysis of Putnam Management’s revenues, expenses and profitability, allocated on a fund-by-fund basis, with respect to the funds’ management, distribution, and investor servicing contracts. For each fund, the analysis presented information about revenues, expenses and profitability for each of the agreements separately and for the agreements taken together on a combined basis. The Trustees concluded that, at current asset levels, the fee schedules in place represented reasonable compensation for the services being provided and represented an appropriate sharing between fund shareholders and Putnam Management of such economies of scale as may exist in the management of the Putnam funds at that time.
The information examined by the Trustees as part of their annual contract review for the Putnam funds included information regarding fees charged by Putnam Management and its affiliates to institutional clients such as defined benefit pension plans, college endowments, sub-advised third-party mutual funds, and the like. This information included comparisons of
18 Voyager Fund |
those fees with fees charged to the Putnam funds, as well as an assessment of the differences in the services provided to these different types of clients. The Trustees observed that the differences in fee rates between these clients and the Putnam funds are by no means uniform when examined by individual asset sectors, suggesting that differences in the pricing of investment management services to these types of clients may reflect, among other things, historical competitive forces operating in separate markets. The Trustees considered the fact that in many cases fee rates across different asset classes are higher on average for mutual funds than for institutional clients, as well as the differences between the services that Putnam Management provides to the Putnam funds and those that it provides to its other clients. The Trustees did not rely on these comparisons to any significant extent in concluding that the management fees paid by your fund are reasonable.
Investment performance
The quality of the investment process provided by Putnam Management represented a major factor in the Trustees’ evaluation of the quality of services provided by Putnam Management under your fund’s management contract. The Trustees were assisted in their review of the Putnam funds’ investment process and performance by the work of the investment oversight committees of the Trustees, which meet on a regular basis with the funds’ portfolio teams and with the Chief Investment Officer and other senior members of Putnam Management’s Investment Division throughout the year. The Trustees concluded that Putnam Management generally provides a high-quality investment process — based on the experience and skills of the individuals assigned to the management of fund portfolios, the resources made available to them, and in general Putnam Management’s ability to attract and retain high-quality personnel — but also recognized that this does not guarantee favorable investment results for every fund in every time period.
The Trustees considered that 2015 was a year of mixed performance results for the Putnam funds, with generally strong results for the international equity, global sector and global asset allocation funds, but generally disappointing results for the U.S. and small-cap equity, Spectrum and fixed income funds. They noted that the longer-term performance of the Putnam funds generally continued to be strong, exemplified by the fact that the Putnam funds were ranked by the Barron’s/Lipper Fund Families survey as the 18th-best performing mutual fund complex out of 58 complexes for the five-year period ended December 31, 2015. They also noted, however, the disappointing investment performance of some funds for periods ended December 31, 2015 and considered information provided by Putnam Management regarding the factors contributing to the underperformance and actions being taken to improve the performance of these particular funds. The Trustees indicated their intention to continue to monitor performance trends to assess the effectiveness of these efforts and to evaluate whether additional actions to address areas of underperformance are warranted.
For purposes of evaluating investment performance, the Trustees generally focus on a competitive industry ranking of each fund’s total net return over a one-year, three-year and five-year period. For a number of Putnam funds with relatively unique investment mandates for which meaningful competitive performance rankings are not considered to be available, the Trustees evaluated performance based on their total gross and net returns and, in most cases, comparisons of those returns with the returns of selected investment benchmarks. In the case of your fund, the Trustees considered that its class A share cumulative total return performance at net asset value was in the following quartiles of its Lipper peer group
Voyager Fund 19 |
(Lipper Large-Cap Growth Funds) for the one-year, three-year and five-year periods ended December 31, 2015 (the first quartile representing the best-performing funds and the fourth quartile the worst-performing funds):
One-year period | 4th |
| |
Three-year period | 4th |
| |
Five-year period | 4th |
|
Over the one-year, three-year and five-year periods ended December 31, 2015, there were 688, 615 and 545 funds, respectively, in your fund’s Lipper peer group. (When considering performance information, shareholders should be mindful that past performance is not a guarantee of future results.)
The Trustees expressed concern about your fund’s fourth quartile performance over the one-year, three-year and five-year periods ended December 31, 2015 and considered the circumstances that may have contributed to this disappointing performance. The Trustees considered Putnam Management’s view that the fund’s underperformance over the one-year, three-year and five-year periods was due in significant part to the fund’s underperformance in 2015, while the fund’s underperformance over the five-year period was also attributable to its underperformance in 2011. The Trustees observed that Putnam Investments largely attributed the fund’s underperformance in 2011 to poor stock selection and the fund’s relative emphasis on investing in securities that the fund’s portfolio manager believed were undervalued by the market, which detracted from the fund’s performance at a time when value-based investment strategies generally underperformed momentum-based investment strategies. The Trustees also considered Putnam Management’s view that the fund’s underperformance in 2011 was due in large part to the fund’s relative emphasis on cyclical companies (those whose performance tends to be tied to overall economic conditions) and its de-emphasis on mega-cap companies, which caused the fund to underperform as non-cyclical and mega-cap companies broadly outperformed other market segments.
The Trustees observed that, in February 2016, to address the fund’s performance challenges, Putnam Investments had removed the fund’s portfolio manger and appointed a new portfolio manager to manage the fund’s investments. The Trustees noted that Putnam Investments was confident in the new portfolio manager and his investment process. The Trustees also considered Putnam Management’s continued efforts to support fund performance through initiatives including structuring compensation for portfolio managers and research analysts to enhance accountability for fund performance, emphasizing accountability in the portfolio management process, and affirming its commitment to a fundamental-driven approach to investing. The Trustees noted further that Putnam Management continued to strengthen its fundamental research capabilities by adding new investment personnel.
As a general matter, the Trustees believe that cooperative efforts between the Trustees and Putnam Management represent the most effective way to address investment performance issues that may arise from time to time. The Trustees noted that investors in the Putnam funds have, in effect, placed their trust in the Putnam organization, under the oversight of the funds’ Trustees, to make appropriate decisions regarding the management of the funds. Based on past responsiveness of Putnam Management to Trustee concerns about investment performance, the Trustees concluded that it is preferable to seek change within Putnam Management to address performance shortcomings. In the Trustees’ view, the alternative of engaging a new investment adviser for an underperforming fund would entail significant disruptions and would not likely provide any greater assurance of improved investment performance.
20 Voyager Fund |
Brokerage and soft-dollar allocations; investor servicing
The Trustees considered various potential benefits that Putnam Management may receive in connection with the services it provides under the management contract with your fund. These include benefits related to brokerage allocation and the use of soft dollars, whereby a portion of the commissions paid by a fund for brokerage may be used to acquire research services that are expected to be useful to Putnam Management in managing the assets of the fund and of other clients. Subject to policies established by the Trustees, soft dollars generated by these means are used primarily to acquire brokerage and research services (including third-party research and market data) that enhance Putnam Management’s investment capabilities and supplement Putnam Management’s internal research efforts. However, the Trustees noted that a portion of available soft dollars continues to be used to pay fund expenses. The Trustees indicated their continued intent to monitor regulatory and industry developments in this area with the assistance of their Brokerage Committee and also indicated their continued intent to monitor the allocation of the Putnam funds’ brokerage in order to ensure that the principle of seeking best price and execution remains paramount in the portfolio trading process.
Putnam Management may also receive benefits from payments that the funds make to Putnam Management’s affiliates for investor or distribution services. In conjunction with the annual review of your fund’s management and sub-management contracts, the Trustees reviewed your fund’s investor servicing agreement with Putnam Investor Services, Inc. (“PSERV”) and its distributor’s contracts and distribution plans with Putnam Retail Management Limited Partnership (“PRM”), both of which are affiliates of Putnam Management. The Trustees concluded that the fees payable by the funds to PSERV and PRM, as applicable, for such services are reasonable in relation to the nature and quality of such services, the fees paid by competitive funds, and the costs incurred by PSERV and PRM, as applicable, in providing such services.
Voyager Fund 21 |
Financial statements
These sections of the report, as well as the accompanying Notes, preceded by the Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, constitute the fund’s financial statements.
The fund’s portfolio lists all the fund’s investments and their values as of the last day of the reporting period. Holdings are organized by asset type/and industry sector, country, or state to show areas of concentration and/diversification.
Statement of assets and liabilities shows how the fund’s net assets and share price are determined. All investment and non-investment assets are added together. Any unpaid expenses and other liabilities are subtracted from this total. The result is divided by the number of shares to determine the net asset value per share, which is calculated separately for each class of shares. (For funds with preferred shares, the amount subtracted from total assets includes the liquidation preference of preferred shares.)
Statement of operations shows the fund’s net investment gain or loss. This is done by first adding up all the fund’s earnings — from dividends and interest income — and subtracting its operating expenses to determine net investment income (or loss). Then, any net gain or loss the fund realized on the sales of its holdings — as well as any unrealized gains or losses over the period — is added to or subtracted from the net investment result to determine the fund’s net gain or loss for the fiscal year.
Statement of changes in net assets shows how the fund’s net assets were affected by the fund’s net investment gain or loss, by distributions to shareholders, and by changes in the number of the fund’s shares. It lists distributions and their sources (net investment income or realized capital gains) over the current reporting period and the most recent fiscal year-end. The distributions listed here may not match the sources listed in the Statement of operations because the distributions are determined on a tax basis and may be paid in a different period from the one in which they were/earned.
Financial highlights provide an overview of the fund’s investment results, per-share distributions, expense ratios, net investment income ratios, and portfolio turnover in one summary table, reflecting the five most recent reporting periods. In a semiannual report, the highlights table also includes the current reporting period.
22 Voyager Fund |
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Trustees and Shareholders
of Putnam Voyager Fund:
In our opinion, the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities, including the portfolio, and the related statements of operations and of changes in net assets and the financial highlights present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Putnam Voyager Fund (the “fund”) at July 31, 2016, and the results of its operations, the changes in its net assets and the financial highlights for each of the periods indicated, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These financial statements and financial highlights (hereafter referred to as “financial statements”) are the responsibility of the fund’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits of these financial statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits, which included confirmation of investments owned at July 31, 2016 by correspondence with the custodian, brokers, and transfer agent, provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Boston, Massachusetts
September 7, 2016
Voyager Fund 23 |
The fund’s portfolio 7/31/16
COMMON STOCKS (98.2%)* | Shares | Value |
| ||
Aerospace and defense (4.6%) | ||
General Dynamics Corp. | 223,100 | $32,771,159 |
| ||
Honeywell International, Inc. | 268,775 | 31,266,596 |
| ||
Northrop Grumman Corp. | 381,552 | 82,655,610 |
| ||
146,693,365 | ||
Auto components (0.5%) | ||
Johnson Controls, Inc. | 364,200 | 16,724,064 |
| ||
16,724,064 | ||
Banks (1.4%) | ||
Bank of America Corp. | 2,265,719 | 32,830,268 |
| ||
First Republic Bank | 180,021 | 12,902,105 |
| ||
45,732,373 | ||
Beverages (3.9%) | ||
Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV ADR (Belgium) | 280,200 | 36,269,088 |
| ||
Constellation Brands, Inc. Class A | 132,000 | 21,731,160 |
| ||
Monster Beverage Corp. † | 141,523 | 22,732,839 |
| ||
PepsiCo, Inc. | 400,000 | 43,568,000 |
| ||
124,301,087 | ||
Biotechnology (6.8%) | ||
Amgen, Inc. | 135,400 | 23,292,862 |
| ||
Biogen, Inc. † | 161,300 | 46,765,709 |
| ||
Celgene Corp. † | 796,113 | 89,315,917 |
| ||
Gilead Sciences, Inc. | 220,628 | 17,533,307 |
| ||
Medivation, Inc. † | 262,500 | 16,797,375 |
| ||
Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. † S | 1,569,268 | 9,101,754 |
| ||
Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. † | 171,400 | 16,625,800 |
| ||
219,432,724 | ||
Capital markets (1.6%) | ||
Charles Schwab Corp. (The) | 824,500 | 23,432,290 |
| ||
KKR & Co. LP | 1,022,800 | 14,769,232 |
| ||
Morgan Stanley | 498,600 | 14,324,778 |
| ||
52,526,300 | ||
Chemicals (3.2%) | ||
Albemarle Corp. S | 239,200 | 20,133,464 |
| ||
Ingevity Corp. † | 347,100 | 13,283,517 |
| ||
Monsanto Co. | 132,700 | 14,168,379 |
| ||
Sherwin-Williams Co. (The) | 86,347 | 25,880,786 |
| ||
Symrise AG (Germany) | 409,810 | 28,882,897 |
| ||
102,349,043 | ||
Commercial services and supplies (2.3%) | ||
Tyco International PLC | 1,644,500 | 74,939,865 |
| ||
Consumer finance (0.6%) | 74,939,865 | |
Oportun Financial Corp. (acquired 6/23/15, cost $1,923,622) | ||
(Private) † ∆∆ F | 674,955 | 1,731,260 |
| ||
Synchrony Financial † | 677,000 | 18,874,760 |
| ||
20,606,020 | ||
Containers and packaging (0.5%) | ||
Ball Corp. | 214,900 | 15,186,983 |
| ||
15,186,983 | ||
Distributors (0.5%) | ||
LKQ Corp. † | 432,500 | 14,873,675 |
| ||
14,873,675 |
24 Voyager Fund |
COMMON STOCKS (98.2%)* cont. | Shares | Value |
| ||
Diversified telecommunication services (0.6%) | ||
Level 3 Communications, Inc. † | 389,700 | $19,718,820 |
| ||
19,718,820 | ||
Food and staples retail (2.3%) | ||
Costco Wholesale Corp. | 114,700 | 19,180,134 |
| ||
Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. | 700,500 | 55,514,625 |
| ||
74,694,759 | ||
Food products (0.2%) | ||
Mead Johnson Nutrition Co. | 87,300 | 7,787,160 |
| ||
7,787,160 | ||
Health-care equipment and supplies (4.8%) | ||
Becton Dickinson and Co. | 184,900 | 32,542,400 |
| ||
C.R. Bard, Inc. | 193,100 | 43,202,263 |
| ||
Cooper Cos., Inc. (The) | 107,800 | 19,670,266 |
| ||
Danaher Corp. | 473,633 | 38,572,672 |
| ||
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. † | 30,100 | 20,942,376 |
| ||
154,929,977 | ||
Hotels, restaurants, and leisure (2.5%) | ||
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. † S | 47,100 | 19,969,929 |
| ||
Restaurant Brands International LP (Units) (Canada) | 4,381 | 196,292 |
| ||
Restaurant Brands International, Inc. (Canada) S | 301,612 | 13,491,105 |
| ||
Wynn Resorts, Ltd. S | 150,600 | 14,751,270 |
| ||
Yum! Brands, Inc. | 351,400 | 31,422,188 |
| ||
79,830,784 | ||
Household products (0.3%) | ||
Colgate-Palmolive Co. | 150,530 | 11,203,948 |
| ||
11,203,948 | ||
Insurance (0.3%) | ||
Prudential PLC (United Kingdom) | 455,331 | 8,044,813 |
| ||
8,044,813 | ||
Internet and catalog retail (6.9%) | ||
Amazon.com, Inc. † | 234,450 | 177,903,005 |
| ||
Ctrip.com International, Ltd. ADR (China) † S | 175,900 | 7,681,553 |
| ||
Delivery Hero Holding GmbH (acquired 6/2/15, cost $6,723,847) | ||
(Private) (Germany) † ∆∆ F |
873 | 5,497,404 |
| ||
FabFurnish GmbH (acquired 8/2/13, cost $186) (Private) | ||
(Brazil) † ∆∆ F |
140 | 117 |
| ||
Global Fashion Group SA (acquired 8/2/13, cost $9,259,308) (Private) | ||
(Brazil) † ∆∆ F |
218,573 | 1,573,820 |
| ||
New Bigfoot Other Assets GmbH (acquired 8/2/13, cost $186) | ||
(Private) (Brazil) † ∆∆ F |
140 | 117 |
| ||
New Middle East Other Assets GmbH (acquired 8/2/13, cost $76) | ||
(Private) (Brazil) † ∆∆ F |
57 | 48 |
| ||
Priceline Group, Inc. (The) † | 22,897 | 30,929,497 |
| ||
223,585,561 | ||
Internet software and services (12.8%) | ||
Alibaba Group Holding, Ltd. ADR (China) † S | 192,443 | 15,872,699 |
| ||
Alphabet, Inc. Class A † | 292,014 | 231,082,359 |
| ||
Facebook, Inc. Class A † | 1,123,881 | 139,293,811 |
| ||
Shopify, Inc. Class A (Canada) † | 494,900 | 16,960,223 |
| ||
Tencent Holdings, Ltd. (China) | 386,600 | 9,293,269 |
| ||
412,502,361 |
Voyager Fund 25 |
COMMON STOCKS (98.2%)* cont. | Shares | Value |
| ||
IT Services (5.1%) | ||
Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. | 362,900 | $28,861,437 |
| ||
Visa, Inc. Class A | 1,739,900 | 135,799,195 |
| ||
164,660,632 | ||
Life sciences tools and services (1.6%) | ||
Agilent Technologies, Inc. | 1,060,400 | 51,015,844 |
| ||
51,015,844 | ||
Machinery (0.6%) | ||
Fortive Corp. † | 201,516 | 9,715,086 |
| ||
Manitowoc Foodservice, Inc. † | 433,200 | 7,944,888 |
| ||
17,659,974 | ||
Media (2.1%) | ||
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. † | 1,180,633 | 32,372,957 |
| ||
Time Warner, Inc. | 202,800 | 15,544,620 |
| ||
Walt Disney Co. (The) | 190,500 | 18,278,475 |
| ||
66,196,052 | ||
Multiline retail (0.7%) | ||
Dollar General Corp. | 234,700 | 22,235,478 |
| ||
22,235,478 | ||
Oil, gas, and consumable fuels (3.2%) | ||
Anadarko Petroleum Corp. | 376,800 | 20,546,904 |
| ||
EnVen Energy Corp. 144A F | 415,000 | 3,527,500 |
| ||
EOG Resources, Inc. | 296,800 | 24,248,560 |
| ||
Gulfport Energy Corp. † | 522,200 | 15,190,798 |
| ||
Pioneer Natural Resources Co. | 156,700 | 25,474,719 |
| ||
Range Resources Corp. | 346,400 | 13,963,384 |
| ||
102,951,865 | ||
Personal products (0.7%) | ||
Edgewell Personal Care Co. † | 259,800 | 21,981,678 |
| ||
21,981,678 | ||
Pharmaceuticals (3.9%) | ||
Allergan PLC † | 224,507 | 56,789,046 |
| ||
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. | 479,700 | 35,886,357 |
| ||
Eli Lilly & Co. | 259,100 | 21,476,799 |
| ||
Jazz Pharmaceuticals PLC † | 78,751 | 11,889,038 |
| ||
126,041,240 | ||
Professional services (0.4%) | ||
Equifax, Inc. | 85,300 | 11,298,838 |
| ||
11,298,838 | ||
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) (1.5%) | ||
American Tower Corp. R | 232,173 | 26,878,668 |
| ||
Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. R | 602,600 | 21,591,158 |
| ||
48,469,826 | ||
Road and rail (2.0%) | ||
Union Pacific Corp. | 689,702 | 64,176,771 |
| ||
64,176,771 | ||
Semiconductors and semiconductor equipment (4.1%) | ||
Applied Materials, Inc. | 1,322,200 | 34,760,638 |
| ||
Broadcom, Ltd. | 206,500 | 33,448,870 |
| ||
Micron Technology, Inc. † | 676,200 | 9,290,988 |
| ||
NVIDIA Corp. S | 199,000 | 11,362,900 |
| ||
NXP Semiconductor NV † | 194,000 | 16,313,460 |
| ||
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. ADR (Taiwan) | 986,400 | 27,402,192 |
| ||
132,579,048 |
26 Voyager Fund |
COMMON STOCKS (98.2%)* cont. | Shares | Value |
| ||
Software (7.1%) | ||
Adobe Systems, Inc. † | 297,800 | $29,142,708 |
| ||
Electronic Arts, Inc. † | 480,500 | 36,671,760 |
| ||
Microsoft Corp. | 1,399,800 | 79,340,664 |
| ||
Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Japan) | 37,900 | 7,987,842 |
| ||
salesforce.com, Inc. † | 757,029 | 61,924,972 |
| ||
ServiceNow, Inc. † | 165,400 | 12,391,768 |
| ||
227,459,714 | ||
Specialty retail (3.8%) | ||
Advance Auto Parts, Inc. | 93,400 | 15,864,924 |
| ||
Home Depot, Inc. (The) | 530,511 | 73,337,841 |
| ||
TJX Cos., Inc. (The) | 421,500 | 34,444,980 |
| ||
123,647,745 | ||
Technology hardware, storage, and peripherals (3.7%) | ||
Apple, Inc. | 1,027,147 | 107,038,989 |
| ||
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (South Korea) | 8,741 | 12,009,462 |
| ||
119,048,451 | ||
Textiles, apparel, and luxury goods (0.8%) | ||
NIKE, Inc. Class B | 451,900 | 25,080,450 |
| ||
25,080,450 | ||
Wireless telecommunication services (0.3%) | ||
T-Mobile US, Inc. † | 228,100 | 10,570,153 |
| ||
10,570,153 | ||
Total common stocks (cost $2,537,830,883) | $3,160,737,441 | |
CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCKS (1.1%)* | Shares | Value |
| ||
Oportun Financial Corp. Ser. A-1, 8.00% cv. pfd. (acquired 6/23/15, | ||
cost $5,253) (Private) † ∆∆ F |
1,843 | $4,727 |
| ||
Oportun Financial Corp. Ser. B-1, 8.00% cv. pfd. (acquired 6/23/15, | ||
cost $100,457) (Private) † ∆∆ F |
31,891 | 90,411 |
| ||
Oportun Financial Corp. Ser. C-1, 8.00% cv. pfd. (acquired 6/23/15, | ||
cost $235,942) (Private) † ∆∆ F |
46,354 | 212,348 |
| ||
Oportun Financial Corp. Ser. D-1, 8.00% cv. pfd. (acquired 6/23/15, | ||
cost $342,236) (Private) † ∆∆ F |
67,237 | 308,013 |
| ||
Oportun Financial Corp. Ser. E-1, 8.00% cv. pfd. (acquired 6/23/15, | ||
cost $191,914) (Private) † ∆∆ F |
34,957 | 172,723 |
| ||
Oportun Financial Corp. Ser. F, 8.00% cv. pfd. (acquired 6/23/15, cost | ||
$579,325) (Private) † ∆∆ F |
75,433 | 521,393 |
| ||
Oportun Financial Corp. Ser. F-1, 8.00% cv. pfd. (acquired 6/23/15, | ||
cost $1,624,930) (Private) † ∆∆ F |
570,151 | 1,462,437 |
| ||
Oportun Financial Corp. Ser. G, 8.00% cv. pfd. (acquired 6/23/15, cost | ||
$2,054,710) (Private) † ∆∆ F |
720,951 | 1,849,239 |
| ||
Oportun Financial Corp. Ser. H, 8.00% cv. pfd. (acquired 2/6/15, cost | ||
$6,422,273) (Private) † ∆∆ F |
2,255,601 | 5,780,135 |
| ||
Uber Technologies, Inc. Ser. E, 8.00% cv. pfd. (acquired 2/18/15, cost | ||
$19,183,494) (Private) † ∆∆ F |
567,268 | 24,900,115 |
| ||
Total convertible preferred stocks (cost $30,740,634) | $35,301,541 | |
CONVERTIBLE BONDS AND NOTES (0.2%)* | Principal amount | Value |
| ||
Pandora Media, Inc. 144A cv. sr. unsec. notes 1.75%, 12/1/20 | $6,105,000 | $6,501,825 |
| ||
Total convertible bonds and notes (cost $5,490,960) | $6,501,825 |
Voyager Fund 27 |
WARRANTS (0.2%)* † | Expiration | Strike | ||
date | price | Warrants | Value | |
| ||||
EnVen Energy Corp. 144A F | 11/6/20 | $12.50 | 415,000 | $42 |
| ||||
EnVen Energy Corp. 144A F | 11/6/20 | 15.00 | 415,000 | 42 |
| ||||
Gree Electric Appliances, Inc. of Zhuhai | ||||
144A (China) F | 7/24/17 | 0.00 | 1,391,400 | 5,874,046 |
| ||||
Total warrants (cost $4,060,623) | $5,874,130 |
SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS (2.2%)* | Shares | Value |
| ||
Putnam Cash Collateral Pool, LLC 0.62% d | 64,516,275 | $64,516,275 |
| ||
SSgA Prime Money Market Fund Class N 0.34% P | 4,825,000 | 4,825,000 |
| ||
Total short-term investments (cost $69,341,275) | $69,341,275 | |
TOTAL INVESTMENTS | ||
| ||
Total investments (cost $2,647,464,375) | $3,277,756,212 |
Key to holding’s abbreviations | |
ADR | American Depository Receipts: represents ownership of foreign securities on deposit with a |
custodian bank |
Notes to the fund’s portfolio
Unless noted otherwise, the notes to the fund’s portfolio are for the close of the fund’s reporting period, which ran from August 1, 2015 through July 31, 2016 (the reporting period). Within the following notes to the portfolio, references to “ASC 820” represent Accounting Standards Codification 820 Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures and references to “OTC”, if any, represent over-the-counter.
* Percentages indicated are based on net assets of $3,217,733,461.
† This security is non-income-producing.
∆∆ This security is restricted with regard to public resale. The total fair value of this security and any other restricted securities (excluding 144A securities), if any, held at the close of the reporting period was $44,104,307, or 1.4% of net assets.
d Affiliated company. See Note 1 to the financial statements regarding securities lending. The rate quoted in the security description is the annualized 7-day yield of the fund at the close of the reporting period.
F This security is valued by Putnam Management at fair value following procedures approved by the Trustees. Securities may be classified as Level 2 or Level 3 for ASC 820 based on the securities’ valuation inputs (Note 1).
P This security was pledged, or purchased with cash that was pledged, to the fund for collateral on certain derivative contracts. The rate quoted in the security description is the annualized 7-day yield of the fund at the close of the reporting period (Note 1).
R Real Estate Investment Trust.
S Security on loan, in part or in entirety, at the close of the reporting period (Note 1).
At the close of the reporting period, the fund maintained liquid assets totaling $428,608 to cover certain derivative contracts and the settlement of certain securities.
Debt obligations are considered secured unless otherwise indicated.
144A after the name of an issuer represents securities exempt from registration under Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. These securities may be resold in transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers.
The dates shown on debt obligations are the original maturity dates.
28 Voyager Fund |
FORWARD CURRENCY CONTRACTS at 7/31/16 (aggregate face value $315,729,617) | ||||||
Unrealized | ||||||
Contract | Delivery | Aggregate | appreciation/ | |||
Counterparty | Currency | type | date | Value | face value | (depreciation) |
| ||||||
Bank of America N.A. | ||||||
British Pound | Buy | 9/21/16 | $6,772,016 | $6,789,645 | $(17,629) | |
| ||||||
Credit Suisse International | ||||||
British Pound | Sell | 9/21/16 | 9,062,735 | 9,866,061 | 803,326 | |
| ||||||
Chinese Yuan | ||||||
(Offshore) | Buy | 8/18/16 | 109,143,265 | 107,684,940 | 1,458,325 | |
| ||||||
Chinese Yuan | ||||||
(Offshore) | Sell | 8/18/16 | 109,143,265 | 110,984,602 | 1,841,337 | |
| ||||||
Euro | Sell | 9/21/16 | 17,983,037 | 18,000,408 | 17,371 | |
| ||||||
Japanese Yen | Sell | 8/18/16 | 20,772,673 | 19,838,982 | (933,691) | |
| ||||||
JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. | ||||||
Euro | Sell | 9/21/16 | 40,354,228 | 39,934,848 | (419,380) | |
| ||||||
UBS AG | ||||||
British Pound | Sell | 9/21/16 | 2,415,491 | 2,630,131 | 214,640 | |
| ||||||
Total | $2,964,299 |
ASC 820 establishes a three-level hierarchy for disclosure of fair value measurements. The valuation hierarchy is based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of the fund’s investments. The three levels are defined as follows:
Level 1: Valuations based on quoted prices for identical securities in active markets.
Level 2: Valuations based on quoted prices in markets that are not active or for which all significant inputs are observable, either directly or indirectly.
Level 3: Valuations based on inputs that are unobservable and significant to the fair value measurement.
The following is a summary of the inputs used to value the fund’s net assets as of the close of the reporting period:
Valuation inputs | |||
| |||
Investments in securities: | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 |
| |||
Common stocks*: | |||
| |||
Consumer discretionary | $565,102,303 | $— | $7,071,506 |
| |||
Consumer staples | 239,968,632 | — | — |
| |||
Energy | 99,424,365 | 3,527,500 | — |
| |||
Financials | 173,648,072 | — | 1,731,260 |
| |||
Health care | 551,419,785 | — | — |
| |||
Industrials | 314,768,813 | — | — |
| |||
Information technology | 1,056,250,206 | — | — |
| |||
Materials | 117,536,026 | — | — |
| |||
Telecommunication services | 30,288,973 | — | — |
| |||
Total common stocks | 3,148,407,175 | 3,527,500 | 8,802,766 |
Convertible bonds and notes | — | 6,501,825 | — |
| |||
Convertible preferred stocks | — | — | 35,301,541 |
| |||
Warrants | — | 5,874,130 | — |
| |||
Short-term investments | 4,825,000 | 64,516,275 | — |
| |||
Totals by level | $3,153,232,175 | $80,419,730 | $44,104,307 |
Voyager Fund 29 |
Valuation inputs | |||
| |||
Other financial instruments: | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 |
| |||
Forward currency contracts | $— | $2,964,299 | $— |
| |||
Totals by level | $— | $2,964,299 | $— |
* Common stock classifications are presented at the sector level, which may differ from the fund’s portfolio presentation.
During the reporting period, transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 within the fair value hierarchy, if any (other than certain transfers involving non-U.S. equity securities as described in Note 1), did not represent, in the aggregate, more than 1% of the fund’s net assets measured as of the end of the period. Transfers are accounted for using the end of period pricing valuation method.
The following is a reconciliation of Level 3 assets as of the close of the reporting period:
Change in net | ||||||||||||||||||
unrealized | Total | Total | ||||||||||||||||
Balance | Accrued | Realized | appreciation/ | Proceeds | transfers | transfers | Balance | |||||||||||
Investments | as of | discounts/ | gain/ | (deprecia- | Cost of | from | into | out of | as of | |||||||||
in securities: | 7/31/15 | premiums | (loss) | tion) # | purchases | sales | Level 3† | Level 3† | 7/31/16 | |||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Common | ||||||||||||||||||
stocks*: | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Consumer | ||||||||||||||||||
discretionary | $11,500,859 | $— | $— | $(4,429,353) | $— | $— | $— | $— | $7,071,506 | |||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Financials | 1,731,260 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1,731,260 | |||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Total common | ||||||||||||||||||
stocks | $13,232,119 | $— | $— | $(4,429,353) | $— | $— | $— | $— | $8,802,766 | |||||||||
Convertible | ||||||||||||||||||
preferred stocks | $30,638,542 | — | — | 4,662,999 | — | — | — | — | $35,301,541 | |||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Totals | $43,870,661 | $— | $— | $233,646 | $— | $— | $— | $— | $44,104,307 |
* Common stock classifications are presented at the sector level, which may differ from the fund’s portfolio presentation.
† Transfers during the reporting period are accounted for using the end of period market value and did not represent, in the aggregate, more than 1% of the fund’s net assets measured as of the end of the period.
# Includes $233,646 related to Level 3 securities still held at period end. Total change in unrealized appreciation/ (depreciation) for securities (including Level 1 and Level 2) can be found in the Statement of operations.
The table below represents quantitative information on internally priced Level 3 securities that were valued using unobservable inputs. The table excludes securities with valuations provided by a broker.
Impact to | ||||||
Range of | Valuation from | |||||
Valuation | unobservable inputs | an Increase | ||||
Description | Fair Value | Techniques | Unobservable input | (Weighted Average) | in Input 1 | |
| ||||||
Private | Comparable | EV/Sales multiple | 3.9x–6.5x (5.62x) | Increase | ||
equity | $5,497,404 | Multiples | Liquidity discount | 10% | Decrease | |
| ||||||
Private | Market | |||||
equity | $37,032,801 | transaction | Liquidity discount | 10% | Decrease | |
price | ||||||
| ||||||
Private | Market | |||||
equity | $282 | transaction | Liquidity discount | 25% | Decrease | |
price | ||||||
| ||||||
EV/sales multiple | 0.6x–1.9x (1.37x) | Increase | ||||
| ||||||
Private | Comparable | Liquidity discount | 25% | Decrease | ||
equity | $1,573,820 | multiples |
| |||
Uncertainty discount | 25% | Decrease | ||||
|
1 Expected directional change in fair value that would result from an increase in the unobservable input.
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
30 Voyager Fund |
Statement of assets and liabilities 7/31/16
ASSETS | |
| |
Investment in securities, at value, including $61,717,348 of securities on loan (Note 1): | |
Unaffiliated issuers (identified cost $2,582,948,100) | $3,213,239,937 |
Affiliated issuers (identified cost $64,516,275) (Notes 1 and 5) | 64,516,275 |
| |
Foreign currency (cost $69) (Note 1) | 67 |
| |
Dividends, interest and other receivables | 2,191,645 |
| |
Receivable for shares of the fund sold | 217,089 |
| |
Receivable for investments sold | 57,228,103 |
| |
Unrealized appreciation on forward currency contracts (Note 1) | 4,334,999 |
| |
Prepaid assets | 47,149 |
| |
Total assets | 3,341,775,264 |
LIABILITIES | |
| |
Payable to custodian | 9,141,299 |
| |
Payable for investments purchased | 36,027,743 |
| |
Payable for shares of the fund repurchased | 3,030,747 |
| |
Payable for compensation of Manager (Note 2) | 1,100,371 |
| |
Payable for custodian fees (Note 2) | 49,275 |
| |
Payable for investor servicing fees (Note 2) | 872,430 |
| |
Payable for Trustee compensation and expenses (Note 2) | 1,640,008 |
| |
Payable for administrative services (Note 2) | 12,375 |
| |
Payable for distribution fees (Note 2) | 749,726 |
| |
Unrealized depreciation on forward currency contracts (Note 1) | 1,370,700 |
| |
Collateral on securities loaned, at value (Note 1) | 64,516,275 |
| |
Collateral on certain derivative contracts, at value (Note 1) | 4,825,000 |
| |
Other accrued expenses | 705,854 |
| |
Total liabilities | 124,041,803 |
Net assets | $3,217,733,461 |
| |
REPRESENTED BY | |
| |
Paid-in capital (Unlimited shares authorized) (Notes 1 and 4) | $3,147,513,728 |
| |
Undistributed net investment income (Note 1) | 6,354,124 |
| |
Accumulated net realized loss on investments and foreign currency transactions (Note 1) | (569,395,762) |
| |
Net unrealized appreciation of investments and assets and liabilities in foreign currencies | 633,261,371 |
| |
Total — Representing net assets applicable to capital shares outstanding | $3,217,733,461 |
(Continued on next page)
Voyager Fund 31 |
Statement of assets and liabilities (Continued)
COMPUTATION OF NET ASSET VALUE AND OFFERING PRICE | |
| |
Net asset value and redemption price per class A share | |
($2,806,622,394 divided by 103,988,559 shares) | $26.99 |
| |
Offering price per class A share (100/94.25 of $26.99)* | $28.64 |
| |
Net asset value and offering price per class B share ($66,869,691 divided by 3,092,861 shares)** | $21.62 |
| |
Net asset value and offering price per class C share ($110,753,379 divided by 4,548,352 shares)** | $24.35 |
| |
Net asset value and redemption price per class M share ($20,370,898 divided by 839,979 shares) | $24.25 |
| |
Offering price per class M share (100/96.50 of $24.25)* | $25.13 |
| |
Net asset value, offering price and redemption price per class R share | |
($8,262,068 divided by 312,441 shares) | $26.44 |
| |
Net asset value, offering price and redemption price per class R5 share | |
($1,733,036 divided by 60,623 shares) | $28.59 |
| |
Net asset value, offering price and redemption price per class R6 share | |
($34,091,292 divided by 1,191,649 shares) | $28.61 |
| |
Net asset value, offering price and redemption price per class Y share | |
($169,030,703 divided by 5,928,613 shares) | $28.51 |
|
* On single retail sales of less than $50,000. On sales of $50,000 or more the offering price is reduced.
** Redemption price per share is equal to net asset value less any applicable contingent deferred sales charge.
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
32 Voyager Fund |
Statement of operations Year ended 7/31/16
INVESTMENT INCOME | |
| |
Dividends (net of foreign tax of $614,469) | $35,872,634 |
| |
Interest (including interest income of $225,551 from investments in affiliated issuers) (Note 5) | 225,551 |
| |
Securities lending (net of expenses) (Note 1) | 3,294,748 |
| |
Total investment income | 39,392,933 |
EXPENSES | |
| |
Compensation of Manager (Note 2) | 15,416,323 |
| |
Investor servicing fees (Note 2) | 6,854,377 |
| |
Custodian fees (Note 2) | 152,904 |
| |
Trustee compensation and expenses (Note 2) | 272,907 |
| |
Distribution fees (Note 2) | 9,493,035 |
| |
Administrative services (Note 2) | 92,591 |
| |
Other | 1,628,415 |
| |
Fees waived and reimbursed by Manager (Note 2) | (49,877) |
| |
Total expenses | 33,860,675 |
Expense reduction (Note 2) | (596,632) |
| |
Net expenses | 33,264,043 |
Net investment income | 6,128,890 |
| |
Net realized loss on investments (including realized loss of $37,844,054 on sales of investments | |
in affiliated issuers) (Notes 1, 3, and 5) | (465,028,324) |
| |
Net increase from payments by affiliates (Note 2) | 41,126 |
| |
Net realized loss on swap contracts (Note 1) | (43,231,812) |
| |
Net realized gain on futures contracts (Note 1) | 626,154 |
| |
Net realized loss on foreign currency transactions (Note 1) | (3,543,343) |
| |
Net realized loss on written options (Notes 1 and 3) | (21,702,457) |
| |
Net unrealized appreciation of assets and liabilities in foreign currencies during the year | 1,087,786 |
| |
Net unrealized appreciation of investments, swap contracts and written options during the year | 112,797,657 |
| |
Net loss on investments | (418,953,213) |
Net decrease in net assets resulting from operations | $(412,824,323) |
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
Voyager Fund 33 |
Statement of changes in net assets
INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS | Year ended 7/31/16 | Year ended 7/31/15 |
| ||
Operations: | ||
Net investment income | $6,128,890 | $150,719 |
| ||
Net realized gain (loss) on investments | ||
and foreign currency transactions | (532,838,656) | 185,168,634 |
| ||
Net unrealized appreciation of investments and assets | ||
and liabilities in foreign currencies | 113,885,443 | 240,503,297 |
| ||
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting | ||
from operations | (412,824,323) | 425,822,650 |
| ||
Distributions to shareholders (Note 1): | ||
From ordinary income | ||
Net investment income | ||
| ||
Class A | (36,064,183) | (14,112,895) |
| ||
Class B | (522,041) | — |
| ||
Class C | (678,455) | — |
| ||
Class M | (195,892) | — |
| ||
Class R | (64,517) | (21,808) |
| ||
Class R5 | (26,454) | (138) |
| ||
Class R6 | (582,478) | (290,011) |
| ||
Class Y | (3,731,775) | (2,529,833) |
| ||
Net realized short-term gain on investments | ||
| ||
Class A | (55,158,420) | (180,585,426) |
| ||
Class B | (1,788,180) | (6,372,527) |
| ||
Class C | (2,765,170) | (9,247,245) |
| ||
Class M | (493,367) | (1,609,327) |
| ||
Class R | (180,137) | (903,466) |
| ||
Class R5 | (32,145) | (974) |
| ||
Class R6 | (650,877) | (1,841,676) |
| ||
Class Y | (4,807,238) | (19,564,188) |
| ||
From net realized long-term gain on investments | ||
Class A | (78,376,658) | (238,497,301) |
| ||
Class B | (2,540,892) | (8,416,130) |
| ||
Class C | (3,929,134) | (12,212,740) |
| ||
Class M | (701,043) | (2,125,422) |
| ||
Class R | (255,964) | (1,193,199) |
| ||
Class R5 | (45,677) | (1,286) |
| ||
Class R6 | (924,855) | (2,432,282) |
| ||
Class Y | (6,830,783) | (25,838,221) |
| ||
Increase (decrease) from capital share transactions (Note 4) | (394,053,355) | 140,179,396 |
| ||
Total increase (decrease) in net assets | (1,008,224,013) | 38,205,951 |
NET ASSETS | ||
| ||
Beginning of year | 4,225,957,474 | 4,187,751,523 |
| ||
End of year (including undistributed net investment income | ||
of $6,354,124 and $43,087,981, respectively) | $3,217,733,461 | $4,225,957,474 |
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
34 Voyager Fund |
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Voyager Fund 35 |
Financial highlights (For a common share outstanding throughout the period)
INVESTMENT OPERATIONS: | LESS DISTRIBUTIONS: | RATIOS AND SUPPLEMENTAL DATA: | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
Ratio | Ratio | |||||||||||||
Net realized | From | of expenses | of net investment | |||||||||||
Net asset value, | and unrealized | Total from | From | net realized | Total return | Net assets, | to average | income (loss) | Portfolio | |||||
beginning | Net investment | gain (loss) | investment | net investment | gain | Total | Non-recurring | Net asset value, | at net asset | end of period | net assets | to average | turnover | |
Period ended | of period | income (loss) a | on investments | operations | income | on investments | distributions | reimbursements | end of period | value (%) b | (in thousands) | (%) c | net assets (%) | (%) |
| ||||||||||||||
Class A | ||||||||||||||
July 31, 2016 | $31.47 | .05 | (2.95) | (2.90) | (.34) | (1.24) | (1.58) | — | $26.99 | (9.27) | $2,806,622 | .96 g | .20 g | 125 |
July 31, 2015 | 32.36 | .01 | 3.28 | 3.29 | (.14) | (4.04) | (4.18) | — | 31.47 | 10.51 | 3,489,762 | 1.04 | .03 | 140 |
July 31, 2014 | 26.76 | .22 | 5.65 | 5.87 | (.27) | — | (.27) | — | 32.36 | 22.01 | 3,489,890 | .97 | .73 | 146 |
July 31, 2013 | 20.61 | .19 | 6.22 | 6.41 | (.26) | — | (.26) | — | 26.76 | 31.40 | 3,142,831 | 1.00 | .84 | 130 |
July 31, 2012 | 22.80 | .07 | (2.26) | (2.19) | — | — | — | — e,f | 20.61 | (9.61) | 2,874,779 | 1.07 | .35 | 140 |
| ||||||||||||||
Class B | ||||||||||||||
July 31, 2016 | $25.53 | (.12) | (2.40) | (2.52) | (.15) | (1.24) | (1.39) | — | $21.62 | (9.93) | $66,870 | 1.71 g | (.54) g | 125 |
July 31, 2015 | 27.05 | (.19) | 2.71 | 2.52 | — | (4.04) | (4.04) | — | 25.53 | 9.65 | 94,648 | 1.79 | (.72) | 140 |
July 31, 2014 | 22.43 | — e | 4.73 | 4.73 | (.11) | — | (.11) | — | 27.05 | 21.13 | 104,736 | 1.72 | (.01) | 146 |
July 31, 2013 | 17.31 | .02 | 5.22 | 5.24 | (.12) | — | (.12) | — | 22.43 | 30.40 | 104,780 | 1.75 | .10 | 130 |
July 31, 2012 | 19.29 | (.07) | (1.91) | (1.98) | — | — | — | — e,f | 17.31 | (10.26) | 105,363 | 1.82 | (.40) | 140 |
| ||||||||||||||
Class C | ||||||||||||||
July 31, 2016 | $28.54 | (.13) | (2.69) | (2.82) | (.13) | (1.24) | (1.37) | — | $24.35 | (9.95) | $110,753 | 1.71 g | (.54) g | 125 |
July 31, 2015 | 29.79 | (.21) | 3.00 | 2.79 | — | (4.04) | (4.04) | — | 28.54 | 9.67 | 160,428 | 1.79 | (.72) | 140 |
July 31, 2014 | 24.67 | (.01) | 5.21 | 5.20 | (.08) | — | (.08) | — | 29.79 | 21.12 | 162,611 | 1.72 | (.03) | 146 |
July 31, 2013 | 18.98 | .03 | 5.73 | 5.76 | (.07) | — | (.07) | — | 24.67 | 30.42 | 141,971 | 1.75 | .12 | 130 |
July 31, 2012 | 21.15 | (.08) | (2.09) | (2.17) | — | — | — | — e,f | 18.98 | (10.26) | 166,329 | 1.82 | (.40) | 140 |
| ||||||||||||||
Class M | ||||||||||||||
July 31, 2016 | $28.44 | (.07) | (2.68) | (2.75) | (.20) | (1.24) | (1.44) | — | $24.25 | (9.71) | $20,371 | 1.46 g | (.29) g | 125 |
July 31, 2015 | 29.63 | (.14) | 2.99 | 2.85 | — | (4.04) | (4.04) | — | 28.44 | 9.95 | 28,399 | 1.54 | (.47) | 140 |
July 31, 2014 | 24.55 | .06 | 5.18 | 5.24 | (.16) | — | (.16) | — | 29.63 | 21.37 | 28,099 | 1.47 | .22 | 146 |
July 31, 2013 | 18.92 | .07 | 5.72 | 5.79 | (.16) | — | (.16) | — | 24.55 | 30.77 | 24,935 | 1.50 | .34 | 130 |
July 31, 2012 | 21.03 | (.03) | (2.08) | (2.11) | — | — | — | — e,f | 18.92 | (10.03) | 23,150 | 1.57 | (.15) | 140 |
| ||||||||||||||
Class R | ||||||||||||||
July 31, 2016 | $30.78 | (.01) | (2.91) | (2.92) | (.18) | (1.24) | (1.42) | — | $26.44 | (9.52) | $8,262 | 1.21 g | (.03) g | 125 |
July 31, 2015 | 31.72 | (.07) | 3.21 | 3.14 | (.04) | (4.04) | (4.08) | — | 30.78 | 10.24 | 15,080 | 1.29 | (.22) | 140 |
July 31, 2014 | 26.23 | .14 | 5.54 | 5.68 | (.19) | — | (.19) | — | 31.72 | 21.70 | 18,033 | 1.22 | .48 | 146 |
July 31, 2013 | 20.20 | .14 | 6.09 | 6.23 | (.20) | — | (.20) | — | 26.23 | 31.08 | 17,812 | 1.25 | .61 | 130 |
July 31, 2012 | 22.40 | .02 | (2.22) | (2.20) | — | — | — | — e,f | 20.20 | (9.82) | 18,921 | 1.32 | .09 | 140 |
| ||||||||||||||
Class R5 | ||||||||||||||
July 31, 2016 | $33.23 | .14 | (3.12) | (2.98) | (.42) | (1.24) | (1.66) | — | $28.59 | (8.99) | $1,733 | .66 g | .51 g | 125 |
July 31, 2015 | 33.96 | .09 | 3.47 | 3.56 | (.25) | (4.04) | (4.29) | — | 33.23 | 10.84 | 2,385 | .75 | .27 | 140 |
July 31, 2014 | 28.07 | .34 | 5.92 | 6.26 | (.37) | — | (.37) | — | 33.96 | 22.39 | 16 | .65 | 1.04 | 146 |
July 31, 2013 | 21.54 | .30 | 6.51 | 6.81 | (.28) | — | (.28) | — | 28.07 | 31.95 | 13 | .63 | 1.19 | 130 |
July 31, 2012† | 21.85 | .01 | (.32) | (.31) | — | — | — | — | 21.54 | (1.42)* | 10 | .05* | .03* | 140 |
| ||||||||||||||
Class R6 | ||||||||||||||
July 31, 2016 | $33.26 | .17 | (3.12) | (2.95) | (.46) | (1.24) | (1.70) | — | $28.61 | (8.90) | $34,091 | .56 g | .60 g | 125 |
July 31, 2015 | 33.99 | .14 | 3.44 | 3.58 | (.27) | (4.04) | (4.31) | — | 33.26 | 10.93 | 40,068 | .65 | .42 | 140 |
July 31, 2014 | 28.09 | .37 | 5.93 | 6.30 | (.40) | — | (.40) | — | 33.99 | 22.53 | 36,802 | .55 | 1.15 | 146 |
July 31, 2013 | 21.54 | .24 d | 6.60 | 6.84 | (.29) | — | (.29) | — | 28.09 | 32.10 | 31,033 | .53 | .89d | 130 |
July 31, 2012† | 21.85 | .01 | (.32) | (.31) | — | — | — | — | 21.54 | (1.42)* | 10 | .04* | .04* | 140 |
|
See notes to financial highlights at the end of this section.
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
36 Voyager Fund | Voyager Fund 37 |
Financial highlights (Continued)
INVESTMENT OPERATIONS: | LESS DISTRIBUTIONS: | RATIOS AND SUPPLEMENTAL DATA: | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
Ratio | Ratio | |||||||||||||
Net realized | From | of expenses | of net investment | |||||||||||
Net asset value, | and unrealized | Total from | From | net realized | Total return | Net assets, | to average | income (loss) | Portfolio | |||||
beginning | Net investment | gain (loss) | investment | net investment | gain | Total | Non-recurring | Net asset value, | at net asset | end of period | net assets | to average | turnover | |
Period ended | of period | income (loss) a | on investments | operations | income | on investments | distributions | reimbursements | end of period | value (%) b | (in thousands) | (%) c | net assets (%) | (%) |
| ||||||||||||||
Class Y | ||||||||||||||
July 31, 2016 | $33.13 | .13 | (3.11) | (2.98) | (.40) | (1.24) | (1.64) | — | $28.51 | (9.03) | $169,031 | .71 g | .47 g | 125 |
July 31, 2015 | 33.87 | .09 | 3.44 | 3.53 | (.23) | (4.04) | (4.27) | — | 33.13 | 10.77 | 395,188 | .79 | .28 | 140 |
July 31, 2014 | 27.98 | .31 | 5.91 | 6.22 | (.33) | — | (.33) | — | 33.87 | 22.33 | 347,565 | .72 | .98 | 146 |
July 31, 2013 | 21.54 | .27 | 6.49 | 6.76 | (.32) | — | (.32) | — | 27.98 | 31.73 | 294,849 | .75 | 1.12 | 130 |
July 31, 2012 | 23.77 | .13 | (2.36) | (2.23) | — | — | — | — e,f | 21.54 | (9.38) | 325,603 | .82 | .59 | 140 |
|
* Not annualized.
† For the period July 3, 2012 (commencement of operations) to July 31, 2012.
a Per share net investment income (loss) has been determined on the basis of the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the period.
b Total return assumes dividend reinvestment and does not reflect the effect of sales charges.
c Includes amounts paid through expense offset and/or brokerage/service arrangements, if any (Note 2). Also excludes acquired fund fees and expenses, if any.
d The net investment income ratio and per share amount shown for the period ending July 31, 2013 may not correspond with the expected class specific differences for the period due to the timing of subscriptions into the class.
e Amount represents less than $0.01 per share.
f Reflects a non-recurring reimbursement pursuant to a settlement between the SEC and Canadian Imperial Holdings, Inc./CIBC World Markets Corp. which amounted to less than $0.01 per share outstanding on November 29, 2011.
g Reflects a voluntary waiver of certain fund expenses in effect during the period. As a result of such waiver, the expenses of each class reflect a reduction of less than 0.01% as a percentage of average net assets (Note 2).
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
38 Voyager Fund | Voyager Fund 39 |
Notes to financial statements 7/31/16
Within the following Notes to financial statements, references to “State Street” represent State Street Bank and Trust Company, references to “the SEC” represent the Securities and Exchange Commission, references to “Putnam Management” represent Putnam Investment Management, LLC, the fund’s manager, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Putnam Investments, LLC and references to “OTC”, if any, represent over-the-counter. Unless otherwise noted, the “reporting period” represents the period from August 1, 2015 through July 31, 2016.
Putnam Voyager Fund (the fund) is a Massachusetts business trust, which is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, as a diversified, open-end management investment company. The goal of the fund is to seek capital appreciation. The fund invests mainly in common stocks of midsize and large U.S. companies, with a focus on growth stocks. Growth stocks are issued by companies whose earnings are expected to grow faster than those of similar firms, and whose business growth and other characteristics may lead to an increase in stock price. Putnam Management may consider, among other factors, a company’s valuation, financial strength, growth potential, competitive position in its industry, projected future earnings, cash flows and dividends when deciding whether to buy or sell investments.
The fund offers class A, class B, class C, class M, class R, class R5, class R6 and class Y shares. Class A and class M shares are sold with a maximum front-end sales charge of 5.75% and 3.50%, respectively. Class A shares generally are not subject to a contingent deferred sales charge, and class M (effective November 1, 2015), class R, class R5, class R6 and class Y shares are not subject to a contingent deferred sales charge. Class B shares, which convert to class A shares after approximately eight years, do not pay a front-end sales charge and are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge if those shares are redeemed within six years of purchase. Class C shares have a one-year 1.00% contingent deferred sales charge and do not convert to class A shares. Class R shares, which are not available to all investors, are sold at net asset value. The expenses for class A, class B, class C, class M and class R shares may differ based on the distribution fee of each class, which is identified in Note 2. Class R5, class R6 and class Y shares, which are sold at net asset value, are generally subject to the same expenses as class A, class B, class C, class M and class R shares, but do not bear a distribution fee and in the case of class R5 and class R6 shares, bear a lower investor servicing fee, which is identified in Note 2. Class R5, class R6 and class Y shares are not available to all investors.
In the normal course of business, the fund enters into contracts that may include agreements to indemnify another party under given circumstances. The fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown as this would involve future claims that may be, but have not yet been, made against the fund. However, the fund’s management team expects the risk of material loss to be remote.
The fund has entered into contractual arrangements with an investment adviser, administrator, distributor, shareholder servicing agent and custodian, who each provide services to the fund. Unless expressly stated otherwise, shareholders are not parties to, or intended beneficiaries of these contractual arrangements, and these contractual arrangements are not intended to create any shareholder right to enforce them against the service providers or to seek any remedy under them against the service providers, either directly or on behalf of the fund.
Under the fund’s Declaration of Trust, any claims asserted against or on behalf of the Putnam Funds, including claims against Trustees and Officers, must be brought in state and federal courts located within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Note 1: Significant accounting policies
The following is a summary of significant accounting policies consistently followed by the fund in the preparation of its financial statements. The preparation of financial statements is in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities in the financial statements and the reported amounts of increases and decreases in net assets from operations. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Subsequent events after the Statement of assets and liabilities date through the date that the financial statements were issued have been evaluated in the preparation of the financial statements.
Investment income, realized and unrealized gains and losses and expenses of the fund are borne pro-rata based on the relative net assets of each class to the total net assets of the fund, except that each class bears expenses unique to that class (including the distribution fees applicable to such classes). Each class votes as a class only with respect to its own distribution plan or other matters on which a class vote is required by law or determined by the Trustees.
40 Voyager Fund |
If the fund were liquidated, shares of each class would receive their pro-rata share of the net assets of the fund. In addition, the Trustees declare separate dividends on each class of shares.
Security valuation Portfolio securities and other investments are valued using policies and procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees. The Trustees have formed a Pricing Committee to oversee the implementation of these procedures and have delegated responsibility for valuing the fund’s assets in accordance with these procedures to Putnam Management. Putnam Management has established an internal Valuation Committee that is responsible for making fair value determinations, evaluating the effectiveness of the pricing policies of the fund and reporting to the Pricing Committee.
Investments for which market quotations are readily available are valued at the last reported sales price on their principal exchange, or official closing price for certain markets, and are classified as Level 1 securities under Accounting Standards Codification 820 Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (ASC 820). If no sales are reported, as in the case of some securities that are traded OTC, a security is valued at its last reported bid price and is generally categorized as a Level 2 security.
Investments in open-end investment companies (excluding exchange-traded funds), if any, which can be classified as Level 1 or Level 2 securities, are valued based on their net asset value. The net asset value of such investment companies equals the total value of their assets less their liabilities and divided by the number of their outstanding shares.
Many securities markets and exchanges outside the U.S. close prior to the scheduled close of the New York Stock Exchange and therefore the closing prices for securities in such markets or on such exchanges may not fully reflect events that occur after such close but before the scheduled close of the New York Stock Exchange. Accordingly, on certain days, the fund will fair value foreign equity securities taking into account multiple factors including movements in the U.S. securities markets, currency valuations and comparisons to the valuation of American Depository Receipts, exchange-traded funds and futures contracts. These securities, which would generally be classified as Level 1 securities, will be transferred to Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy when they are valued at fair value. The number of days on which fair value prices will be used will depend on market activity and it is possible that fair value prices will be used by the fund to a significant extent. Securities quoted in foreign currencies, if any, are translated into U.S. dollars at the current exchange rate. Short-term securities with remaining maturities of 60 days or less are valued using an independent pricing service approved by the Trustees, and are classified as Level 2 securities.
To the extent a pricing service or dealer is unable to value a security or provides a valuation that Putnam Management does not believe accurately reflects the security’s fair value, the security will be valued at fair value by Putnam Management in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Trustees. Certain investments, including certain restricted and illiquid securities and derivatives, are also valued at fair value following procedures approved by the Trustees. These valuations consider such factors as significant market or specific security events such as interest rate or credit quality changes, various relationships with other securities, discount rates, U.S. Treasury, U.S. swap and credit yields, index levels, convexity exposures, recovery rates, sales and other multiples and resale restrictions. These securities are classified as Level 2 or as Level 3 depending on the priority of the significant inputs.
To assess the continuing appropriateness of fair valuations, the Valuation Committee reviews and affirms the reasonableness of such valuations on a regular basis after considering all relevant information that is reasonably available. Such valuations and procedures are reviewed periodically by the Trustees. The fair value of securities is generally determined as the amount that the fund could reasonably expect to realize from an orderly disposition of such securities over a reasonable period of time. By its nature, a fair value price is a good faith estimate of the value of a security in a current sale and does not reflect an actual market price, which may be different by a material amount.
Security transactions and related investment income Security transactions are recorded on the trade date (the date the order to buy or sell is executed). Gains or losses on securities sold are determined on the identified cost basis.
Interest income, net of any applicable withholding taxes, is recorded on the accrual basis. Dividend income, net of any applicable withholding taxes, is recognized on the ex-dividend date except that certain dividends from foreign securities, if any, are recognized as soon as the fund is informed of the ex-dividend date. Non-cash dividends, if any, are recorded at the fair value of the securities received. Dividends representing a return of capital or capital gains, if any, are reflected as a reduction of cost and/or as a realized gain.
All premiums/discounts are amortized/accreted on a yield-to-maturity basis.
Foreign currency translation The accounting records of the fund are maintained in U.S. dollars. The fair value of foreign securities, currency holdings, and other assets and liabilities is recorded in the books and records of the
Voyager Fund 41 |
fund after translation to U.S. dollars based on the exchange rates on that day. The cost of each security is determined using historical exchange rates. Income and withholding taxes are translated at prevailing exchange rates when earned or incurred. The fund does not isolate that portion of realized or unrealized gains or losses resulting from changes in the foreign exchange rate on investments from fluctuations arising from changes in the market prices of the securities. Such gains and losses are included with the net realized and unrealized gain or loss on investments. Net realized gains and losses on foreign currency transactions represent net realized exchange gains or losses on closed forward currency contracts, disposition of foreign currencies, currency gains and losses realized between the trade and settlement dates on securities transactions and the difference between the amount of investment income and foreign withholding taxes recorded on the fund’s books and the U.S. dollar equivalent amounts actually received or paid. Net unrealized appreciation and depreciation of assets and liabilities in foreign currencies arise from changes in the value of open forward currency contracts and assets and liabilities other than investments at the period end, resulting from changes in the exchange rate.
Options contracts The fund uses options contracts to hedge against changes in values of securities it owns, owned or expects to own, to enhance the return on securities owned, and to manage downside risks.
The potential risk to the fund is that the change in value of options contracts may not correspond to the change in value of the hedged instruments. In addition, losses may arise from changes in the value of the underlying instruments if there is an illiquid secondary market for the contracts, if interest or exchange rates move unexpectedly or if the counterparty to the contract is unable to perform. Realized gains and losses on purchased options are included in realized gains and losses on investment securities. If a written call option is exercised, the premium originally received is recorded as an addition to sales proceeds. If a written put option is exercised, the premium originally received is recorded as a reduction to the cost of investments.
Exchange-traded options are valued at the last sale price or, if no sales are reported, the last bid price for purchased options and the last ask price for written options. OTC traded options are valued using prices supplied by dealers.
Options on swaps are similar to options on securities except that the premium paid or received is to buy or grant the right to enter into a previously agreed upon interest rate or credit default contract. Forward premium swap option contracts include premiums that have extended settlement dates. The delayed settlement of the premiums is factored into the daily valuation of the option contracts. In the case of interest rate cap and floor contracts, in return for a premium, ongoing payments between two parties are based on interest rates exceeding a specified rate, in the case of a cap contract, or falling below a specified rate in the case of a floor contract.
Written option contracts outstanding at period end, if any, are listed after the fund’s portfolio.
Futures contracts The fund uses futures contracts to equitize cash.
The potential risk to the fund is that the change in value of futures contracts may not correspond to the change in value of the hedged instruments. In addition, losses may arise from changes in the value of the underlying instruments, if there is an illiquid secondary market for the contracts, if interest or exchange rates move unexpectedly or if the counterparty to the contract is unable to perform. With futures, there is minimal counterparty credit risk to the fund since futures are exchange traded and the exchange’s clearinghouse, as counterparty to all exchange traded futures, guarantees the futures against default. Risks may exceed amounts recognized on the Statement of assets and liabilities. When the contract is closed, the fund records a realized gain or loss equal to the difference between the value of the contract at the time it was opened and the value at the time it was closed.
Futures contracts are valued at the quoted daily settlement prices established by the exchange on which they trade. The fund and the broker agree to exchange an amount of cash equal to the daily fluctuation in the value of the futures contract. Such receipts or payments are known as “variation margin.”
Futures contracts outstanding at period end, if any, are listed after the fund’s portfolio.
Forward currency contracts The fund buys and sells forward currency contracts, which are agreements between two parties to buy and sell currencies at a set price on a future date. These contracts are used to hedge foreign exchange risk.
The U.S. dollar value of forward currency contracts is determined using current forward currency exchange rates supplied by a quotation service. The fair value of the contract will fluctuate with changes in currency exchange rates. The contract is marked to market daily and the change in fair value is recorded as an unrealized gain or loss. The fund records a realized gain or loss equal to the difference between the value of the contract at the time it was opened and the value at the time it was closed when the contract matures or by delivery of the currency. The fund could be exposed to risk if the value of the currency changes unfavorably, if the counterparties to the contracts are
42 Voyager Fund |
unable to meet the terms of their contracts or if the fund is unable to enter into a closing position. Risks may exceed amounts recognized on the Statement of assets and liabilities.
Forward currency contracts outstanding at period end, if any, are listed after the fund’s portfolio.
Total return swap contracts The fund entered into OTC total return swap contracts, which are arrangements to exchange a market-linked return for a periodic payment, both based on a notional principal amount, to gain exposure to a basket of securities and to gain exposure to specific sectors or industries.
To the extent that the total return of the security, index or other financial measure underlying the transaction exceeds or falls short of the offsetting interest rate obligation, the fund will receive a payment from or make a payment to the counterparty. OTC total return swap contracts are marked to market daily based upon quotations from an independent pricing service or market makers and the change, if any, is recorded as an unrealized gain or loss. Payments received or made are recorded as realized gains or losses. Certain OTC total return swap contracts may include extended effective dates. Payments related to these swap contracts are accrued based on the terms of the contract. The fund could be exposed to credit or market risk due to unfavorable changes in the fluctuation of interest rates or in the price of the underlying security or index, the possibility that there is no liquid market for these agreements or that the counterparty may default on its obligation to perform. The fund’s maximum risk of loss from counterparty risk is the fair value of the contract. This risk may be mitigated by having a master netting arrangement between the fund and the counterparty. Risk of loss may exceed amounts recognized on the Statement of assets and liabilities.
OTC total return swap contracts outstanding, including their respective notional amounts at period end, if any, are listed after the fund’s portfolio.
Master agreements The fund is a party to ISDA (International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc.) Master Agreements (Master Agreements) with certain counterparties that govern OTC derivative and foreign exchange contracts entered into from time to time. The Master Agreements may contain provisions regarding, among other things, the parties’ general obligations, representations, agreements, collateral requirements, events of default and early termination. With respect to certain counterparties, in accordance with the terms of the Master Agreements, collateral posted to the fund is held in a segregated account by the fund’s custodian and, with respect to those amounts which can be sold or repledged, is presented in the fund’s portfolio.
Collateral pledged by the fund is segregated by the fund’s custodian and identified in the fund’s portfolio. Collateral can be in the form of cash or debt securities issued by the U.S. Government or related agencies or other securities as agreed to by the fund and the applicable counterparty. Collateral requirements are determined based on the fund’s net position with each counterparty.
Termination events applicable to the fund may occur upon a decline in the fund’s net assets below a specified threshold over a certain period of time. Termination events applicable to counterparties may occur upon a decline in the counterparty’s long-term and short-term credit ratings below a specified level. In each case, upon occurrence, the other party may elect to terminate early and cause settlement of all derivative and foreign exchange contracts outstanding, including the payment of any losses and costs resulting from such early termination, as reasonably determined by the terminating party. Any decision by one or more of the fund’s counterparties to elect early termination could impact the fund’s future derivative activity.
At the close of the reporting period, the fund had a net liability position of $437,009 on open derivative contracts subject to the Master Agreements. There was no collateral posted by the fund at period end for these agreements.
Securities lending The fund may lend securities, through its agent, to qualified borrowers in order to earn additional income. The loans are collateralized by cash in an amount at least equal to the fair value of the securities loaned. The fair value of securities loaned is determined daily and any additional required collateral is allocated to the fund on the next business day. The remaining maturities of the securities lending transactions are considered overnight and continuous. The risk of borrower default will be borne by the fund’s agent; the fund will bear the risk of loss with respect to the investment of the cash collateral. Income from securities lending, net of expenses, is included in investment income on the Statement of operations. Cash collateral is invested in Putnam Cash Collateral Pool, LLC, a limited liability company managed by an affiliate of Putnam Management. Investments in Putnam Cash Collateral Pool, LLC are valued at its closing net asset value each business day. There are no management fees charged to Putnam Cash Collateral Pool, LLC. At the close of the reporting period, the fund received cash collateral of $64,516,275 and the value of securities loaned amounted to $62,765,422. Certain of these securities were sold prior to the close of the reporting period and are included in Receivable for investments sold on the Statement of assets and liabilities.
Voyager Fund 43 |
Interfund lending The fund, along with other Putnam funds, may participate in an interfund lending program pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the SEC. This program allows the fund to borrow from or lend to other Putnam funds that permit such transactions. Interfund lending transactions are subject to each fund’s investment policies and borrowing and lending limits. Interest earned or paid on the interfund lending transaction will be based on the average of certain current market rates. During the reporting period, the fund did not utilize the program.
Lines of credit The fund participates, along with other Putnam funds, in a $392.5 million syndicated unsecured committed line of credit provided by State Street ($292.5 million) and Northern Trust Company ($100 million) and a $235.5 million unsecured uncommitted line of credit provided by State Street. Borrowings may be made for temporary or emergency purposes, including the funding of shareholder redemption requests and trade settlements. Interest is charged to the fund based on the fund’s borrowing at a rate equal to the higher of (1) the Federal Funds rate and (2) the overnight LIBOR plus 1.25% for the committed line of credit and the Federal Funds rate plus 1.30% for the uncommitted line of credit. A closing fee equal to 0.04% of the committed line of credit and 0.04% of the uncommitted line of credit has been paid by the participating funds. In addition, a commitment fee of 0.16% per annum on any unutilized portion of the committed line of credit is allocated to the participating funds based on their relative net assets and paid quarterly. During the reporting period, the fund had no borrowings against these arrangements.
Federal taxes It is the policy of the fund to distribute all of its taxable income within the prescribed time period and otherwise comply with the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code), applicable to regulated investment companies. It is also the intention of the fund to distribute an amount sufficient to avoid imposition of any excise tax under Section 4982 of the Code.
The fund is subject to the provisions of Accounting Standards Codification 740 Income Taxes (ASC 740). ASC 740 sets forth a minimum threshold for financial statement recognition of the benefit of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. The fund did not have a liability to record for any unrecognized tax benefits in the accompanying financial statements. No provision has been made for federal taxes on income, capital gains or unrealized appreciation on securities held nor for excise tax on income and capital gains. Each of the fund’s federal tax returns for the prior three fiscal years remains subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service.
The fund may also be subject to taxes imposed by governments of countries in which it invests. Such taxes are generally based on either income or gains earned or repatriated. The fund accrues and applies such taxes to net investment income, net realized gains and net unrealized gains as income and/or capital gains are earned. In some cases, the fund may be entitled to reclaim all or a portion of such taxes, and such reclaim amounts, if any, are reflected as an asset on the fund’s books. In many cases, however, the fund may not receive such amounts for an extended period of time, depending on the country of investment.
Under the Regulated Investment Company Modernization Act of 2010, the fund will be permitted to carry forward capital losses incurred for an unlimited period and the carry forwards will retain their character as either short-term or long-term capital losses. At July 31, 2016, the fund had the following capital loss carryovers available, to the extent allowed by the Code, to offset future net capital gain, if any:
Loss carryover | ||
| ||
Short-term | Long-term | Total |
| ||
$479,094,116 | $67,663,753 | $546,757,869 |
|
Distributions to shareholders Distributions to shareholders from net investment income are recorded by the fund on the ex-dividend date. Distributions from capital gains, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date and paid at least annually. The amount and character of income and gains to be distributed are determined in accordance with income tax regulations, which may differ from generally accepted accounting principles. These differences include temporary and/or permanent differences from losses on wash sale transactions, foreign currency gains and losses, income on swap contracts and redesignation of taxable income. Reclassifications are made to the fund’s capital accounts to reflect income and gains available for distribution (or available capital loss carryovers) under income tax regulations. At the close of the reporting period, the fund reclassified $996,952 to decrease undistributed net investment income, $455,434 to decrease paid-in capital and $1,452,386 to decrease accumulated net realized loss.
44 Voyager Fund |
The tax basis components of distributable earnings and the federal tax cost as of the close of the reporting period were as follows:
Unrealized appreciation | $654,172,392 |
Unrealized depreciation | (45,990,623) |
| |
Net unrealized appreciation | 608,181,769 |
Undistributed ordinary income | 9,244,585 |
Capital loss carryforward | (546,757,869) |
Cost for federal income tax purposes | $2,669,574,443 |
Note 2: Management fee, administrative services and other transactions
The fund pays Putnam Management a management fee (base fee) (based on the fund’s average net assets and computed and paid monthly) at annual rates that may vary based on the average of the aggregate net assets of all open-end mutual funds sponsored by Putnam Management (excluding net assets of funds that are invested in, or that are invested in by, other Putnam funds to the extent necessary to avoid “double counting” of those assets). Such annual rates may vary as follows:
0.710% | of the first $5 billion, | 0.510% | of the next $50 billion, | |
|
| |||
0.660% | of the next $5 billion, | 0.490% | of the next $50 billion, | |
|
| |||
0.610% | of the next $10 billion, | 0.480% | of the next $100 billion and | |
|
| |||
0.560% | of the next $10 billion, | 0.475% | of any excess thereafter. | |
|
|
In addition, the monthly management fee consists of the monthly base fee plus or minus a performance adjustment for the month. The performance adjustment is determined based on performance over the thirty-six month period then ended. Each month, the performance adjustment is calculated by multiplying the performance adjustment rate and the fund’s average net assets over the performance period and dividing the result by twelve. The resulting dollar amount is added to, or subtracted from the base fee for that month. The performance adjustment rate is equal to 0.03 multiplied by the difference between the fund’s annualized performance (measured by the fund’s class A shares) and the annualized performance of the Russell 1000 Growth Index each measured over the performance period. The maximum annualized performance adjustment rate is +/– .012%. The monthly base fee is determined based on the fund’s average net assets for the month, while the performance adjustment is determined based on the fund’s average net assets over the performance period of up to thirty-six months. This means it is possible that, if the fund underperforms significantly over the performance period, and the fund’s assets have declined significantly over that period, the negative performance adjustment may exceed the base fee. In this event, Putnam Management would make a payment to the fund.
Because the performance adjustment is based on the fund’s performance relative to its applicable benchmark index, and not its absolute performance, the performance adjustment could increase Putnam Management’s fee even if the fund’s shares lose value during the performance period provided that the fund outperformed its benchmark index, and could decrease Putnam Management’s fee even if the fund’s shares increase in value during the performance period provided that the fund underperformed its benchmark index.
For the reporting period, the base fee represented an effective rate (excluding the impact from any expense waivers in effect) of 0.553% of the fund’s average net assets before a decrease of $3,549,731 (0.104% of the fund’s average net assets) based on performance.
Putnam Management has contractually agreed, through November 30, 2017, to waive fees or reimburse the fund’s expenses to the extent necessary to limit the cumulative expenses of the fund, exclusive of brokerage, interest, taxes, investment-related expenses, extraordinary expenses, acquired fund fees and expenses and payments under the fund’s investor servicing contract, investment management contract and distribution plans, on a fiscal year-to-date basis to an annual rate of 0.20% of the fund’s average net assets over such fiscal year-to-date period. During the reporting period, the fund’s expenses were not reduced as a result of this limit.
Putnam Management may from time to time voluntarily undertake to waive fees and/or reimburse certain fund expenses. Any such waiver or reimbursement would be voluntary and may be modified or discontinued by Putnam Management at any time without notice. For the reporting period, Putnam Management voluntarily waived $49,877.
Voyager Fund 45 |
Putnam Investments Limited (PIL), an affiliate of Putnam Management, is authorized by the Trustees to manage a separate portion of the assets of the fund as determined by Putnam Management from time to time. PIL did not manage any portion of the assets of the fund during the reporting period. If Putnam Management were to engage the services of PIL, Putnam Management would pay a quarterly sub-management fee to PIL for its services at an annual rate of 0.35% of the average net assets of the portion of the fund managed by PIL.
Putnam Management voluntarily reimbursed the fund $41,126 for a trading error which occurred during the reporting period. The effect of the loss incurred and the reimbursement by Putnam Management of such amounts had no material impact on total return.
The fund reimburses Putnam Management an allocated amount for the compensation and related expenses of certain officers of the fund and their staff who provide administrative services to the fund. The aggregate amount of all such reimbursements is determined annually by the Trustees.
Custodial functions for the fund’s assets are provided by State Street. Custody fees are based on the fund’s asset level, the number of its security holdings and transaction volumes.
Putnam Investor Services, Inc., an affiliate of Putnam Management, provides investor servicing agent functions to the fund. Putnam Investor Services, Inc. received fees for investor servicing for class A, class B, class C, class M, class R and class Y shares that included (1) a per account fee for each direct and underlying non-defined contribution account (“retail account”) of the fund and each of the other funds in its specified category, which was totaled and then allocated to each fund in the category based on its average daily net assets; (2) a specified rate of the fund’s assets attributable to defined contribution plan accounts; and (3) a specified rate based on the average net assets in retail accounts. Putnam Investor Services has agreed that the aggregate investor servicing fees for each fund’s retail and defined contribution accounts for these share classes will not exceed an annual rate of 0.320% of the fund’s average assets attributable to such accounts.
Effective September 1, 2016, Putnam Investor Services, Inc. will receive fees for investor servicing for class A, class B, class C, class M, class R and class Y shares that include (1) a per account fee for each retail account of the fund; (2) a specified rate of the fund’s assets attributable to defined contribution plan accounts; and (3) a specified rate based on the average net assets in retail accounts. Putnam Investor Services has agreed that the aggregate investor servicing fees for each fund’s retail and defined contribution accounts for these share classes will not exceed an annual rate of 0.25% of the fund’s average assets attributable to such accounts.
Class R5 shares paid a monthly fee based on the average net assets of class R5 shares at an annual rate of 0.15%. Class R6 shares paid a monthly fee based on the average net assets of class R6 shares at an annual rate of 0.05%.
During the reporting period, the expenses for each class of shares related to investor servicing fees were as follows:
Class A | $5,853,152 | Class R5 | 2,767 | |
|
| |||
Class B | 149,918 | Class R6 | 17,818 | |
|
| |||
Class C | 255,697 | Class Y | 511,013 | |
|
| |||
Class M | 44,486 | Total | $6,854,377 | |
|
| |||
Class R | 19,526 | |||
|
The fund has entered into expense offset arrangements with Putnam Investor Services, Inc. and State Street whereby Putnam Investor Services, Inc.’s and State Street’s fees are reduced by credits allowed on cash balances. The fund also reduced expenses through brokerage/service arrangements. For the reporting period, the fund’s expenses were reduced by $5,076 under the expense offset arrangements and by $591,556 under the brokerage/ service arrangements.
Each Independent Trustee of the fund receives an annual Trustee fee, of which $2,323, as a quarterly retainer, has been allocated to the fund, and an additional fee for each Trustees meeting attended. Trustees also are reimbursed for expenses they incur relating to their services as Trustees.
The fund has adopted a Trustee Fee Deferral Plan (the Deferral Plan) which allows the Trustees to defer the receipt of all or a portion of Trustees fees payable on or after July 1, 1995. The deferred fees remain invested in certain Putnam funds until distribution in accordance with the Deferral Plan.
The fund has adopted an unfunded noncontributory defined benefit pension plan (the Pension Plan) covering all Trustees of the fund who have served as a Trustee for at least five years and were first elected prior to 2004. Benefits under the Pension Plan are equal to 50% of the Trustee’s average annual attendance and retainer fees for
46 Voyager Fund |
the three years ended December 31, 2005. The retirement benefit is payable during a Trustee’s lifetime, beginning the year following retirement, for the number of years of service through December 31, 2006. Pension expense for the fund is included in Trustee compensation and expenses in the Statement of operations. Accrued pension liability is included in Payable for Trustee compensation and expenses in the Statement of assets and liabilities. The Trustees have terminated the Pension Plan with respect to any Trustee first elected after 2003.
The fund has adopted distribution plans (the Plans) with respect to its class A, class B, class C, class M and class R shares pursuant to Rule 12b–1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The purpose of the Plans is to compensate Putnam Retail Management Limited Partnership, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Putnam Investments, LLC, for services provided and expenses incurred in distributing shares of the fund. The Plans provide for payments by the fund to Putnam Retail Management Limited Partnership at an annual rate of up to 0.35%, 1.00%, 1.00%, 1.00% and 1.00% of the average net assets attributable to class A, class B, class C, class M and class R shares, respectively. The Trustees have approved payment by the fund at an annual rate of 0.25%, 1.00%, 1.00%, 0.75% and 0.50% of the average net assets attributable to class A, class B, class C, class M and class R shares, respectively. During the reporting period, the class specific expenses related to distribution fees were as follows:
Class A | $7,263,251 | Class M | 165,929 | |
|
| |||
Class B | 744,806 | Class R | 48,607 | |
|
| |||
Class C | 1,270,442 | Total | $9,493,035 | |
|
|
For the reporting period, Putnam Retail Management Limited Partnership, acting as underwriter, received net commissions of $173,494 and $1,053 from the sale of class A and class M shares, respectively, and received $69,431 and $5,889 in contingent deferred sales charges from redemptions of class B and class C shares, respectively.
A deferred sales charge of up to 1.00% and 0.65% (no longer applicable effective November 1, 2015) is assessed on certain redemptions of class A and class M shares, respectively. For the reporting period, Putnam Retail Management Limited Partnership, acting as underwriter, received $10,448 and no monies on class A and class M redemptions, respectively.
Note 3: Purchases and sales of securities
During the reporting period, the cost of purchases and the proceeds from sales, excluding short-term investments, were as follows:
Cost of purchases | Proceeds from sales | |
| ||
Investments in securities (Long-term) | $4,184,944,539 | $4,715,474,946 |
| ||
U.S. government securities (Long-term) | — | — |
| ||
Total | $4,184,944,539 | $4,715,474,946 |
|
The fund may purchase or sell investments from or to other Putnam funds in the ordinary course of business, which can reduce the fund’s transaction costs, at prices determined in accordance with SEC requirements and policies approved by the Trustees. During the reporting period, purchases or sales of long-term securities from or to other Putnam funds, if any, did not represent more than 5% of the fund’s total cost of purchases and/or total proceeds from sales.
Written option transactions during the reporting period are summarized as follows:
Written option | Written option | |
contract amounts | premiums | |
| ||
Written options outstanding at the | ||
beginning of the reporting period | $41,541,308 | $9,868,265 |
| ||
Options opened | 281,796,276 | 46,930,752 |
Options exercised | — | — |
Options expired | (266,145,073) | (33,892,582) |
Options closed | (57,192,511) | (22,906,435) |
| ||
Written options outstanding at the | ||
end of the reporting period | $— | $— |
|
Voyager Fund 47 |
Note 4: Capital shares
At the close of the reporting period, there were an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest authorized. Transactions in capital shares were as follows:
Year ended 7/31/16 | Year ended 7/31/15 | |||
| ||||
Class A | Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount |
| ||||
Shares sold | 2,677,449 | $71,786,524 | 5,183,879 | $163,745,180 |
| ||||
Shares issued in connection with | ||||
reinvestment of distributions | 5,775,676 | 157,618,215 | 13,234,495 | 405,107,902 |
| ||||
8,453,125 | 229,404,739 | 18,418,374 | 568,853,082 | |
| ||||
Shares repurchased | (15,357,334) | (407,596,215) | (15,366,145) | (488,634,618) |
| ||||
Net increase (decrease) | (6,904,209) | $(178,191,476) | 3,052,229 | $80,218,464 |
| ||||
Year ended 7/31/16 | Year ended 7/31/15 | |||
| ||||
Class B | Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount |
| ||||
Shares sold | 226,462 | $4,870,734 | 300,779 | $7,823,465 |
| ||||
Shares issued in connection with | ||||
reinvestment of distributions | 205,155 | 4,507,259 | 549,742 | 13,721,569 |
| ||||
431,617 | 9,377,993 | 850,521 | 21,545,034 | |
| ||||
Shares repurchased | (1,045,516) | (22,270,284) | (1,016,214) | (26,407,772) |
| ||||
Net decrease | (613,899) | $(12,892,291) | (165,693) | $(4,862,738) |
| ||||
Year ended 7/31/16 | Year ended 7/31/15 | |||
| ||||
Class C | Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount |
| ||||
Shares sold | 335,812 | $8,251,895 | 577,230 | $16,613,004 |
| ||||
Shares issued in connection with | ||||
reinvestment of distributions | 237,159 | 5,867,318 | 601,192 | 16,767,236 |
| ||||
572,971 | 14,119,213 | 1,178,422 | 33,380,240 | |
| ||||
Shares repurchased | (1,646,158) | (39,064,190) | (1,015,979) | (29,414,024) |
| ||||
Net increase (decrease) | (1,073,187) | $(24,944,977) | 162,443 | $3,966,216 |
| ||||
Year ended 7/31/16 | Year ended 7/31/15 | |||
| ||||
Class M | Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount |
| ||||
Shares sold | 23,382 | $574,500 | 32,020 | $927,365 |
| ||||
Shares issued in connection with | ||||
reinvestment of distributions | 55,315 | 1,360,746 | 131,156 | 3,640,889 |
| ||||
78,697 | 1,935,246 | 163,176 | 4,568,254 | |
| ||||
Shares repurchased | (237,131) | (5,706,538) | (113,005) | (3,247,091) |
| ||||
Net increase (decrease) | (158,434) | $(3,771,292) | 50,171 | $1,321,163 |
| ||||
Year ended 7/31/16 | Year ended 7/31/15 | |||
| ||||
Class R | Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount |
| ||||
Shares sold | 94,525 | $2,563,045 | 128,375 | $3,975,620 |
| ||||
Shares issued in connection with | ||||
reinvestment of distributions | 14,559 | 389,892 | 56,040 | 1,680,074 |
| ||||
109,084 | 2,952,937 | 184,415 | 5,655,694 | |
| ||||
Shares repurchased | (286,628) | (7,810,272) | (262,953) | (8,180,962) |
| ||||
Net decrease | (177,544) | $(4,857,335) | (78,538) | $(2,525,268) |
|
48 Voyager Fund |
Year ended 7/31/16 | Year ended 7/31/15 | |||
| ||||
Class R5 | Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount |
| ||||
Shares sold | 5,637 | $159,573 | 79,685 | $2,463,717 |
| ||||
Shares issued in connection with | ||||
reinvestment of distributions | 3,614 | 104,276 | 74 | 2,398 |
| ||||
9,251 | 263,849 | 79,759 | 2,466,115 | |
| ||||
Shares repurchased | (20,402) | (586,920) | (8,454) | (273,759) |
| ||||
Net increase (decrease) | (11,151) | $(323,071) | 71,305 | $2,192,356 |
| ||||
Year ended 7/31/16 | Year ended 7/31/15 | |||
| ||||
Class R6 | Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount |
| ||||
Shares sold | 263,630 | $7,171,194 | 135,438 | $4,517,503 |
| ||||
Shares issued in connection with | ||||
reinvestment of distributions | 74,808 | 2,158,210 | 141,431 | 4,563,969 |
| ||||
338,438 | 9,329,404 | 276,869 | 9,081,472 | |
| ||||
Shares repurchased | (351,534) | (9,518,845) | (154,999) | (5,198,265) |
| ||||
Net increase (decrease) | (13,096) | $(189,441) | 121,870 | $3,883,207 |
| ||||
Year ended 7/31/16 | Year ended 7/31/15 | |||
| ||||
Class Y | Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount |
| ||||
Shares sold | 1,123,004 | $31,651,538 | 3,195,462 | $108,040,983 |
| ||||
Shares issued in connection with | ||||
reinvestment of distributions | 446,530 | 12,851,145 | 1,275,469 | 41,044,591 |
| ||||
1,569,534 | 44,502,683 | 4,470,931 | 149,085,574 | |
| ||||
Shares repurchased | (7,567,818) | (213,386,155) | (2,805,292) | (93,099,578) |
| ||||
Net increase (decrease) | (5,998,284) | $(168,883,472) | 1,665,639 | $55,985,996 |
|
At the close of the reporting period, Putnam Investments, LLC owned the following shares of the fund:
Shares owned | Percentage of ownership | Value | |
| |||
Class R5 | 562 | 0.93% | $16,068 |
| |||
Class R6 | 564 | 0.05 | 16,136 |
|
Note 5: Affiliated transactions
Transactions during the reporting period with a company which is under common ownership or control, or involving securities of companies in which the fund owned at least 5% of the outstanding voting securities, were as follows:
Fair value at the | Fair value at | ||||
beginning of | the end of | ||||
the reporting | Investment | the reporting | |||
Name of affiliates | period | Purchase cost | Sale proceeds | income | period |
| |||||
Putnam Short Term | |||||
Investment Fund* | $89,817,978 | $1,369,242,287 | $1,459,060,265 | $225,551 | $— |
| |||||
ITT Educational | |||||
Services, Inc.† | 8,022,371 | — | 2,820,887 | — | — |
| |||||
Totals | $97,840,349 | $1,369,242,287 | $1,461,881,152 | $225,551 | $— |
|
* Management fees charged to Putnam Short Term Investment Fund have been waived by Putnam Management.
† Security was only in affiliation for a portion of the reporting period.
Voyager Fund 49 |
Note 6: Market, credit and other risks
In the normal course of business, the fund trades financial instruments and enters into financial transactions where risk of potential loss exists due to changes in the market (market risk) or failure of the contracting party to the transaction to perform (credit risk). The fund may be exposed to additional credit risk that an institution or other entity with which the fund has unsettled or open transactions will default. Investments in foreign securities involve certain risks, including those related to economic instability, unfavorable political developments, and currency fluctuations.
Note 7: Summary of derivative activity
The volume of activity for the reporting period for any derivative type that was held during the period is listed below and was based on an average of the holdings at the end of each fiscal quarter:
Purchased equity option contracts (contract amount) | $58,800,000 |
| |
Written equity option contracts (contract amount) (Note 3) | $16,500,000 |
| |
Futures contracts (number of contracts) | —* |
| |
Forward currency contracts (contract amount) | $304,900,000 |
| |
OTC total return swap contracts (notional) | $58,900,000 |
| |
Warrants (number of warrants) | 4,000,000 |
|
* For the reporting period there were no holdings at the end of each fiscal quarter and the transactions were considered minimal.
The following is a summary of the fair value of derivative instruments as of the close of the reporting period:
Fair value of derivative instruments as of the close of the reporting period
Asset derivatives | Liability derivatives | |||
| ||||
Derivatives not | ||||
accounted for as | Statement of | Statement of | ||
hedging instruments | assets and | assets and | ||
under ASC 815 | liabilities location | Fair value | liabilities location | Fair value |
| ||||
Foreign exchange | ||||
contracts | Receivables | $4,334,999 | Payables | $1,370,700 |
| ||||
Equity contracts | Investments | 5,874,130 | Payables | — |
| ||||
Total | $10,209,129 | $1,370,700 | ||
|
The following is a summary of realized and change in unrealized gains or losses of derivative instruments in the Statement of operations for the reporting period (see Note 1):
Amount of realized gain or (loss) on derivatives recognized in net gain or (loss) on investments
Derivatives | ||||||
not accounted | ||||||
for as hedging | Forward | |||||
instruments under | currency | |||||
ASC 815 | Warrants | Options | Futures | contracts | Swaps | Total |
| ||||||
Foreign exchange | ||||||
contracts | $— | $— | $— | $(3,092,962) | $— | $(3,092,962) |
| ||||||
Equity contracts | 6,990,004 | (85,362,686) | 626,154 | — | (43,231,812) | (120,978,340) |
| ||||||
Total | $6,990,004 | $(85,362,686) | $626,154 | $(3,092,962) | $(43,231,812) | $(124,071,302) |
|
50 Voyager Fund |
Change in unrealized appreciation or (depreciation) on derivatives recognized in net gain or (loss) on investments
Derivatives not accounted | Forward | ||||
for as hedging instruments | currency | ||||
under ASC 815 | Warrants | Options | contracts | Swaps | Total |
| |||||
Foreign exchange | |||||
contracts | $— | $— | $971,812 | $— | $971,812 |
| |||||
Equity contracts | (12,866,291) | 12,020,035 | — | 6,372,471 | 5,526,215 |
| |||||
Total | $(12,866,291) | $12,020,035 | $971,812 | $6,372,471 | $6,498,027 |
|
Note 8: Subsequent event
A merger of Putnam Voyager Fund into Putnam Growth Opportunities Fund, subject to certain closing conditions, is expected to occur in the fourth quarter of 2016.
Note 9: Offsetting of financial and derivative assets and liabilities
The following table summarizes any derivatives, repurchase agreements and reverse repurchase agreements, at the end of the reporting period, that are subject to an enforceable master netting agreement or similar agreement. For securities lending transactions or borrowing transactions associated with securities sold short, if any, see Note 1. For financial reporting purposes, the fund does not offset financial assets and financial liabilities that are subject to the master netting agreements in the Statement of assets and liabilities.
Bank of America N.A. | Credit Suisse International | JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. | UBS AG | Total | |
| |||||
Assets: | |||||
| |||||
Forward currency contracts# | $— | $4,120,359 | $— | $214,640 | $4,334,999 |
| |||||
Total Assets | $— | $4,120,359 | $— | $214,640 | $4,334,999 |
| |||||
Liabilities: | |||||
| |||||
Forward currency contracts# | 17,629 | 933,691 | 419,380 | — | 1,370,700 |
| |||||
Total Liabilities | $17,629 | $933,691 | $419,380 | $— | $1,370,700 |
| |||||
Total Financial and Derivative Net Assets | $(17,629) | $3,186,668 | $(419,380) | $214,640 | $2,964,299 |
| |||||
Total collateral received (pledged)†## | $— | $3,186,668 | $310,000 | $214,640 | |
| |||||
Net amount | $(17,629) | $— | $(729,380) | $— | |
|
† Additional collateral may be required from certain brokers based on individual agreements.
# Covered by master netting agreement (Note 1).
## Any over-collateralization of total financial and derivative net assets is not shown. Collateral may include amounts related to unsettled agreements.
Voyager Fund 51 |
Federal tax information (Unaudited)
The fund designated 100% of ordinary income distributions as qualifying for the dividends received deduction for corporations.
For the reporting period, the fund hereby designates 100%, or the maximum amount allowable, of its taxable ordinary income distributions as qualified dividends taxed at the individual net capital gain rates.
For the reporting period, pursuant to §871(k) of the Internal Revenue Code, the fund hereby designates $54,426 of distributions paid as qualifying to be taxed as interest-related dividends, and $65,875,534 to be taxed as short-term capital gain dividends for nonresident alien shareholders.
The Form 1099 that will be mailed to you in January 2017 will show the tax status of all distributions paid to your account in calendar 2016.
52 Voyager Fund |
About the Trustees
Voyager Fund 53 |
* Mr. Reynolds is an “interested person” (as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940) of the fund and Putnam Investments. He is President and Chief Executive Officer of Putnam Investments, as well as the President of your fund and each of the other Putnam funds.
The address of each Trustee is One Post Office Square, Boston, MA 02109.
As of July 31, 2016, there were 117 Putnam funds. All Trustees serve as Trustees of all Putnam funds.
Each Trustee serves for an indefinite term, until his or her resignation, retirement at age 75, removal, or death.
54 Voyager Fund |
Officers
In addition to Robert L. Reynolds, the other officers of the fund are shown below:
Jonathan S. Horwitz (Born 1955) | Janet C. Smith (Born 1965) |
Executive Vice President, Principal Executive | Vice President, Principal Accounting Officer, |
Officer, and Compliance Liaison | and Assistant Treasurer |
Since 2004 | Since 2007 |
Director of Fund Administration Services, | |
Steven D. Krichmar (Born 1958) | Putnam Investments and Putnam Management |
Vice President and Principal Financial Officer | |
Since 2002 | Susan G. Malloy (Born 1957) |
Chief of Operations, Putnam Investments and | Vice President and Assistant Treasurer |
Putnam Management | Since 2007 |
Director of Accounting & Control Services, | |
Robert T. Burns (Born 1961) | Putnam Investments and Putnam Management |
Vice President and Chief Legal Officer | |
Since 2011 | James P. Pappas (Born 1953) |
General Counsel, Putnam Investments, Putnam | Vice President |
Management, and Putnam Retail Management | Since 2004 |
Director of Trustee Relations, | |
James F. Clark (Born 1974) | Putnam Investments and Putnam Management |
Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer | |
Since 2016 | Mark C. Trenchard (Born 1962) |
Chief Compliance Officer, Putnam Investments | Vice President and BSA Compliance Officer |
and Putnam Management | Since 2002 |
Director of Operational Compliance, | |
Michael J. Higgins (Born 1976) | Putnam Investments and Putnam |
Vice President, Treasurer, and Clerk | Retail Management |
Since 2010 | |
Manager of Finance, Dunkin’ Brands (2008– | Nancy E. Florek (Born 1957) |
2010); Senior Financial Analyst, Old Mutual Asset | Vice President, Director of Proxy Voting |
Management (2007–2008); Senior Financial | and Corporate Governance, Assistant Clerk, |
Analyst, Putnam Investments (1999–2007) | and Associate Treasurer |
Since 2000 |
The principal occupations of the officers for the past five years have been with the employers as shown above, although in some cases they have held different positions with such employers. The address of each officer is One Post Office Square, Boston, MA 02109.
Voyager Fund 55 |
Putnam family of funds
The following is a list of Putnam’s open-end mutual funds offered to the public. Investors should carefully consider the investment objective, risks, charges, and expenses of a fund before investing. For a prospectus, or a summary prospectus if available, containing this and other information for any Putnam fund or product, contact your financial advisor or call Putnam Investor Services at 1-800-225-1581. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing.
Growth | International Value Fund |
Growth Opportunities Fund | Multi-Cap Value Fund |
International Growth Fund | Small Cap Value Fund |
Multi-Cap Growth Fund | |
Small Cap Growth Fund | Income |
Voyager Fund | American Government Income Fund |
Diversified Income Trust | |
Blend | Emerging Markets Income Fund |
Asia Pacific Equity Fund | Floating Rate Income Fund |
Capital Opportunities Fund | Global Income Trust |
Capital Spectrum Fund | Government Money Market Fund* |
Emerging Markets Equity Fund | High Yield Advantage Fund |
Equity Spectrum Fund | High Yield Trust |
Europe Equity Fund | Income Fund |
Global Equity Fund | Money Market Fund* |
International Capital Opportunities Fund | Short Duration Income Fund |
International Equity Fund | U.S. Government Income Trust |
Investors Fund | |
Low Volatility Equity Fund | Tax-free Income |
Multi-Cap Core Fund | AMT-Free Municipal Fund |
Research Fund | Intermediate-Term Municipal Income Fund |
Strategic Volatility Equity Fund | Short-Term Municipal Income Fund |
Tax Exempt Income Fund | |
Value | Tax-Free High Yield Fund |
Convertible Securities Fund | |
Equity Income Fund | State tax-free income funds†: |
Global Dividend Fund | Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Michigan, |
The Putnam Fund for Growth and Income | Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, |
and Pennsylvania. |
56 Voyager Fund |
Absolute Return | Retirement Income Lifestyle Funds — |
Absolute Return 100 Fund® | portfolios with managed allocations to |
Absolute Return 300 Fund® | stocks, bonds, and money market |
Absolute Return 500 Fund® | investments to generate retirement income. |
Absolute Return 700 Fund® | |
Retirement Income Fund Lifestyle 1 | |
Global Sector | Retirement Income Fund Lifestyle 2 |
Global Consumer Fund | Retirement Income Fund Lifestyle 3 |
Global Energy Fund | |
Global Financials Fund | RetirementReady® Funds — portfolios with |
Global Health Care Fund | adjusting allocations to stocks, bonds, and |
Global Industrials Fund | money market instruments, becoming more |
Global Natural Resources Fund | conservative over time. |
Global Sector Fund | |
Global Technology Fund | RetirementReady® 2060 Fund |
Global Telecommunications Fund | RetirementReady® 2055 Fund |
Global Utilities Fund | RetirementReady® 2050 Fund |
RetirementReady® 2045 Fund | |
Asset Allocation | RetirementReady® 2040 Fund |
George Putnam Balanced Fund | RetirementReady® 2035 Fund |
RetirementReady® 2030 Fund | |
Global Asset Allocation Funds — four | RetirementReady® 2025 Fund |
investment portfolios that spread your | RetirementReady® 2020 Fund |
money across a variety of stocks, bonds, and | |
money market instruments. | |
Dynamic Asset Allocation Balanced Fund | |
Dynamic Asset Allocation Conservative Fund | |
Dynamic Asset Allocation Growth Fund | |
Dynamic Risk Allocation Fund |
* An investment in a money market fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Although the fund seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it is possible to lose money by investing in the fund.
† Not available in all states.
Check your account balances and the most recent month-end performance in the Individual Investors section at putnam.com.
Voyager Fund 57 |
Services for shareholders
Investor services
Systematic investment plan Tell us how much you wish to invest regularly — weekly, semimonthly, or monthly — and the amount you choose will be transferred automatically from your checking or savings account. There’s no additional fee for this service, and you can suspend it at any time. This plan may be a great way to save for college expenses or to plan for your retirement.
Please note that regular investing does not guarantee a profit or protect against loss in a declining market. Before arranging a systematic investment plan, consider your financial ability to continue making purchases in periods when prices are low.
Systematic exchange You can make regular transfers from one Putnam fund to another Putnam fund. There are no additional fees for this service, and you can cancel or change your options at any time.
Dividends PLUS You can choose to have the dividend distributions from one of your Putnam funds automatically reinvested in another Putnam fund at no additional charge.
Free exchange privilege You can exchange money between Putnam funds free of charge, as long as they are the same class of shares. A signature guarantee is required if you are exchanging more than $500,000. The fund reserves the right to revise or terminate the exchange privilege.
Reinstatement privilege If you’ve sold Putnam shares or received a check for a dividend or capital gain, you may reinvest the proceeds with Putnam within 90 days of the transaction and they will be reinvested at the fund’s current net asset value — with no sales charge. However, reinstatement of class B shares may have special tax consequences. Ask your financial or tax representative for details.
Check-writing service You have ready access to many Putnam accounts. It’s as simple as writing a check, and there are no special fees or service charges. For more information about the check-writing service, call Putnam or visit our website.
Dollar cost averaging When you’re investing for long-term goals, it’s time, not timing, that counts. Investing on a systematic basis is a better strategy than trying to figure out when the markets will go up or down. This means investing the same amount of money regularly over a long period. This method of investing is called dollar cost averaging. When a fund’s share price declines, your investment dollars buy more shares at lower prices. When it increases, they buy fewer shares. Over time, you will pay a lower average price per share.
For more information
Visit the Individual Investors section at putnam.com A secure section of our website contains complete information on your account, including balances and transactions, updated daily. You may also conduct transactions, such as exchanges, additional investments, and address changes. Log on today to get your password.
Call us toll free at 1-800-225-1581 Ask a helpful Putnam representative or your financial advisor for details about any of these or other services, or see your prospectus.
58 Voyager Fund |
Fund information
Founded over 75 years ago, Putnam Investments was built around the concept that a balance between risk and reward is the hallmark of a well-rounded financial program. We manage over 100 funds across income, value, blend, growth, asset allocation, absolute return, and global sector categories.
Investment Manager | Trustees | James F. Clark |
Putnam Investment | Jameson A. Baxter, Chair | Vice President and |
Management, LLC | Kenneth R. Leibler, Vice Chair | Chief Compliance Officer |
One Post Office Square | Liaquat Ahamed | |
Boston, MA 02109 | Ravi Akhoury | Michael J. Higgins |
Barbara M. Baumann | Vice President, Treasurer, | |
Investment Sub-Advisor | Robert J. Darretta | and Clerk |
Putnam Investments Limited | Katinka Domotorffy | |
57–59 St James’s Street | John A. Hill | Janet C. Smith |
London, England SW1A 1LD | Paul L. Joskow | Vice President, |
Robert E. Patterson | Principal Accounting Officer, | |
Marketing Services | George Putnam, III | and Assistant Treasurer |
Putnam Retail Management | Robert L. Reynolds | |
One Post Office Square | W. Thomas Stephens | Susan G. Malloy |
Boston, MA 02109 | Vice President and | |
Officers | Assistant Treasurer | |
Custodian | Robert L. Reynolds | |
State Street Bank | President | James P. Pappas |
and Trust Company | Vice President | |
Jonathan S. Horwitz | ||
Legal Counsel | Executive Vice President, | Mark C. Trenchard |
Ropes & Gray LLP | Principal Executive Officer, and | Vice President and |
Compliance Liaison | BSA Compliance Officer | |
Independent Registered | ||
Public Accounting Firm | Steven D. Krichmar | Nancy E. Florek |
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP | Vice President and | Vice President, Director of |
Principal Financial Officer | Proxy Voting and Corporate | |
Governance, Assistant Clerk, | ||
Robert T. Burns | and Associate Treasurer | |
Vice President and | ||
Chief Legal Officer |
Voyager Fund 59 |
This report is for the information of shareholders of Putnam Voyager Fund. It may also be used as sales literature when preceded or accompanied by the current prospectus, the most recent copy of Putnam’s Quarterly Performance Summary, and Putnam’s Quarterly Ranking Summary. For more recent performance, please visit putnam.com. Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of a fund, which are described in its prospectus. For this and other information or to request a prospectus or summary prospectus, call 1-800-225-1581 toll free. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing. The fund’s Statement of Additional Information contains additional information about the fund’s Trustees and is available without charge upon request by calling 1-800-225-1581.
60 Voyager Fund |
Item 2. Code of Ethics: |
(a) The fund's principal executive, financial and accounting officers are employees of Putnam Investment Management, LLC, the Fund's investment manager. As such they are subject to a comprehensive Code of Ethics adopted and administered by Putnam Investments which is designed to protect the interests of the firm and its clients. The Fund has adopted a Code of Ethics which incorporates the Code of Ethics of Putnam Investments with respect to all of its officers and Trustees who are employees of Putnam Investment Management, LLC. For this reason, the Fund has not adopted a separate code of ethics governing its principal executive, financial and accounting officers. |
(c) In November 2015, the Code of Ethics of Putnam Investment Management, LLC was amended. The key changes to the Code of Ethics are as follows: (i) Non-Access Persons are no longer required to pre-clear their trades, (ii) a new provision governing conflicts of interest has been added, (iii) modifying certain provisions of the pre-clearance requirements, Contra-Trading Rule and 60-Day Short-Term Rule, (iv) modifying and adding language relating to reporting of unethical or illegal acts, including anti-retaliation provision, and (v) certain other changes. |
Item 3. Audit Committee Financial Expert: |
The Funds' Audit, Compliance and Distributions Committee is comprised solely of Trustees who are "independent" (as such term has been defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") in regulations implementing Section 407 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (the "Regulations")). The Trustees believe that each of the members of the Audit, Compliance and Distributions Committee also possess a combination of knowledge and experience with respect to financial accounting matters, as well as other attributes, that qualify them for service on the Committee. In addition, the Trustees have determined that each of Mr. Darretta, Mr. Patterson, Mr. Hill, and Ms. Baumann qualifies as an "audit committee financial expert" (as such term has been defined by the Regulations) based on their review of his or her pertinent experience and education. The SEC has stated, and the funds' amended and restated agreement and Declaration of Trust provides, that the designation or identification of a person as an audit committee financial expert pursuant to this Item 3 of Form N-CSR does not impose on such person any duties, obligations or liability that are greater than the duties, obligations and liability imposed on such person as a member of the Audit, Compliance and Distribution Committee and the Board of Trustees in the absence of such designation or identification. |
Item 4. Principal Accountant Fees and Services: |
The following table presents fees billed in each of the last two fiscal years for services rendered to the fund by the fund's independent auditor: |
Fiscal year ended | Audit Fees | Audit-Related Fees | Tax Fees | All Other Fees | |
July 31, 2016 | $177,929 | $58,713* | $12,363 | $ — | |
July 31, 2015 | $199,620 | $— | $11,637 | $ — |
* | Fees billed to the fund for services relating to a fund merger. |
For the fiscal years ended July 31, 2016 and July 31, 2015, the fund's independent auditor billed aggregate non-audit fees in the amounts of $630,829 and $691,313 respectively, to the fund, Putnam Management and any entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with Putnam Management that provides ongoing services to the fund. |
Audit Fees represent fees billed for the fund's last two fiscal years relating to the audit and review of the financial statements included in annual reports and registration statements, and other services that are normally provided in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements. |
Audit-Related Fees represent fees billed in the fund's last two fiscal years for services traditionally performed by the fund's auditor, including accounting consultation for proposed transactions or concerning financial accounting and reporting standards and other audit or attest services not required by statute or regulation. |
Tax Fees represent fees billed in the fund's last two fiscal years for tax compliance, tax planning and tax advice services. Tax planning and tax advice services include assistance with tax audits, employee benefit plans and requests for rulings or technical advice from taxing authorities. |
Pre-Approval Policies of the Audit, Compliance and Distributions Committee. The Audit, Compliance and Distributions Committee of the Putnam funds has determined that, as a matter of policy, all work performed for the funds by the funds' independent auditors will be pre-approved by the Committee itself and thus will generally not be subject to pre-approval procedures. |
The Audit, Compliance and Distributions Committee also has adopted a policy to pre-approve the engagement by Putnam Management and certain of its affiliates of the funds' independent auditors, even in circumstances where pre-approval is not required by applicable law. Any such requests by Putnam Management or certain of its affiliates are typically submitted in writing to the Committee and explain, among other things, the nature of the proposed engagement, the estimated fees, and why this work should be performed by that particular audit firm as opposed to another one. In reviewing such requests, the Committee considers, among other things, whether the provision of such services by the audit firm are compatible with the independence of the audit firm. |
The following table presents fees billed by the fund's independent auditor for services required to be approved pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(ii) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X. |
Fiscal year ended | Audit-Related Fees | Tax Fees | All Other Fees | Total Non-Audit Fees | |
July 31, 2016 | $ — | $559,753 | $ — | $ — | |
July 31, 2015 | $ — | $679,676 | $ — | $ — |
Item 5. Audit Committee of Listed Registrants |
Not applicable |
Item 6. Schedule of Investments: |
The registrant's schedule of investments in unaffiliated issuers is included in the report to shareholders in Item 1 above. |
Item 7. Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures For Closed-End Management Investment Companies: |
Not applicable |
Item 8. Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Investment Companies |
Not Applicable |
Item 9. Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Companies and Affiliated Purchasers: |
Not applicable |
Item 10. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders: |
Not applicable |
Item 11. Controls and Procedures: |
(a) The registrant's principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded, based on their evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of this report, that the design and operation of such procedures are generally effective to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by the registrant in this report is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission's rules and forms. |
(b) Changes in internal control over financial reporting: Not applicable |
Item 12. Exhibits: |
(a)(1) The Code of Ethics of The Putnam Funds, which incorporates the Code of Ethics of Putnam Investments, is filed herewith. |
(a)(2) Separate certifications for the principal executive officer and principal financial officer of the registrant as required by Rule 30a-2(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, are filed herewith. |
(b) The certifications required by Rule 30a-2(b) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, are filed herewith. |
SIGNATURES |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized. |
Putnam Voyager Fund |
By (Signature and Title): |
/s/ Janet C. Smith Janet C. Smith Principal Accounting Officer |
Date: September 29, 2016 |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated. |
By (Signature and Title): |
/s/ Jonathan S. Horwitz Jonathan S. Horwitz Principal Executive Officer |
Date: September 29, 2016 |
By (Signature and Title): |
/s/ Steven D. Krichmar Steven D. Krichmar Principal Financial Officer |
Date: September 29, 2016 |
THE PUTNAM FUNDS |
Code of Ethics |
|
Each of The Putnam Funds (the “Funds”) has determined to adopt this Code of Ethics with respect to certain activities by officers and Trustees of the Funds which might be deemed to create possible conflicts of interest and to establish reporting requirements and enforcement procedures with respect to such activities.
I. Rules Applicable to Officers and Trustees Affiliated with Putnam Investments Trust or Its Subsidiaries
A. Incorporation of Adviser’s Code of Ethics. The provisions of the Code of Ethics for employees of Putnam Investments Trust and its subsidiaries (the “Putnam Investments Code of Ethics”), which is attached as Appendix A hereto, are hereby incorporated herein as the Funds’ Code of Ethics applicable to officers and Trustees of the Funds who are employees of the Funds or officers, directors or employees of Putnam Investments Trust or its subsidiaries. A violation of the Putnam Investments’ Code of Ethics shall constitute a violation of the Funds’ Code.
B. Reports . Officers and Trustees of each of the Funds who are made subject to the Putnam Investments’ Code of Ethics pursuant to the preceding paragraph shall file the reports required by the Putnam Investments’ Code of Ethics with the Code of Ethics Officer designated therein. A report filed with the Code of Ethics Officer shall be deemed to be filed with each of the Funds of which the reporting individual is an officer or Trustee.
C. Review and Reporting.
(1) The Code of Ethics Officer shall cause the reported personal securities transactions to be compared with completed and contemplated portfolio transactions of each of the Funds to determine whether a violation of this Code may have occurred. Before making any determination that a violation has been committed by any person, the Code of Ethics Officer shall give such person an opportunity to supply additional explanatory material.
(2) If the Code of Ethics Officer determines that a violation of any provision of this Code has or may have occurred, he shall submit his written determination, together with any additional explanatory material, to the Audit, Compliance and Distributions Committee of the Funds at its next meeting when Code of Ethics matters are discussed.
D. Sanctions . In addition to reporting violations of this Code to the Audit, Compliance and Distributions Committee of the Funds as provided in Section I-C(2), the Code of Ethics Officer shall also report to such Committee any sanctions imposed with respect to such violations.
II. Rules Applicable to Unaffiliated Trustees
A. Definitions.
(1) “Beneficial ownership” shall be interpreted in the same manner as it would be in determining whether a person is subject to the provisions of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules and regulations thereunder.
(2) “Control” means the power to exercise a controlling influence over the management or policies of a company, unless such power is solely the result of an official position with such company.
(3) “Covered Person” means an affiliated person of the Fund, who is not made subject to the Putnam Investments Code of Ethics pursuant to Part I hereof.
(4) “Interested Trustee” means a Trustee of a Fund who is an “interested person” of the Fund within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”).
(5) “Purchase or sale of a security” includes, among other things, the writing of an option to purchase or sell a security.
(6) “Security” shall have the same meaning as that set forth in Section 2(a)(36) of the Investment Company Act (in effect, all securities) except that it shall not include securities issued by the Government of the United States or an agency thereof, bankers’ acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper and high-quality short-term debt investments, including repurchase agreements, and shares of registered open-end investment companies, but shall include any security convertible into or exchangeable for a security.
(7) “Security Held or to be Acquired by a Fund” means: (i) any security, as defined herein, which, within the most recent 15 days: (A) is or has been held by the Fund, or (B) is being or has been considered by the Fund or Putnam Investments for purchase by the Fund, and (ii) any option to purchase or sell, and any security convertible into or exchangeable for, a security described in (i) above.
(8) “Unaffiliated Trustee” means a Trustee who is not made subject to the Putnam Investments Code of Ethics pursuant to Part I hereof.
B. Prohibited Actions. No Covered Person, in connection with the purchase or sale, directly or indirectly, by such Covered Person of a security held or to be acquired by the Fund, shall:
2 |
(1) Employ any device, scheme or artifice to defraud the Fund;
(2) Make any untrue statement of a material fact to the Fund or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made to the Fund, in light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading;
(3) Engage in any act, practice or course of business that operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit on the Fund; or
(4) Engage in any manipulative practice with respect to the Fund.
C. Reporting.
(1) Every Unaffiliated Trustee of a Fund shall file with the Funds’ Compliance Liaison a report containing the information described in Section II-C(2) of this Code with respect to purchases or sales of any security in which such Unaffiliated Trustee has, or by reason of such transaction acquires, any direct or indirect beneficial ownership, if such Trustee, at the time of that transaction, knew or, in the ordinary course of fulfilling his or her official duties as a Trustee of the Fund, should have known that, during the 15-day period immediately preceding or after the date of the transaction by the Trustee:
(a) such security was or is to be purchased or sold by the Fund or
(b) such security was or is being considered for purchase or sale by the Fund;
provided, however, that an Unaffiliated Trustee shall not be required to make a report with respect to transactions effected for any account over which such person does not have any direct or indirect influence or control.
(2) Every report shall be made not later than 10 days after the end of the calendar quarter in which the transaction to which the report relates was effected, and shall contain the following information:
3 |
(a) The date of the transaction, the title, the number of shares, the interest rate and maturity date (if applicable) and the principal amount of each security involved;
(b) The nature of the transaction (i.e., purchase, sale or any other type of acquisition or disposition);
(c) The price at which the transaction was effected;
(d) The name of the broker, dealer or bank with or through whom the transaction was effected; and
(e) The date that the report is submitted by each Unaffiliated Trustee.
(3) Any such report may contain a statement that the report shall not be construed as an admission by the person making such report that he has any direct or indirect beneficial ownership in the security to which the report relates.
(4) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, an Unaffiliated Trustee who is an “interested person” of the Funds shall file the reports required by Rule 17j-1(d)(1) under the Investment Company Act with the Code of Ethics Officer of Putnam Investments. Such reports shall be reviewed by such Officer as provided in Section I-C(1) and any related violations shall be reported by him to the Audit, Compliance and Distributions Committee as provided in Section I-C(2).
D. Review and Reporting.
(1) The Compliance Liaison of the Funds, in consultation with the Code of Ethics Officer of Putnam Investments, shall cause the reported personal securities transactions that he receives pursuant to Section II-C(1) to be compared with completed and contemplated portfolio transactions of the Funds to determine whether any prohibited action listed in Section II-B may have occurred.
(2) Before making any determination that a violation of this Code has occurred, the Compliance Liaison shall give the person involved an opportunity to supply additional information regarding the transaction in question.
E. Sanctions. If the Compliance Liaison determines that a violation of this Code has occurred, he shall so advise the Funds’ Audit, Compliance and Distributions Committee, and provide the Committee with a report of the matter, including any additional information supplied by such person. The Committee may impose such sanctions as it deems appropriate.
4 |
III. Miscellaneous
A. Amendments to the Putnam Investments’ Code of Ethics. Any amendment to the Putnam Investments’ Code of Ethics shall be deemed an amendment to Section 1-A of this Code effective 30 days after written notice of such amendment shall have been received by the Chairman of the Funds, unless the Trustees of the Funds expressly determine that such amendment shall become effective at an earlier or later date or shall not be adopted.
B. Records. The Funds shall maintain records in the manner and to the extent set forth below, which records may be maintained on microfilm under the conditions described in Rule 31a-2(f)(1) under the Investment Company Act and shall be available for examination by representatives of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
(1) A copy of this Code and any other code which is, or at any time within the past five years has been, in effect shall be preserved in an easily accessible place;
(2) A record of any violation of this Code and of any action taken as a result of such violation shall be preserved in an easily accessible place for a period of not less than five years following the end of the fiscal year in which the violation occurs;
(3) A copy of each report made by an officer or Trustee pursuant to this Code shall be preserved for a period of not less than five years from the end of the fiscal year in which it is made, the first two years in an easily accessible place;
(4) A list of all persons who are, or within the past five years have been, required to make reports pursuant to this Code shall be maintained in an easily accessible place; and
(5) To the extent any record required to be kept by this section is also required to be kept by Putnam Investments pursuant to the Putnam Investments’ Code of Ethics, Putnam Investments shall maintain such record on behalf of the Funds as well.
C. Confidentiality. All reports of securities transactions and any other information filed with any Fund pursuant to this Code shall be treated as confidential, but are subject to review as provided herein and by personnel of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
D. Interpretation of Provisions. The Trustees may from time to time adopt such interpretations of this Code as they deem appropriate.
5 |
E. Delegation by Chairman. The Chairman of the Funds may from time to time delegate any or all of his or her responsibilities under this Code, either generally or as to specific instances, to such officer or Trustee of the Funds as he or she may designate.
As revised June 24, 2016.
6 |
Putnam Investments Code of Ethics
Putnam Investments is required by law to adopt a Code of Ethics (the Code). The objective of the Code is that Putnams employees comply with all applicable laws and avoid any actual, apparent, or potential conflict of interest that could be perceived to interfere with the fiduciary duty Putnam owes to its clients or with Putnams interests. It is the duty of Putnams employees ethically to handle all actual, apparent, and potential conflicts of interest that may arise. This Code of Ethics is designed to strengthen the trust and confidence our clients place in us and to demonstrate that our clients interests come first.
Adherence to the Code is a fundamental condition of employment at Putnam. Every employee is expected to adhere to the requirements of the Code. Any employee failing to do so may be subject to disciplinary action, including financial penalties and termination of employment, as determined by the Code of Ethics Oversight Committee.
Table of Contents | |
Definitions | 4 |
Section 1 — Personal Securities Rules for All Employees | 6 |
1.1. Pre-clearance Requirements | 6 |
1.2. Restricted List | 7 |
1.3. Prohibited Transactions | 8 |
1.4. Policy Regarding Frequency of Personal Trading | 8 |
Section 2 — Putnam Mutual Funds | 9 |
2.1. Holding Putnam Mutual Fund Shares at Putnam | 9 |
2.2. Putnam Mutual Funds — Linked Accounts | 9 |
2.3. Putnam Mutual Funds — Closed-End Fund Rules | 9 |
Section 3 — Additional Rules for Access Persons and Certain Investment Professionals | 10 |
3.1. 60-Day Short-Term Rule — All Access Persons | 10 |
3.2. 7-Day Pre-Trade Rule (Portfolio Managers and Analysts) | 10 |
3.3. 7-Day Post-Trade Rule (Portfolio Managers and Analysts) | 11 |
3.4. Contra-Trading Rule (Portfolio Managers) | 11 |
3.5. No Personal Benefit (Portfolio Managers and Analysts) | 12 |
Section 4 — Reporting Requirements | 13 |
4.1. Brokerage/SecuritiesAccounts—Initial and Annual Requirements | 13 |
4.2. Separate Provisions for Brokerage/Securities Accounts That Are Professionally Managed(Discretionary) | |
Accounts—Initial and Annual Requirements | 13 |
4.3. Account ConfirmationsandStatements | 14 |
4.4. Approved Brokers — U.S. Employees Only | 14 |
Section 5 — Additional Reporting, Certification, and Training Requirements | 15 |
5.1. Initial/Annual Holdings Report — Access Persons Only | 15 |
5.2. Quarterly Transaction Report — Access Persons Only | 15 |
5.3. Annual Certification — All Employees | 16 |
5.4. Training Requirements — All Employees | 16 |
5.5. Maintenance and Distribution of the Code of Ethics | 16 |
5.6. Procedures and Timeliness | 16 |
Section 6 — General Ethics Rules for All Employees | 17 |
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6.1. Conflicts of Interest | 17 |
6.2. Outside Business Activities | 17 |
6.3. Charitable or Non-profit Roles/Role as Trustee or Fiduciary Outside Putnam Investments | 18 |
6.4. Family Members’ Conflict Policy | 18 |
6.5. CFA institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct | 19 |
6.6. Business Ethics, Ombudsman, and Hotlines | 19 |
Section 7 — Material, Non-Public Information and Insider Trading | 20 |
7.1. Material, Non-Public Information and Insider Trading | 20 |
7.2. Reporting and Restrictions | 20 |
7.3. Special Provisions Applicable to Putnam Affiliates | 20 |
7.4. Putnam Equity Plan, TH Lee Funds, and Putnam Hedge Funds | 21 |
7.5. PIL Employees | 21 |
Section 8 — Sanctions | 22 |
8.1. Sanctions for Violations of Sections 1–3 | 22 |
8.2. Sanctions for Violations of Sections 4–6 | 22 |
8.3. Sanctions for Violations of Section 7 | 22 |
Section 9 — Procedures for Determinations and Exemptions | 23 |
Appendix — CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct | 24 |
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Definitions
Access Person Putnam has identified certain employees as Access Persons due to their position or access to investment information. Access Persons are held to a higher standard under the Code than other employees. Please ask the Code of Ethics Officer if you have any question whether you are an Access Person. The following employees are Access Persons:
• All employees of Putnam’s Investment Management Division
• All employees of the Global Investment Strategies Group/Division
• All employees of the International RFP Group
• Employees of the Operations Division within the following specific groups and departments:
» Fund Administration Group
» Investment Services and Operations Group
» Accounting Services Group
» Custody Services Group
• Any employee in the following groups or divisions who reports directly to a member of the Operating Committee:
» Mutual Fund Shareholder Services Group
» Accounting, Custody, and Control Group
» Communications and Public Relations Division
» Defined Contribution Investment Only Group
» Global Distribution Division (including Putnam Retail Management, Putnam Global Institutional Management, and Japan businesses)
• All members of Putnam’s Operating Committee
• All employees of Putnam Investments Limited (PIL) and all other Putnam employees based in Europe
• All directors and officers of a registered investment advisor affiliate, e.g., Putnam Investment Management, LLC (PIM), or The Putnam Advisory Company, LLC (PAC)
• All employees who have access to My Putnam (unless access is limited to the Wall Street Journal, Factiva, or other systems that do not allow access to non-public information about Putnam products, as determined by the Code of Ethics Officer) E mployees who have systems access or other access to non-public information about any client’s purchase or sale of securities or to information regarding portfolio holdings or recommendations with respect to such purchases or sales
• Others as determined by the Code of Ethics Officer, including certain employees in rotational programs
Business or financial relationship refers to any type of existing or prospective arrangement between Putnam, on the one hand, and another entity or person, on the other hand, in which Putnam provides or receives financial consideration, goods, services, or advice. It also includes any investment by Putnam for itself or its clients. This means that there is a business or financial relationship between Putnam and each portfolio company.
Closed-end fund means a fund that has a fixed number of shares outstanding and does not redeem its shares.
Closed-end funds typically trade like stocks on an exchange.
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The Code of Ethics Officer and the Deputy Code of Ethics Officer are responsible for enforcing and interpreting the Code. The following are the current members of the Code of Ethics staff, each of whom can answer employee questions and provide other assistance regarding the Code:
Code of Ethics Officer: | James Clark | (617) 760-8939 |
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Deputy Code of Ethics Officer: | Akiko Lindholm | (617) 760-2177 |
Compliance Specialist: | Dana Scribner-Shea | (617) 760-7182 |
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Compliance Specialist: | Jennifer Waden | (617) 760-0554 |
Code of Ethics Oversight Committee has oversight responsibility for administering the Code of Ethics. Members include the Code of Ethics Officer and other members of Putnam’s senior management appointed by the Chief Executive Officer of Putnam. The Committee reviews and approves Code revisions, violations, and sanctions. In certain instances, requests for exemptions may require the approval of the Committee. The Committee meets on a quarterly basis or as otherwise necessary.
Exchange-traded fund (ETF) means a fund (other than a closed-end fund) that can be traded on an exchange throughout the day like a stock. ETFs often track an index. Examples include (but are not limited to) SPDRs, WEBs, QQQQs, iShares, and HLDRs.
Immediate Family means the Putnam employee’s spouse, domestic partner, fiancé(e), or other family members who are living in the same household. Immediate Family also includes any other family members, including in-laws, for whom the Putnam employee can exercise investment discretion, regardless of whether or not they live in the same household.
Private placement means any offering of a security not offered to the public and not requiring registration with the relevant securities authorities, including but not limited to, equity or debt issued by a privately held company, private funds, hedge funds, or other privately offered securities.
Putnam means any or all of Putnam Investments, LLC and its subsidiaries (other than PanAgora Asset Management, Inc. and any of its subsidiaries), any one of which shall be a Putnam company.
Putnam employee, or employee, means any employee of Putnam and, for purposes of all rules in Sections 1, 2, and 3, also includes the following:
• Members of the Immediate Family of a Putnam employee;
• Any trust in which a Putnam employee or Immediate Family member is a trustee with investment discretion;
• Any account for a partnership in which a Putnam employee or Immediate Family member is a general partner or a partner with investment discretion;
• Any closely held entity (such as a partnership, limited liability company, or corporation) in which a Putnam employee or Immediate Family member holds a controlling interest and with respect to which he or she has investment discretion;
• Any account (including any retirement, pension, deferred compensation, or similar account) in which a Putnam employee or Immediate Family member has a substantial economic interest and over which the Putnam employee or Immediate Family member exercises investment discretion;
• Any account other than a Putnam client account that receives investment advice of any sort from the employee or Immediate Family member, or as to which the employee or Immediate Family member has investment discretion.
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Security The instruments required to be pre-cleared under Section 1.1 are considered to be securities for purposes of this Code and are also required to be reported by Access Persons under Section 4. In addition, transactions in exchange-traded funds (ETFs), exchange-traded notes (ETNs), exchange-traded commodities (ETCs), options, futures, and other derivative securities are required to be reported by Access Persons under Section 4, even for those instruments that are not required to be pre-cleared pursuant to Section 1.1(c).
Section 1 — Personal Securities Rules for All Employees
Putnam maintains the Code of Ethics PTA system to assist employees in fulfilling their obligations under the Code of Ethics. This system can be accessed by selecting the Code of Ethics PTA link, which appears on Putnam’s intranet page in the Secure Information section under My Essentials. This system allows the automated pre-clearance of publicly traded equities and other securities trading on major U.S. and other exchanges. To pre-clear an options contract for a publicly traded security, pre-clear the underlying security in the Code of Ethics PTA system. To request clearance to trade bonds or other securities, you must contact the Code of Ethics staff. Pre-clearance hours are 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
1.1. Pre-clearance Requirements
The pre-clearance requirements under this section apply to employees who are Access Persons.
1.1(a) Employees must pre-clear all trades in the following securities:
• Stocks of companies
• Bonds and other debt instruments, including new offerings (including preferred stock, corporate, municipal, high-yield, and convertible bonds)
• Options, warrants, and all other derivatives of any underlying securities that themselves require pre-clearanceClosed-end funds, including Putnam closed-end funds
Employees must also pre-clear the following transactions:
• Private placements and purchases of hedge funds or other private investment funds, which must receive pre-approval from the Code of Ethics Oversight Committee (sales of private placements, hedge funds, or other private investment funds do not need to be pre-cleared; however, they must be reported)
• Donating or gifting of securities
• Shares purchased by subscription or by mail (if purchasing directly from a company’s transfer agent by check, you must pre-clear the day the check is to be mailed)
• Tendering securities from your personal account· Loans, or guarantees of obligations, being made to non-family members with whom Putnam has a business or financial relationship
• Exercising rights to purchase shares of a company’s stock (other than involuntary exercises)• Exercising options or warrants to acquire shares of a company’s stock (other than involuntary exercises as set forth under Section 1.1(c))
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1.1(b) Provisions Applicable to Pre-clearances
A pre-clearance is only valid for trading on the day it is obtained. However, trades by employees in Putnam’s Asian or European offices, or trades by any employees in securities listed on Asian or European stock exchanges, may be executed within one business day after pre-clearance is obtained. If the Code of Ethics system does not recognize a security, if an employee is unable to use the system, or if he or she has any questions with respect to the system or pre-clearance, the employee must contact the Code of Ethics staff.
1.1(c) Exceptions from Pre-clearance Requirements
Pre-clearance is not required for certain transactions. (Please note that reporting may still be required for Access Persons even when pre-clearance is not required. See Sections 4 and 5 for reporting requirements.) Pre-clearance is not required for:
• Open-end mutual funds
• Currencies
• Commodities
• Treasury securities and other U.S. and other sovereign government debt (Please note that agency securities, such as securities issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, require pre-clearance.)
• Certificates of deposit (CDs), commercial paper, repurchase agreements, bankers’ acceptances, and other money market instruments
• Options and futures and all other derivatives based on an index of securities
• Exchange-traded funds (ETFs), exchange-traded notes (ETNs), and exchange-traded commodities (ETCs)
• Trades in approved discretionary accounts (see Section 4.2 for additional information)
• Transactions that are involuntary (i.e., not initiated by the employee or an Immediate Family member covered under the Code), including dividend reinvestments under an automatic program of a publicly traded issuer and broker actions not initiated by the employee, such as option assignments or sales out of the brokerage account to cover fees or margin calls (provided the employee may not have withdrawn funds from the margin account in the prior 10 days)
1.2. RestrictedList
The Restricted List rule under this section applies to employees who are Access Persons.
Employees may not trade in securities that are on Putnam’s Restricted List, except as set forth below under “Large-/ Mid-Cap Exemption.” There are a number of reasons why a security may appear on the Restricted List, and securities are placed on the Restricted List under criteria, and in specific circumstances, as determined by the Code of Ethics Officer or the Code of Ethics Oversight Committee. If a security is not on the Restricted List, other classes of securities of the same issuer (e.g., preferred or convertible preferred stock) may be on the Restricted List. It is the employee’s responsibility to identify with particularity the class of securities being pre-cleared. Bonds are generally restricted at the issuer level.
Large-/Mid-Cap Exemption An employee may trade up to $25,000 in principal amount of the shares of a security appearing on the Restricted List if it is an equity security of an issuer with a market capitalization greater than $2 billion. However, these transactions must still be pre-cleared. Market capitalization is defined as outstanding shares multiplied by current price per share.
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1.3. Prohibited Transactions
The following transactions and activities are prohibited for all employees:
1. Good-until-canceled orders (GTC). Any order not executed on the day of pre-clearance must be resubmitted for pre-clearance before being executed on a subsequent day.
2. Short sales of any security that is subject to pre-clearance requirements. However, short sales against the box are permitted. In addition, opening an option position that would result in a short position in the underlying security upon assignment or expiration is also prohibited (i.e., buying a put option or selling a call option without owning a number of shares at least equal to the delivery obligation under the contract, is prohibited). Purchasing a put option or selling a call option would not be considered acceptable if the only position covering such option would be another option position, such as purchasing a call option or selling a put option, to avoid aviolation.
3. Purchasing equity securities in an initial public offering (IPO). Although exceptions from this prohibition will rarely be granted, employees may request an exemption from the Code of Ethics Officer, who may grant exceptions in unusual cases such as when an Immediate Family member’s association or employment with the issuer warrants consid- eration or when the employee has had a pre-existing status for at least two years as a policyholder or depositor in connection with a bank or insurance company conversion from mutual or cooperative form to stock form.
4. Trading with material non-public information (see Section7)
5. Personal trading with Putnam client portfolios. Putnam employees may not buy or sell securities when the employee knows a Putnam client account is on the other side of the trade.
6. Participating in an investment club
7. Spread betting. PIL employees may not enter into any spread betting contracts on financial instruments.
8. Opening a discretionary account (see Section 4.2) and trading securities requiring pre-clearance, without obtaining proper advance approval for that account as required
1.4. Policy Regarding Frequency of Personal Trading
Putnam employees are not limited to a pre-determined number of trades in securities during a specified time frame. However, excessive trading by an employee can divert the employee’s attention from his or her responsibilities as an employee and increases the possibility of engaging in transactions that are in actual or apparent conflict with Putnam’s client accounts. In addition, excessive short-term trading by an employee in shares of a Putnam-managed fund can also create actual or apparent conflicts with other shareholders of such fund and may have other detrimental effects as described in the prospectus or other disclosure document for such fund. Putnam reserves the right to monitor the number of trades (including for these purposes trades in securities that are required to be pre-cleared under Section 1.1(a), shares of Putnam-managed funds, and other securities that are required to be reported under Section 5.1 or 5.2, such as ETFs, ETNs, ETCs, options, futures, and other derivative securities) executed by an employee and members of his or her Immediate Family and may review any such activity that appears to be excessive with the employee’s manager(s) and/or the Code of Ethics Oversight Committee, as deemed appropriate by the Code of Ethics Officer. The Code of Ethics Oversight Committee shall have the authority to address any circumstances of excessive trading in securities or excessive short-term trading in shares of a Putnam-managed fund in accordance with Section 8 of this Code.
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Section 2 — Putnam Mutual Funds
2.1. Holding Putnam Mutual Fund Shares at Putnam
Putnam employees must hold shares of Putnam open-end U.S. mutual funds through accounts maintained at Putnam, with Putnam Retail Management (PRM) listed as the dealer of record. All transactions must be executed through Putnam and not through an outside broker or other intermediary.
These requirements also apply to:
• Self-directed IRA accounts holding Putnam fund shares;
• Variable annuities and variable insurance contracts, such as Putnam/Hartford Capital Manager and Allstate Advisor, which invest in Putnam Variable Trusts (must list PRM as dealer but may be held at the insurer).
In limited circumstances, retirement, pension, deferred compensation, health savings, and similar accounts (and variable insurance arrangements) that cannot be legally transferred to Putnam may be allowed to hold Putnam funds upon approval of the Code of Ethics Officer. For example, a spouse of a Putnam employee may have a 401(k)/Profit Sharing Plan with his or her employer that invests in Putnam funds. The employee must notify the Code of Ethics Officer in writing, provide the reason why the account cannot be transferred to Putnam, and arrange for all account statements and confirmations to be sent to the Code of Ethics staff, if approved.
2.2. Putnam Mutual Funds — Linked Accounts
All employees are required to ensure that their Immediate Family members’ accounts holding Putnam mutual funds are linked to comply with the requirements stated above and to permit monitoring for excessive short-term trading in accordance with Section 1.4. To ensure these accounts are linked, log on to Putnam’s intranet home page at http://intranet/home/index.shtml, and select My Essentials/Linked mutual fund accounts.
2.3. Putnam Mutual Funds — Closed-End Fund Rules 2.3(a) Pre-clearance andReporting
Putnam closed-end fund shares are subject to the same pre-clearance and reporting requirements as other stocks. A list of the Putnam closed-end funds can be obtained from the Code of Ethics staff.
2.3(b) Special Rules Applicable to Portfolio Managers to Putnam Closed-End Funds, Group Heads in the Investment Division, Operating Committee members, and officers of the Putnam Funds
Portfolio Managers to Putnam closed-end funds, Group Heads in Putnam’s Investment Division, Putnam Operating Committee members, and officers of the Putnam Funds will not receive clearance to engage in any combination of purchase and sale, or sale and purchase, of the shares of a given closed-end fund within six months of each other. Therefore, purchases should be made only if you intend to hold the shares more than six months, and sales should not be made if you plan to purchase more shares of that fund within six months.
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Section 3 — Additional Rules for Access Persons and Certain Investment Professionals
3.1. 60-Day Short-Term Rule — All Access Persons
Access Persons may not sell a security at a price higher than any price paid for that security within the past 60 calendar days, or buy a security at a price below which he or she sold the same security within the past 60 days. This rule applies to transactions across all accounts of the employee. All trades for the previous 60 days in all accounts will be compared to the trade date for the transaction in question to determine whether a violation has occurred. Thus, if within a 60-day period, an employee buys a security for $10, buys it again for $15, and then sells shares of this security for $12, this will be considered a violation even though some shares of the security in question were bought for a higher price. To further illustrate the rule, if an employee buys a security for $15 on one day, buys it again for $10 a year later, and then less than 60 days after the second purchase sells shares of this security for $12, this will be considered a violation even though some shares of the security in question were bought for a higher price more than 60 days earlier. Access Persons may also not open an option transaction for a contract that expires in 60 days or less. The holding period for securities acquired upon exercise of a purchased call option shall be calculated using the date of acquisition of the option (rather than the date of exercise of the option) as the starting point for the 60-day holding period. Further, this rule also applies to common stock and option exercise transactions. For example, an employee may purchase calls/call spreads, and he or she may buy/sell a common stock of the same security (because transactions in options and common stock shares are treated differently); however, if the employee plans to exercise the option, he or she needs to ensure that it is not in the opposite direction of the common stock transaction (at a profit) that he or she traded within the past 60 days. Although portfolio managers and analysts may sell securities at a profit within 60 days of purchase in order to comply with the requirements of the 7-Day Pre-Trade and 7-Day Post-Trade Rules (see Sections 3.2 and 3.3), any profit must be disgorged and paid to charity.
3.2. 7-Day Pre-Trade Rule (Portfolio Managers and Analysts) 3.2(a) Portfolio Managers
(i) Before a portfolio manager places an order to buy a security for any Putnam client portfolio that he manages, he must sell that security or related derivative security if he has purchased it in his personal account within the preceding seven calendar days; or (ii) upon entering an order to sell a security for any Putnam client portfolio that he manages, he must disgorge to charity any losses avoided if he sold the security in his personal account within the preceding seven calendar days. Disgorgements will be measured by the difference between the selling price for the personal account and the selling price for the client account, multiplied by the number of shares sold for the personal account. For certain designated sleeved funds or portfolios, if a portfolio manager (but not the Director of Global Equity Research, who is not eligible for this exception) does not actually manage the sleeves of the funds or portfolios, but rather is a named portfolio manager for the overall fund(s), and if the portfolio manager does not have any actual knowledge of day-to-day trade activities and upcoming changes in ratings of securities in the sleeves of the funds or portfolios, the Code of Ethics Officer, the Deputy Code of Ethics Officer or their designee may override this rule.
3.2(b) Analysts
(i) Before an analyst makes an initial purchase or outperform recommendation (including an initial recommendation change) for a security (including designation of a security for inclusion in the portfolio of Putnam Research Fund), he must sell that security or related derivative security if he has purchased it in his personal account within the preceding seven calendar days; or (ii) upon making an initial sell or an underperform recommendation (including an initial recommendation change) for a security (including designation of a security for sale from the portfolio of Putnam Research Fund), he must disgorge to charity any losses avoided if he sold the security in his personal account within the preceding seven calendar days. Disgorgements will be measured by the difference between the selling price for the personal account and the price at the time that the recommendation is made, multiplied by the number of shares sold for the personal account.
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For certain designated sleeved funds or portfolios, if an analyst (but not the Director of Global Equity Research, who is not eligible for this exception) does not actually manage the sleeves of the funds or portfolios, but rather is a named portfolio manager for the overall fund(s), and if the analyst does not have any actual knowledge of day-to-day trade activities and upcoming changes in ratings of securities in the sleeves of the funds or portfolios, the Code of Ethics Officer, the Deputy Code of Ethics Officer, or their designee may override this rule.
3.3. 7-Day Post-Trade Rule (Portfolio Managers and Analysts) 3.3(a) Portfolio Managers
No portfolio manager shall: (i) sell any security or related derivative security for her personal account until seven calendar days have elapsed after the date of the most recent purchase of that security or related derivative security by any Putnam client portfolio she manages or co-manages; or (ii) purchase any security or related derivative security for her personal account until seven calendar days have elapsed after the date of the most recent sale of that security or related derivative security from any Putnam client portfolio that she manages or co-manages. For certain designated sleeved funds or portfolios, if a portfolio manager (but not the Director of Global Equity Research, who is not eligible for this exception) does not actually manage the sleeves of the funds or portfolios, but rather is a named portfolio manager for the overall fund(s), and if the portfolio manager does not have any actual knowledge of day-to-day trade activities and upcoming changes in ratings of securities in the sleeves of the funds or portfolios, the Code of Ethics Officer, the Deputy Code of Ethics Officer or their designee may override this rule.
3.3(b) Analysts
No analyst shall: (i) sell any security or related derivative security for his personal account until seven calendar days have elapsed after the date of his initial buy or outperform recommendation (including an initial recommendation change) for that security or related derivative security (including designation of a security for inclusion in the portfolio of Putnam Research Fund); or (ii) purchase any security or related derivative security for his personal account until seven calendar days have elapsed after the date of his initial sell or underperform recommendation (including an initial recommendation change) for that security or related derivative security (including the removal of a security from the portfolio of Putnam Research Fund). For certain designated sleeved funds or portfolios, if an analyst (but not the Director of Global Equity Research, who is not eligible for this exception) does not actually manage the sleeves of the funds or portfolios, but rather is a named portfolio manager for the overall fund(s), and if the analyst does not have any actual knowledge of day-to-day trade activities and upcoming changes in ratings of securities in the sleeves of the funds or portfolios, the Code of Ethics Officer, the Deputy Code of Ethics Officer or their designee may override this rule.
3.4. Contra-Trading Rule (Portfolio Managers)
No portfolio manager shall, without prior clearance and written approval (which may be satisfied by email) from the Chief Investment Officer and Code of Ethics Officer, sell in his personal account any securities or related derivative securities that are held in any Putnam client portfolio that he manages or co-manages. Contact the Code of Ethics Officer for a copy of the Contra-Trading Rule Clearance Form. For certain designated sleeved funds or portfolios, the Code of Ethics Officer, the Deputy Code of Ethics Officer or their designee may permit a sale in the portfolio manager’s personal account without obtaining written approval from the Chief Investment Officer and Code of Ethics Officer, if the portfolio manager (but not the Director of Global Equity Research, who is not eligible for this exception) does not actually manage the sleeves of the funds or portfolios, but rather is a named portfolio manager for the overall fund(s), and if the portfolio manager does not have any actual knowledge of day-to-day trade activities and upcoming changes in ratings of securities in the sleeves of the funds or portfolios.
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3.5. No Personal Benefit (Portfolio Managers and Analysts)
No portfolio manager shall cause, and no analyst shall recommend, an action that would cause a Putnam client to take action for the portfolio manager’s or analyst’s own personal benefit. A portfolio manager who trades in, or an analyst who recommends, particular securities for a Putnam client account in order to support the price of securities in his personal account, or who “front runs” a Putnam client order, is in violation of this Rule.
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Section 4 — Reporting Requirements
4.1. Brokerage/Securities Accounts — Initial and Annual Requirements
All employees (on their own behalf and on behalf of their Immediate Family members (see Definitions)) are required to report the existence of any accounts that have the capability of purchasing any securities. This Rule includes all brokerage accounts, accounts held directly at an issuer’s transfer agent, and securities held in physical certificate form by an employee or any Immediate Family member of the employee. The only investment accounts excluded from this rule are accounts that are only permitted to hold open-end mutual funds (other than Putnam open-end funds) and no other investments, and TreasuryDirect accounts, which can only purchase Treasury securities.
To satisfy this requirement, a new employee must complete the Code of Ethics and Broker Account Certification, and Access Persons must also complete Initial Holdings Certification in the Code of Ethics PTA system, and supply the Code of Ethics Department with a copy of the most recent statement for each account, within the required time frame below:
• Access Persons — within 10 days of hire·
• on-access Persons — within 30 days of hire
Existing employees opening a new account (including accounts being opened for Immediate Family members) must disclose them to the Code of Ethics Department prior to opening, or immediately after opening, the account in advance of the first personal securities transaction in the account. All employees will be required to certify annually that all accounts requiring disclosure are accurately listed in the Code of Ethics PTA system.
4.2. Separate Provisions for Brokerage/Securities Accounts That Are Professionally Managed (Discretionary) Accounts — Initial and Annual Requirements
If you wish to establish a professionally managed or discretionary account (including professionally managed or discretionary accounts being opened for Immediate Family members), where you completely turn over decision-making authority to a professional money manager who is not subject to this Code and you have no direct or indirect influence or control over the discretionary account, you must disclose the existence of the account and receive approval from the Code of Ethics staff in advance of the first personal securities transaction (new employees have 30 days to obtain the appropriate approval). You do not need to pre-clear or report securities transactions in these accounts. Please note that a discretionary account may not purchase an IPO or hold Putnam open-end mutual funds. The broker or advisor maintaining discretion over the account must be an independent third party, not affiliated with or related to a family member of the Putnam employee in any way.
In order for the account to be considered discretionary, the employee must:
1. Complete an initial certification in which both the employee and the broker/advisor certify that the Putnam employee or Immediate Family member does not participate in investment decisions on the account;
2. Complete an annual certification in which the employee certifies that the Putnam employee or Immediate Family member does not participate in investment decisions on the account, and does not have direct or indirect influence or control over the account;
3. Respond, and arrange for the employee’s broker/advisor to respond, to such inquiries as deemed advisable by the Code of Ethics staff in their assessment of whether the account is discretionary; and
4. Ensure that copies of broker statements are delivered to Putnam investments.
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4.3. Account Confirmations and Statements
All employees are required to ensure that copies of all confirmations and statements are delivered to Putnam for all accounts described in Section 4.1, and to ensure that copies of all statements (but not confirmations) are delivered to Putnam for all discretionary accounts described in Section 4.2. When the employee discloses the account as required, the Code of Ethics staff will issue a 407 letter, or other communication to the entity where the employee’s account is held, requesting that confirmations and statements be sent to Putnam on the employee’s behalf. However, it is ultimately the employee’s responsibility to ensure that his or her broker has complied with this request. Employees in non-U.S. offices may be subject to different requirements with respect to the frequency of providing account confirmations and statements. Any such different requirements will be communicated to the employees by the Code of Ethics staff.
If it is discovered that these reports are not being delivered to Putnam, the Code of Ethics staff will bring this issue to the employee’s attention and request he or she assist in rectifying the issue. If it is determined that a broker has failed to comply with requests to deliver these reports, Putnam reserves the right to require the employee to close the account within 30 days by transferring the account to another dealer willing to comply with this requirement (any trades as a result of a transfer must be pre-cleared). In cases where Putnam has an electronic reporting relationship established with a firm, Putnam may rely on this electronic reporting for monitoring and record keeping in lieu of receiving trade confirmations and statements via mail.
4.4. Approved Brokers — U.S. Employees Only
U.S. employees of Putnam are required to hold each of their personal accounts (including any retirement, pension, deferred compensation, or similar accounts) at a Putnam-approved broker that provides Putnam with an electronic broker feed. The list of approved brokers is posted to the Putnam Compliance intranet homepage and the Code of Ethics PTA system. In limited circumstances, employees may be allowed to hold personal accounts at a non-Putnam-approved broker (examples include retirement accounts at current employers of Immediate Family members and accounts that cannot legally be transferred to Putnam-approved brokers). In such a case, the employee must notify the Code of Ethics Officer in writing and provide the reason why the account cannot be transferred to a Putnam-approved broker or why the employee otherwise requests an exception be granted by the Code of Ethics Officer or Deputy Code of Ethics Officer. In the event an exception is granted, the employee must arrange for trade confirmations and account statements (quarterly) to be sent to the Code of Ethics staff.
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Section 5 — Additional Reporting, Certification, and Training Requirements
5.1. Initial/Annual Holdings Report — Access Persons Only
Access Persons must disclose and certify their securities holdings, including all holdings for Immediate Family member accounts, within 10 days of hire (or within 10 days of becoming an Access Person) and then on an annual basis thereafter (within 45 days after the end of the year). The report of securities holdings must include all securities that require pre-clearance under Section 1.1, as well as holdings in non-U.S. sovereign government debt, ETFs, ETNs, ETCs, options, futures, and other derivative securities, and holdings of Putnam open-end U.S. mutual funds not held through a Putnam account and U.S. registered mutual funds to which Putnam acts as advisor or sub-advisor (see Section 4). Each of the initial and annual holdings reports must contain the following information:
Initial holdings report:
• The title, number of shares, and principal amount of each security in which the Access Person had any direct or indirect beneficial ownership when the person became an Access Person,
• The name of any broker, dealer, or bank with whom the Access Person maintained an account in which any securities could be held for the direct or indirect benefit of the Access Person as of the date the person became an Access Person; and
• The date that the report is submitted by the Access Person.
Annual holdings report:
• The title, number of shares, and principal amount of each security in which the Access Person had any direct or indirect beneficial ownership,
• The name of any broker, dealer, or bank with whom the Access Person maintained an account in which any securities could be held for the direct or indirect benefit of the Access Person; and
• The date that the report is submitted by the Access Person.
5.2. Quarterly Transaction Report — Access Persons Only
Access Persons must disclose and certify all of their personal securities transactions, including transactions for Immediate Family member accounts, within 20 calendar days following the end of each quarter. If the 20th of a month after the end of a quarter falls on a holiday or weekend, the Code of Ethics Officer may extend the deadline. In addition to the securities requiring pre-clearance under Section 1.1, Access Persons are also required to disclose and certify all personal transactions in non-U.S. sovereign government debt, as well as ETFs, ETNs, ETCs, options, futures, and other derivative securities, and not just those requiring pre-clearance. The quarterly transaction report must contain the following information:
• The date of the transaction, the title, the interest rate and maturity date (if applicable), the number of shares, and the principal amount of each transaction involved, \• he nature of the transaction (i.e., purchase, sale, or any other type of acquisition or disposition),
• The price of the security at which the transaction was effected,
• The name of the broker, dealer, or bank with or through which the transaction was effected, and
• The date that the report is submitted by the Access Person
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5.3. Annual Certification — AllEmployees
Each calendar year, all employees will be required to certify that they have reviewed and understand the rules and requirements of the Code and that the list of brokerage accounts (for the employee and all Immediate Family members) disclosed in the Code of Ethics PTA system is accurate. An email notification will be sent informing employees of their requirement and the due date.
5.4. Training Requirements — All Employees
As deemed necessary by the Code of Ethics staff, employees will be required to complete training on Putnam’s Code of Ethics. Email notifications will be sent notifying employees of the requirements and the due date.
5.5. Maintenance and Distribution of the Code of Ethics
When revisions are made to the Code of Ethics, all employees will receive a revised version of the Code. The Code will be available to all employees on Putnam’s intranet site. Hard copies may be requested by contacting the Code of Ethics staff.
5.6. Procedures andTimeliness
Most certifications and reports required by the Code are completed in the Code of Ethics PTA system. There are strict deadlines for these filings. Planned absences, vacations, and business trips are not valid excuses for failing to meet a deadline. Employees will receive instructions regarding these submissions and the due dates. Please contact the Code of Ethics staff for assistance.
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Section 6 — General Ethics Rules for All Employees
Putnam employees are expected to act ethically at all times in connection with their employment. In addition to complying with the specific provisions of this section, employees should contact the Code of Ethics staff or the Ombudsman if they are not sure how to proceed in any circumstances involving ethical issues or questions.
6.1. Conflicts of Interest
Your obligation to act ethically at all times includes the ethical handling of actual, apparent, and potential conflicts of interest between personal and business affairs. Please note that when this Section 6.1 refers to a “conflict of interest,” it is referring to actual, apparent, and potential conflicts of interest. Conflicts of interest may arise in various circumstances, some of which are covered in the specific situations set forth in the other portions of this Section 6. However, it is not possible to set forth each specific situation under which a conflict of interest may arise.
A conflict of interest arises when a person’s personal affairs interfere with the interests of Putnam or Putnam’s clients. A conflict of interest can also arise when an employee or a member of his or her Immediate Family takes an action or has an interest that may make it difficult to perform his or her work objectively and effectively. Conflicts of interest may arise when an employee or a member of his or her Immediate Family receives or grants improper personal benefits as a result of his or her position or in the event that an employee or a member of his or her Immediate Family enters into transactions or agreements with any entity or person with whom Putnam has a business or financial relationship. Putnam employees must recognize (including through their personal trading and conduct) that the firm’s clients always come first, that the employees and the firm must avoid any actual or potential abuse of our positions of trust and responsibility, and that the employees and the firm must never take inappropriate advantage of our positions.
Given that actual, apparent, and potential conflicts of interest may often not be clear-cut, if you have any question or doubt whatsoever, you should consult the Code of Ethics Officer or Deputy Code of Ethics Officer prior to engaging in the activity in question. Any employee who becomes aware of a conflict, potential conflict, or the appearance of a conflict is strongly encouraged to bring it to the attention of the Code of Ethics Officer or Deputy Code of Ethics Officer.
6.2. OutsideBusinessActivities
No Putnam employee shall serve as employee, officer, director, trustee, or general partner of a corporation or entity other than Putnam, without prior written approval of the Code of Ethics Officer, who may also confirm that the employee’s manager has approved such outside position. Requests for a role at a publicly traded company are especially disfavored and are closely reviewed. Permission will be granted only in extenuating circumstances.
All employees must provide a written request seeking approval from the Code of Ethics Officer by entering the details of the proposed position in the Code of Ethics PTA system. Employees may not engage in any outside employment activity until they receive an email approving their request. Employees hired at Putnam with an outside position must disclose the position upon hire in the system and may be required to resign such position if the position presents conflicts of interest or otherissues.
FINRA-licensed employees under PRM also have an obligation to disclose outside positions to, and receive approval from, the PRM Compliance Department. Employees must also keep this information accurate by updating their profile in the Code of Ethics system and updating the PRM Compliance Department if they change or terminate a position previously approved.
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6.3. Charitable or Non-profit Roles/Role as Trustee or Fiduciary Outside Putnam Investments
6.3(a) An employee may serve as a volunteer, officer, director, or trustee of a charitable or not-for-profit institution, provided that the employee abides by the Code of Ethics with respect to any investment activity for which she has any discretion or input as a volunteer, officer, director, or trustee. The pre-clearance and reporting requirements of the Code of Ethics do not apply to the trading activities of such charitable or not-for-profit institutions for which an employee serves as a volunteer, officer, director, or trustee unless the employee has discretion for the account. You must contact the Code of Ethics staff if you are asked to serve in a role in which you may have discretion, investment, or financial authority for a charitable or not-for-profit institution to discuss whether such position is permissible and whether you must perform any additional actions prior to serving in such role.
6.3(b) Except as stated below, no Putnam employee shall serve as a trustee, an executor, a custodian, or any other fiduciary, or as an investment advisor or a counselor for any account outside Putnam. Putnam employees may serve as a fiduciary with respect to a religious or charitable trust or foundation, provided that the employee abides by the Code of Ethics with respect to any investment activity for which she has any discretion or input. The pre-clearance and reporting requirements of the Code of Ethics apply to the trading activities of such a religious or charitable trust or foundation if the employee has discretion for the account.
6.3(c) Family Trust or Estate Exception
Putnam employees may serve as a fiduciary with respect to a family trust or estate, as long as the employee abides by all of the Rules of the Code of Ethics with respect to any investment activity over which he has any discretion.
6.4. FamilyMembers’ Conflict Policy
No employee or member of an employee’s Immediate Family shall have any direct or indirect personal financial interests in companies that do business with Putnam, unless such interest is disclosed and approved by the Code of Ethics Officer.
6.4(a) Corporate Purchase of Goods and Services
Putnam will not acquire goods and services from any firm in which a member of an employee’s Immediate Family serves as a sales representative or in a senior management capacity, or has an ownership interest (excluding normal investment holdings in public companies), unless permission is obtained from the Chief Financial Officer and the Code of Ethics Officer. Any employee who is aware of a proposal to purchase goods and services from a firm with which a member of the employee’s Immediate Family has one of these associations must notify the Chief Financial Officer and the Code of Ethics Officer.
6.4(b) Portfolio Trading
Putnam will not allocate any client trades to any firm that employs a member of an employee’s Immediate Family as a sales representative to Putnam (in a primary, secondary, or backup role). Any Putnam employee who is aware that an Immediate Family member serves as a broker-dealer’s sales representative to Putnam should inform the Code of Ethics Officer.
6.4(c) Definition of Immediate Family (specific to this rule)
“Immediate Family” of an employee means (1) spouse, fiancé(e), or domestic partner of the employee, (2) any child, sibling, or parent of an employee and any person married to a child, sibling, or parent of an employee, and (3) any other person who lives in the same household as the employee.
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6.5. CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct
All members of the Investment Division and any other CFA institute Members or Candidates must follow and abide by the spirit of the Code of Ethics and the Standards of Professional Conduct of the CFA Institute (see the Appendix for a copy). The text of the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct can be found on the Putnam Compliance Department intranet home page, which is accessible from the Putnam intranet home page. The terms of Putnam’s Code of Ethics shall govern in any case where there is a conflict between the terms of this Code and the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct. Please contact the Code of Ethics Officer with any questions.
6.6. Business Ethics, Ombudsman, andHotlines
6.6(a) If a Putnam employee suspects that fraudulent, illegal, or other irregular activity (including violations of the Code of Ethics) might be occurring at Putnam, the activity should be reported immediately to Putnam’s Controller, Chief Compliance Officer, or Code of Ethics Officer through the Ombudsman or hotlines described below or through Putnam’s Human Resources department.
6.6(b) Putnam has established the office of the corporate ombudsman as a resource to help employees address legal or ethical issues in the workplace and to allow employees to voice concerns or seek clarity on issues. The Ombudsman provides a confidential, independent, and impartial source to employees to discuss potential violations of law or of company standards without fear of retribution, and serves as a neutral party with no vested interest in a particular outcome.
6.6(c) An employee who does not feel comfortable reporting activity in the manner described in 6.6(a) may instead contact any of the following on an anonymous basis:
• The Putnam Ethics hotline at 1-888-475-4210,
• The Putnam Funds Trustees’ hotline at 1-866-858-4155, or
• Putnam’s Ombudsman at 1-866-ombuds7 (866-662-8377).
6.6(d) Employees will not be retaliated against for reporting information in good faith and in accordance with this Code. Putnam will not terminate employment, demote, transfer to an undesirable assignment, or otherwise discriminate against or harass an employee for calling attention to suspected unethical or illegal acts. It is a violation of this Code to intimidate or impose any other form of retaliation on an employee who reports any actual or suspected illegal or unethical conduct. Putnam takes claims of retaliation very seriously and will promptly investigate allegations of retaliation, subjecting anyone found responsible for retaliating against an employee who reported unethical or illegal conduct to disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment. However, an employee who knowingly makes a false report may be subject to discipline.
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Section 7 — Material, Non-Public Information and Insider Trading
7.1. Material, Non-Public Information and Insider Trading
Antifraud provisions of the U.S. securities laws as well as the laws of other countries generally prohibit persons who possess material, non-public information from trading on or communicating that information to others. Putnam’s policy calls for strict compliance with such laws. Unlawful trading while in possession of material, non-public information is a very serious matter and can be a crime punishable by imprisonment. There is also significant monetary liability for an inside trader, which can include liability to private plaintiffs and/or the Securities and Exchange Commission, which can seek a court order requiring a violator to pay back profits, as well as penalties substantially greater than those profits. In certain cases, controlling persons of inside traders, including supervisors of inside traders or Putnam itself, can be liable for penalties.
Employees found to have conducted this activity will be immediately referred to the Code of Ethics Oversight Committee or Putnam’s Chief Executive Officer to determine the appropriate sanction, up to and including termination.
While employees in the Investment Division are most likely to come into contact with material, non-public information, the rules (and sanctions) in this area apply to all Putnam employees (see Section 7.2 for information on what to do if you believe you may have material, non-public information).
7.2. Reporting andRestrictions
Any employee who believes he or she is (or may be) in possession of material, non-public information must immediately contact Putnam’s Chief Compliance Officer or an attorney in Putnam’s Legal Department, and provide details on the information received and the source. The employee must also take precautions to maintain the confidentiality of the information in question, and not share this information with anyone outside of Putnam’s Legal and Compliance Division. This provision does not, however, prevent any employee who suspects possible violations of law or regulation from providing such information to Putnam’s Controller, Chief Compliance Officer, or Code of Ethics Officer through the Ombudsman or hotlines or through Putnam’s Human Resources department as described in Section 6.6 or to any governmental agency or entity, or self-regulatory authority, including but not limited to the Securities and Exchange Commission or the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or from making other disclosures that are protected under the whistleblower provisions of state or federal law or regulation.
After reviewing the facts and circumstances, Putnam’s Chief Compliance Officer or Putnam’s Legal Department will make a determination as to whether possession of the information warrants restricting trading activity in the issuer’s securities for client accounts as well as personal securities transactions for employees.
7.3. Special Provisions Applicable to PutnamAffiliates
Any employee wishing to place a trade in the securities of Great-West Lifeco Inc., Power Financial Corporation, Power Corporation of Canada, or IGM Financial Inc. must contact the Code of Ethics Officer or the Deputy Code of Ethics Officer to request manual approval of the pre-clearance request. An employee requesting such approval must certify that he or she is not in possession of any material, non-public information regarding the company in which he or she is seeking to place a trade. The decision whether or not to grant the pre-clearance request is in the sole discretion of the Code of Ethics Officer and the Deputy Code of Ethics Officer. The Code of Ethics Officer and Deputy Code of Ethics Officer will reject any such request for pre-clearance made by members of Putnam’s Operating Committee and certain members of the Chief Financial Officer’s staff from the end of each calendar quarter to the date of announcement of Great-West Lifeco Inc.’s earnings for such quarter.
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7.4. Putnam Equity Plan, TH Lee Funds, and Putnam HedgeFunds
Great-West Lifeco Inc. stock shares owned by Putnam Investments, LLC Equity Incentive Plan (or any successor plan) shareholders are administered by the Putnam HR department; therefore, holdings of such shares do not need to be reported under this Code. In addition, the exercise of rights under the Putnam Investment, LLC Equity Incentive Plan to acquire Great-West Lifeco Inc. stock and the sale of such stock during specified window periods does not need to be pre-cleared under this Code, and such transaction does not need to be reported on the quarterly transaction report for Access Persons. However, if an employee holds Great-West Lifeco Inc. stock shares outside of the Putnam Investments, LLC Equity Incentive Plan (for example, in a brokerage account), such brokerage account and the holding must be reported under this Code.
Investments in Putnam hedge funds and in certain TH Lee private funds by employees are administered by the Putnam HR department. Therefore, employees do not need to pre-clear or report such funds under this Code.
7.5. PIL Employees
For PIL employees, certain topics are covered by the Market Abuse rules of the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority. PIL employees receive information on this topic in their annual instructor-led code of ethics and compliance training.
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Section 8 — Sanctions
The Code of Ethics Oversight Committee has adopted the following minimum monetary sanctions for violations of the Code. These sanctions apply even if the exception results from inadvertence rather than intentional misbehavior. The Code of Ethics Oversight Committee will review and approve sanctions on employees. However, the sanctions noted below are only minimums, and the Committee reserves the right to impose sanctions that it believes fit the circumstances, such as higher monetary sanctions, trading bans, suspension, or termination of employment. The Committee’s belief that an employee has violated the Code of Ethics intentionally may result in more severe sanctions than outlined in the guidelines.
8.1. Sanctions for Violations of Sections 1–3
The minimum sanction per violation of the Rules in Sections 1*, 2, or 3 is disgorgement of any profits or payment of avoided losses and the following payments:
Investment Division, Operating Committee member, and any employee who reports | All other employees not included | |
directly to an Operating Committee member (administrative assistants will be excluded | in the criteria for inclusion in the | |
from the higher sanction schedule) | higher sanction schedule | |
1st violation | $250 | $50 |
2nd violation | $500 | $100 |
Minimum monetary sanction for a 2nd violation with a ban on all new personal securities transactions for time period | ||
3rd violation | determined by the Code of Ethics Oversight Committee |
*Sanctions for trades that occur after an employee is denied pre-clearance may be higher.
8.2. Sanctions for Violations of Sections 4–6
The minimum sanction for violations of the rules in Sections 4–6 is as follows:
Investment Division, Operating Committee member, and any employee who reports | All other employees not included | |
directly to an Operating Committee member (administrative assistants will be excluded | in the criteria for inclusion in the | |
from the higher sanction schedule) | higher sanction schedule | |
1st violation | Warning | Warning |
| ||
2nd violation | $50 | $25 |
3rd violation | $100 | $50 |
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8.3. Sanctions for Violations of Section 7
All violations concerning the use of material, non-public information, failure to report inside information, or insider trading will be presented to the Code of Ethics Oversight Committee to determine the appropriate sanction, up to and including termination. Severe criminal penalties may also be imposed.
The reference period for determining generally whether a violation is initial or subsequent will be three years.
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Section 9 — Procedures for Determinations and Exemptions
No perceived ambiguity in the Code of Ethics shall excuse any violation. Any employee who has a question concerning the applicability of the Code or believes the Code to be ambiguous in a particular situation should request a determination from the Code of Ethics Officer in advance of the conduct. Employees may also request an exemption from the Code of Ethics if they do so in advance of the conduct or transaction sought to be exempted.
Any employee seeking a determination or exemption shall provide the Code of Ethics Officer with such information as the Code of Ethics Officer deems necessary to render the determination or make a decision on the exemption.
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Putnam Investments | One Post Office Square | Boston, MA 02109 | putnam.com | 301951 7/16 |
Certifications | |
I, Jonathan S. Horwitz, the Principal Executive Officer of the funds listed on Attachment A, certify that: | |
1. I have reviewed each report on Form N-CSR of the funds listed on Attachment A: | |
2. Based on my knowledge, each report does not contain any untrue statements of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by each report; | |
3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in each report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations, changes in net assets, and cash flows (if the financial statements are required to include a statement of cash flows) of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in each report; | |
4. The registrant's other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) for the registrant and have: | |
a) designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which each report is being prepared; | |
b) designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; | |
c) evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of a date within 90 days prior to the filing date of each report based on such evaluation; and | |
d) disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant's most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's internal control over financial reporting; and | |
5. The registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed to each registrant's auditors and the audit committee of each registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions): | |
a) all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect each registrant's ability to record, process, summarize, and report financial information; and | |
b) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in each registrant's internal control over financial reporting. | |
Date: September 28, 2016 | |
/s/ Jonathan S. Horwitz | |
_______________________ | |
Jonathan S. Horwitz | |
Principal Executive Officer | |
Certifications | |
I, Steven D. Krichmar, the Principal Financial Officer of the funds listed on Attachment A, certify that: | |
1. I have reviewed each report on Form N-CSR of the funds listed on Attachment A: | |
2. Based on my knowledge, each report does not contain any untrue statements of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by each report; | |
3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in each report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations, changes in net assets, and cash flows (if the financial statements are required to include a statement of cash flows) of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in each report; | |
4. The registrant's other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) for the registrant and have: | |
a) designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which each report is being prepared; | |
b) designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; | |
c) evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of a date within 90 days prior to the filing date of each report based on such evaluation; and | |
d) disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant's most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's internal control over financial reporting; and | |
5. The registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed to each registrant's auditors and the audit committee of each registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions): | |
a) all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect each registrant's ability to record, process, summarize, and report financial information; and | |
b) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in each registrant's internal control over financial reporting. | |
Date: September 28, 2016 | |
/s/ Steven D. Krichmar | |
_______________________ | |
Steven D. Krichmar | |
Principal Financial Officer | |
Attachment A | |
Period (s) ended July 31, 2016 | |
Putnam Premier Income Trust | |
Putnam Research Fund | |
Putnam Investors Fund | |
Putnam Voyager Fund | |
Putnam Tax-Free High Yield Fund | |
Putnam AMT-Free Municipal Fund | |
Putnam Growth Opportunities Fund | |
George Putnam Balanced Fund | |
Putnam Short Duration Income Fund | |
Putnam Short Term Investment Fund | |
Putnam Strategic Volatility Equity Fund | |
Putnam Low Volatility Equity Fund | |
Putnam RetirementReady — Funds: | |
Putnam RetirementReady — 2060 | |
Putnam RetirementReady — 2055 | |
Putnam RetirementReady — 2050 | |
Putnam RetirementReady — 2045 | |
Putnam RetirementReady — 2040 | |
Putnam RetirementReady — 2035 | |
Putnam RetirementReady — 2030 | |
Putnam RetirementReady — 2025 | |
Putnam RetirementReady — 2020 | |
Putnam Retirement Income Fund Lifestyle 1 |
Section 906 Certifications | |
I, Jonathan S. Horwitz, the Principal Executive Officer of the Funds listed on Attachment A, certify that, to my knowledge: | |
1. The form N-CSR of the Funds listed on Attachment A for the period ended July 31, 2016 fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and | |
2. The information contained in the Form N-CSR of the Funds listed on Attachment A for the period ended July 31, 2016 fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Funds listed on Attachment A. | |
Date: September 28, 2016 | |
/s/ Jonathan S. Horwitz | |
______________________ | |
Jonathan S. Horwitz | |
Principal Executive Officer | |
Section 906 Certifications | |
I, Steven D. Krichmar, the Principal Financial Officer of the Funds listed on Attachment A, certify that, to my knowledge: | |
1. The form N-CSR of the Funds listed on Attachment A for the period ended July 31, 2016 fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and | |
2. The information contained in the Form N-CSR of the Funds listed on Attachment A for the period ended July 31, 2016 fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Funds listed on Attachment A. | |
Date: September 28, 2016 | |
/s/ Steven D. Krichmar | |
______________________ | |
Steven D. Krichmar | |
Principal Financial Officer | |
Attachment A | |
N-CSR | |
Period (s) ended July 31, 2016 | |
Putnam Premier Income Trust | |
Putnam Research Fund | |
Putnam Investors Fund | |
Putnam Voyager Fund | |
Putnam Tax-Free High Yield Fund | |
Putnam AMT-Free Municipal Fund | |
Putnam Growth Opportunities Fund | |
George Putnam Balanced Fund | |
Putnam Short Duration Income Fund | |
Putnam Short Term Investment Fund | |
Putnam Strategic Volatility Equity Fund | |
Putnam Low Volatility Equity Fund | |
Putnam RetirementReady — Funds: | |
Putnam RetirementReady — 2060 | |
Putnam RetirementReady — 2055 | |
Putnam RetirementReady — 2050 | |
Putnam RetirementReady — 2045 | |
Putnam RetirementReady — 2040 | |
Putnam RetirementReady — 2035 | |
Putnam RetirementReady — 2030 | |
Putnam RetirementReady — 2025 | |
Putnam RetirementReady — 2020 | |
Putnam Retirement Income Fund Lifestyle 1 |
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