N-CSRS 1 a_multicapgro.htm PUTNAM MULTI-CAP GROWTH FUND a_multicapgro.htm


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: (811-06128)
Exact name of registrant as specified in charter: Putnam Multi-Cap Growth 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: June 30, 2018
Date of reporting period: July 1, 2017 — December 31, 2017



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
Multi-Cap Growth
Fund

Semiannual report
12 | 31 | 17

 

Consider these risks before investing: Stock values may fall or fail to rise over time for a variety of reasons, including general financial market conditions and factors related to a specific issuer, industry, or sector. These and other factors may lead to increased volatility and reduced liquidity in the fund’s portfolio holdings. 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. From time to time, the fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in companies in one or more related industries or sectors, which would make the fund more vulnerable to adverse developments affecting those industries or sectors. You can lose money by investing in the fund.



Message from the Trustees

February 12, 2018

Dear Fellow Shareholder:

We enter 2018 on the heels of an impressive year for global stock markets. While bond market performance was a bit uneven in 2017, stocks in most regions worldwide delivered solid advances and encountered very little volatility. As seasoned investors, we realize that benign markets like this rarely last long, and we are monitoring risks accordingly.

Although no one can predict the direction of the markets in the months ahead, Putnam’s experienced investment professionals actively seek to position their fund portfolios for all types of conditions. They take a research-intensive approach to investing that includes risk management strategies designed to serve investors through changing markets.

In all environments, we believe investors should remain focused on time-tested strategies: maintain a well-diversified portfolio, think about long-term goals, and speak regularly with your financial advisor. In the following pages, you will find an overview of your fund’s performance for the reporting period as well as an outlook for the coming months.

Thank you for investing with Putnam.

 




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 below and pages 7–8 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.

* Returns for the six-month period are not annualized, but cumulative.


This comparison shows your fund’s performance in the context of broad market indexes for the six months ended 12/31/17. See above and pages 7–8 for additional fund performance information. Index descriptions can be found on pages 11–12.

2 Multi-Cap Growth Fund 

 





Katherine is Head of Sustainable Investing. She has a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and a B.A. from Wellesley College. Katherine joined Putnam in 2017 and has been in the investment industry since 1990.


Shep is Co-Head of Equities. He has a B.A. from Amherst College. Shep joined Putnam in 2011 and has been in the investment industry since 1993.

How was the environment for stock market investing during the reporting period?

Shep: U.S. stocks delivered solid performance, continuing their 2017 advance with record low levels of volatility. Stocks were buoyed by positive corporate earnings as well as optimism that the Trump administration would implement its agenda of tax reform, infrastructure spending, and business deregulation. Economic data remained positive, reflecting persistent gross domestic product growth and a solid job market.

Despite headwinds of policy uncertainty at home and political tension with North Korea, investors continued to shrug off a number of geopolitical and macroeconomic risks. There were a few brief market downturns when investors became more skeptical about the administration’s ability to deliver on its pro-growth agenda. Yet stocks continued to climb, buoyed further in the final weeks of the period, when Congress finalized an agreement and passed a $1.4 trillion tax reform bill. The close of the period was also the end of the 2017 calendar year. All three major U.S. stock indexes had their best annual returns since 2013. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, the

Multi-Cap Growth Fund 3 

 




Allocations are shown as a percentage of the fund’s net assets as of 12/31/17. 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.


This table shows the fund’s top 10 holdings by percentage of the fund’s net assets as of 12/31/17. Short-term investments and derivatives, if any, are excluded. Holdings may vary over time.

4 Multi-Cap Growth Fund 

 



S&P 500 Index, and the Nasdaq Composite Index all posted dozens of record closes throughout 2017.

How did the fund perform?

Katherine: The fund gained 12.12% for the six-month period, underperforming the 13.98% return of its benchmark, the Russell 3000 Growth Index. The fund’s return was better than the 11.88% average return for funds in its Lipper peer group, Multi-Cap Growth Funds.

Could you provide some examples of stocks that helped performance?

Katherine: The top contributor to performance during the period was the fund’s investment in Bank of America, a holding that is not part of the fund’s benchmark index. The stock performed well in response to expectations for loosening regulations in the banking industry. Interest-rate hikes by the Federal Reserve also helped the stock’s performance. Investors recognized that a rising-rate environment, combined with corporate tax cuts, had the potential to provide a healthy boost for Bank of America’s earnings growth.

Another performance highlight was the stock of Tencent Holdings, one of the world’s largest companies and China’s leading electronic messaging and gaming platform. Tencent has had tremendous success with its WeChat app, which has millions of users and can be used to book appointments, pay bills, and access news and search features. Tencent is also making advances in new areas, such as e-payment capabilities and a growing financial platform.

Another key contributor to the fund’s performance was our decision to avoid the stock of Altria, a holding in the benchmark index that performed poorly for the period. Altria, the U.S.-based subsidiary of cigarette company Philip Morris, did not offer the growth characteristics we seek for the fund, and our decision to steer away from it proved beneficial.

Could you discuss some stocks that detracted from the fund’s performance?

Shep: Our investment in Johnson Controls International was the top detractor from fund performance. We originally added this stock to the portfolio because we believed the company — which provides heating, cooling, and security systems for businesses — would benefit from a pickup in economic growth and construction. Unfortunately, the company struggled with a number of management challenges and delivered disappointing earnings results in 2017. By the close of the period, we had sold Johnson Controls from the fund’s portfolio.

Another disappointment was Boston Scientific, a medical device company that specializes in cardiovascular products. The stock struggled when the company faced technology issues and dealt with some product launch problems. Also, we believe investor expectations were too high for some of its newer products that have met with delays. We believe Boston Scientific continues to offer long-term growth potential, and we added to the fund’s position after the decline to take advantage of what we believed was an attractive price.

Finally, our decision to maintain a relatively small position in the stock of aerospace company Boeing was a drag on fund performance, as this stock advanced significantly during the period.

What is your outlook for the months ahead?

Katherine: After such a strong run for global markets, we believe stocks today are a bit more expensive in absolute terms and relative to historical valuation levels. However, relative to other asset classes, such as bonds, stocks

Multi-Cap Growth Fund 5 

 



still appear to be an attractive choice for investors, in our view. As we begin 2018, we are seeing synchronized economic growth across most regions worldwide along with healthy corporate earnings growth — all of which could be helpful for stock market performance in the months ahead.

Throughout 2017, U.S. stock market performance was dominated by large-cap growth stocks. Investors may begin to embrace a wider array of stocks — including those in cyclical sectors that are closely tied to the economy, such as financials, materials, and industrials. Of course, we are mindful of risks for the financial markets, particularly after the historically low levels of volatility we saw throughout 2017.

It is worth noting that macroeconomic issues do not guide our day-to-day portfolio decisions, and we remain focused on characteristics of individual companies and their multiyear, long-term growth drivers.

Thank you both for your time and for bringing us up to date.

The views expressed in this report are exclusively those of Putnam Management and are subject to change. They are not meant as investment advice.

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.

Shareholders were informed through a supplement to the fund’s prospectus that Putnam Management has recommended, and the fund’s Board of Trustees has approved, changes to the fund’s investment strategy in order to incorporate sustainability criteria. In connection with these changes, the fund’s name will change to Putnam Sustainable Leaders Fund. Putnam Management anticipates that the changes will be effective on or about March 19, 2018. See the prospectus supplement for more information.


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 Multi-Cap Growth Fund 

 



Your fund’s performance

This section shows your fund’s performance, price, and distribution information for periods ended December 31, 2017, the end of the first half of its current fiscal year. In accordance with regulatory requirements for mutual funds, we also include 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 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 12/31/17

  Annual                 
  average    Annual    Annual    Annual     
  (life of fund)  10 years  average  5 years  average  3 years  average  1 year  6 months 
Class A (8/31/90)                   
Before sales charge  11.64%  129.05%  8.64%  113.71%  16.40%  38.36%  11.43%  29.05%  12.12% 
After sales charge  11.40  115.88  8.00  101.43  15.03  30.40  9.25  21.63  5.67 
Class B (3/1/93)                   
Before CDSC  11.39  115.71  7.99  105.88  15.54  35.27  10.59  28.08  11.70 
After CDSC  11.39  115.71  7.99  103.88  15.31  32.27  9.77  23.08  6.70 
Class C (7/26/99)                   
Before CDSC  10.80  112.54  7.83  105.88  15.54  35.29  10.60  28.09  11.71 
After CDSC  10.80  112.54  7.83  105.88  15.54  35.29  10.60  27.09  10.71 
Class M (12/1/94)                   
Before sales charge  11.07  117.87  8.10  108.50  15.83  36.31  10.88  28.43  11.85 
After sales charge  10.92  110.25  7.71  101.20  15.01  31.53  9.57  23.93  7.93 
Class R (1/21/03)                   
Net asset value  11.36  123.35  8.37  111.07  16.11  37.33  11.15  28.73  11.99 
Class Y (7/19/94)                   
Net asset value  11.88  134.88  8.91  116.44  16.70  39.40  11.71  29.39  12.27 

 

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 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.

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.

Multi-Cap Growth Fund 7 

 



Comparative index returns For periods ended 12/31/17

  Annual                 
  average    Annual    Annual    Annual     
  (life of fund)  10 years  average  5 years  average  3 years  average  1 year  6 months 
Russell 3000 Growth                   
Index  9.93%  157.81%  9.93%  120.75%  17.16%  46.26%  13.51%  29.59%  13.98% 
Lipper Multi-Cap                   
Growth Funds  10.40  121.27  8.13  100.56  14.82  34.92  10.42  28.04  11.88 
category average*                   

 

Index and Lipper results should be compared with fund performance before sales charge, before CDSC, or at net asset value.

* Over the 6-month, 1-year, 3-year, 5-year, 10-year, and life-of-fund periods ended 12/31/17, there were 531, 511, 462, 402, 292, and 35 funds, respectively, in this Lipper category.

Fund price and distribution information For the six-month period ended 12/31/17

Distributions  Class A  Class B  Class C  Class M  Class R  Class Y 
Number  1  1  1  1  1  1 
Income  $0.450      $0.098  $0.274  $0.666 
Capital gains               
Long-term gains  3.940  $3.940  $3.940  3.940  3.940  3.940 
Short-term gains             
Total  $4.390  $3.940  $3.940  $4.038  $4.214  $4.606 
  Before  After  Net  Net  Before  After  Net  Net 
  sales  sales  asset  asset  sales  sales  asset  asset 
Share value  charge  charge  value  value  charge  charge  value  value 
6/30/17  $83.77  $88.88  $66.70  $72.09  $73.29  $75.95  $81.27  $89.27 
12/31/17  89.45  94.91  70.49  76.52  77.86  80.68  86.72  95.53 

 

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.

 

8 Multi-Cap Growth 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. 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 Y 
Total annual operating expenses for the             
fiscal year ended 6/30/17*  1.00%  1.75%  1.75%  1.50%  1.25%  0.75% 
Annualized expense ratio for the             
six-month period ended 12/31/17  0.99%  1.74%  1.74%  1.49%  1.24%  0.74% 

 

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.

* Restated to reflect current fees resulting from a change to the fund’s investor servicing arrangements effective 9/1/16.

Includes a decrease of 0.04% from annualizing the performance fee adjustment for the six months ended 12/31/17.

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 7/1/17 to 12/31/17. 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 Y 
Expenses paid per $1,000*†  $5.29  $9.28  $9.29  $7.96  $6.63  $3.96 
Ending value (after expenses)  $1,121.20  $1,117.00  $1,117.10  $1,118.50  $1,119.90  $1,122.70 

 

* 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 12/31/17. 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.

Multi-Cap Growth Fund 9 

 



Estimate the expenses you paid

To estimate the ongoing expenses you paid for the six months ended 12/31/17, use the following calculation method. To find the value of your investment on 7/1/17, 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 Y 
Expenses paid per $1,000*†  $5.04  $8.84  $8.84  $7.58  $6.31  $3.77 
Ending value (after expenses)  $1,020.21  $1,016.43  $1,016.43  $1,017.69  $1,018.95  $1,021.48 

 

* 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 12/31/17. 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.

10 Multi-Cap Growth 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 closed to new investments and are only available by exchange from another Putnam fund or through dividend and/or capital gains reinvestment. They 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 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.

ICE BofAML (Intercontinental Exchange Bank of America 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 3000 Growth Index is an unmanaged index of those companies in the broad-market Russell 3000 Index chosen for their growth orientation.

S&P 500 Index is an unmanaged index of common stock performance.

ICE Data Indices, LLC (“ICE BofAML”), used with permission. ICE BofAML permits use of the ICE BofAML indices and related data on an “as is” basis; makes no warranties regarding same; does not guarantee the suitability, quality, accuracy, timeliness, and/or completeness of the ICE BofAML indices or any data included in, related to, or derived therefrom; assumes no liability in connection with the use of the foregoing; and does not sponsor, endorse, or

Multi-Cap Growth Fund 11 

 



recommend Putnam Investments, or any of its products or services.

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.

Frank Russell Company is the source and owner of the trademarks, service marks, and copyrights related to the Russell Indexes. Russell® is a trademark of Frank Russell Company.

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.

Other information for shareholders

Important notice regarding delivery of shareholder documents

In accordance with Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulations, Putnam sends a single copy of annual and semiannual shareholder reports, prospectuses, and proxy statements to Putnam shareholders who share the same address, unless a shareholder requests otherwise. If you prefer to receive your own copy of these documents, please call Putnam at 1-800-225-1581, and Putnam will begin sending individual copies within 30 days.

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, 2017, are available in the Individual Investors section of putnam.com, and on the SEC’s 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 December 31, 2017, Putnam employees had approximately $524,000,000 and the Trustees had approximately $91,000,000 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.

12 Multi-Cap Growth Fund 

 



Financial statements

These sections of the report, as well as the accompanying Notes, 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 period.

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. Dividend sources are estimated at the time of declaration. Actual results may vary. Any non-taxable return of capital cannot be determined until final tax calculations are completed after the end of the fund’s fiscal year.

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.

Multi-Cap Growth Fund 13 

 



The fund’s portfolio 12/31/17 (Unaudited)

COMMON STOCKS (98.9%)*  Shares  Value 
Aerospace and defense (4.0%)     
Boeing Co. (The)  175,900  $51,874,669 
BWX Technologies, Inc.  209,467  12,670,659 
Northrop Grumman Corp.  170,549  52,343,194 
United Technologies Corp.  451,400  57,585,098 
    174,473,620 
Auto components (0.5%)     
Pirelli & C SpA (Italy)    2,710,030  23,542,119 
    23,542,119 
Banks (2.3%)     
Bank of America Corp.  3,432,400  101,324,448 
    101,324,448 
Beverages (2.9%)     
Constellation Brands, Inc. Class A  161,000  36,799,770 
Heineken NV (Netherlands)  793,606  82,721,023 
Monster Beverage Corp.    127,088  8,043,400 
    127,564,193 
Biotechnology (3.6%)     
AbbVie, Inc.  230,600  22,301,326 
Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc.  S   165,700  9,473,069 
Biogen, Inc.    125,700  40,044,249 
Bioverativ, Inc.    335,900  18,111,728 
Clovis Oncology, Inc.    353,700  24,051,600 
Ovid Therapeutics, Inc.    300,595  2,966,873 
Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.  †   263,000  39,413,180 
    156,362,025 
Building products (0.8%)     
Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc.  513,300  35,130,252 
    35,130,252 
Capital markets (3.4%)     
BlackRock, Inc.  99,000  50,857,290 
Charles Schwab Corp. (The)  843,600  43,335,732 
Intercontinental Exchange, Inc.  427,800  30,185,568 
WisdomTree Investments, Inc. S   1,813,730  22,762,312 
    147,140,902 
Chemicals (3.5%)     
Albemarle Corp.  160,400  20,513,556 
FMC Corp.  459,020  43,450,833 
Praxair, Inc.  228,800  35,390,784 
Sherwin-Williams Co. (The)  123,800  50,762,952 
    150,118,125 
Commercial services and supplies (—%)     
New Bigfoot Other Assets GmbH (acquired 8/2/13, cost $69) (Private)     
(Germany)  ∆∆ F  52  47 
New Middle East Other Assets GmbH (acquired 8/2/13, cost $29) (Private)     
(Germany)  ∆∆ F   22  20 
    67 

 

14 Multi-Cap Growth Fund 

 



COMMON STOCKS (98.9%)* cont.  Shares  Value 
Construction materials (0.6%)     
Summit Materials, Inc. Class A    802,175  $25,220,395 
    25,220,395 
Consumer finance (—%)     
Oportun Financial Corp. (acquired 6/23/15, cost $1,831,199)     
(Private)  ∆∆ F  642,526  1,551,257 
    1,551,257 
Diversified financial services (0.5%)     
Challenger, Ltd. (Australia)  2,057,139  22,470,316 
    22,470,316 
Diversified telecommunication services (0.6%)     
Cellnex Telecom, SA 144A (Spain)  1,025,461  26,246,210 
    26,246,210 
Electrical equipment (0.6%)     
Rockwell Automation, Inc.  123,400  24,229,590 
    24,229,590 
Energy equipment and services (0.2%)     
Select Energy Services, Inc. 144A Class A-1  †   577,015  10,524,754 
    10,524,754 
Equity real estate investment trusts (REITs) (1.3%)     
American Tower Corp. R   258,500  36,880,195 
Equinix, Inc. R   47,100  21,346,662 
    58,226,857 
Food products (1.7%)     
McCormick & Co., Inc. (non-voting shares)  708,900  72,243,999 
    72,243,999 
Health-care equipment and supplies (8.4%)     
Becton, Dickinson and Co.  566,237  121,208,692 
Boston Scientific Corp.    2,242,769  55,598,244 
Danaher Corp.  993,600  92,225,952 
Dentsply Sirona, Inc.  658,600  43,355,638 
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.    81,900  29,888,586 
Penumbra, Inc.  S   224,962  21,168,924 
    363,446,036 
Health-care providers and services (2.9%)     
Humana, Inc.  170,900  42,395,163 
UnitedHealth Group, Inc.  375,600  82,804,776 
    125,199,939 
Hotels, restaurants, and leisure (2.8%)     
Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc.  S   392,800  21,670,776 
Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Inc.  662,067  52,872,671 
Vail Resorts, Inc.  100,400  21,331,988 
Yum China Holdings, Inc. (China)  625,700  25,040,514 
    120,915,949 
Household durables (0.6%)     
FabFurnish GmbH (acquired 8/2/13, cost $69) (Private) (Germany)  ∆∆ F   104  94 
PulteGroup, Inc. S   761,000  25,303,250 
    25,303,344 

 

Multi-Cap Growth Fund 15 

 



COMMON STOCKS (98.9%)* cont.  Shares  Value 
Industrial conglomerates (0.7%)     
Roper Technologies, Inc.  124,200  $32,167,800 
    32,167,800 
Insurance (0.6%)     
Prudential PLC (United Kingdom)  1,084,095  27,872,265 
    27,872,265 
Internet and direct marketing retail (5.9%)     
Amazon.com, Inc.    166,477  194,689,857 
Global Fashion Group SA (acquired 8/2/13, cost $3,488,697) (Private)     
(Luxembourg)  ∆∆ F   82,353  794,490 
Netflix, Inc.    127,900  24,551,684 
Priceline Group, Inc. (The)    20,890  36,301,389 
    256,337,420 
Internet software and services (12.4%)     
Alibaba Group Holding, Ltd. ADR (China)  S   404,250  69,704,828 
Alphabet, Inc. Class C    232,660  243,455,417 
Delivery Hero Holding GmbH (Germany)    247,500  9,789,519 
Facebook, Inc. Class A    759,813  134,076,602 
LogMeIn, Inc.  231,100  26,460,950 
Okta, Inc.  S   857,630  21,963,904 
Tencent Holdings, Ltd. (China)  396,600  20,502,230 
YY, Inc. ADR (China)    81,500  9,214,390 
    535,167,840 
IT Services (6.3%)     
Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp.  456,200  17,394,906 
Fidelity National Information Services, Inc.  229,056  21,551,879 
PayPal Holdings, Inc.    979,600  72,118,152 
Visa, Inc. Class A  1,422,600  162,204,852 
    273,269,789 
Life sciences tools and services (0.9%)     
Agilent Technologies, Inc.  316,200  21,175,914 
Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. Class A    71,000  16,945,570 
    38,121,484 
Machinery (3.3%)     
Dover Corp. S   503,500  50,848,465 
Fortive Corp.  524,200  37,925,870 
KION Group AG (Germany)  296,206  25,555,655 
Oshkosh Corp.  320,100  29,093,889 
    143,423,879 
Media (2.1%)     
Charter Communications, Inc. Class A  †   133,893  44,982,692 
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc.  S   1,125,927  47,930,712 
    92,913,404 
Oil, gas, and consumable fuels (2.1%)     
Devon Energy Corp.  926,000  38,336,400 
Plains GP Holdings LP Class A  S   838,717  18,409,838 
Suncor Energy, Inc. (Canada)  925,425  33,981,606 
    90,727,844 

 

16 Multi-Cap Growth Fund 

 



COMMON STOCKS (98.9%)* cont.  Shares  Value 
Pharmaceuticals (0.8%)     
Jazz Pharmaceuticals PLC    183,467  $24,703,832 
Medicines Co. (The)  S   415,500  11,359,770 
    36,063,602 
Road and rail (2.9%)     
Norfolk Southern Corp.  871,382  126,263,252 
    126,263,252 
Semiconductors and semiconductor equipment (3.3%)     
Applied Materials, Inc.  362,100  18,510,552 
Broadcom, Ltd.  180,400  46,344,760 
Brooks Automation, Inc.  441,300  10,525,005 
Micron Technology, Inc.    387,160  15,920,019 
NVIDIA Corp.  108,700  21,033,450 
STMicroelectronics NV (France) S   1,316,800  28,758,912 
    141,092,698 
Software (9.4%)     
Activision Blizzard, Inc.  378,300  23,953,956 
Adobe Systems, Inc.    322,800  56,567,472 
Microsoft Corp.  2,264,100  193,671,114 
RealPage, Inc.    725,300  32,130,790 
salesforce.com, Inc.    521,700  53,333,391 
ServiceNow, Inc.    261,500  34,096,985 
Talend SA ADR (France)  S   313,683  11,756,839 
    405,510,547 
Specialty retail (2.8%)     
Home Depot, Inc. (The)  632,900  119,953,537 
    119,953,537 
Technology hardware, storage, and peripherals (3.5%)     
Apple, Inc.  898,332  152,024,724 
    152,024,724 
Textiles, apparel, and luxury goods (0.7%)     
Adidas AG (Germany)  152,023  30,347,445 
    30,347,445 
Total common stocks (cost $3,035,380,978)    $4,292,491,927 
 
INVESTMENT COMPANIES (0.5%)*  Shares  Value 
Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund  810,700  $22,626,637 
Total investment companies (cost $21,351,630)    $22,626,637 
 
CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCKS (0.2%)*  Shares  Value 
Oportun Financial Corp. Ser. A-1, 8.00% cv. pfd. (acquired 6/23/15, cost     
$4,999) (Private)  ∆∆ F  1,754  $4,235 
Oportun Financial Corp. Ser. B-1, 8.00% cv. pfd. (acquired 6/23/15, cost     
$95,634) (Private)  ∆∆ F   30,360  81,014 
Oportun Financial Corp. Ser. C-1, 8.00% cv. pfd. (acquired 6/23/15, cost     
$224,601) (Private)  ∆∆ F   44,126  190,266 
Oportun Financial Corp. Ser. D-1, 8.00% cv. pfd. (acquired 6/23/15, cost     
$325,791) (Private)  ∆∆ F   64,006  275,986 
Oportun Financial Corp. Ser. E-1, 8.00% cv. pfd. (acquired 6/23/15, cost     
$182,702) (Private)  ∆∆ F   33,279  154,771 

 

Multi-Cap Growth Fund 17 

 



CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCKS (0.2%)* cont.  Shares  Value 
Oportun Financial Corp. Ser. F, 8.00% cv. pfd. (acquired 6/23/15, cost     
$551,501) (Private)  ∆∆ F   71,810  $467,191 
Oportun Financial Corp. Ser. F-1, 8.00% cv. pfd. (acquired 6/23/15, cost     
$1,546,855) (Private)  ∆∆ F   542,756  1,310,381 
Oportun Financial Corp. Ser. G, 8.00% cv. pfd. (acquired 6/23/15, cost     
$1,955,989) (Private)  ∆∆ F   686,312  1,656,970 
Oportun Financial Corp. Ser. H, 8.00% cv. pfd. (acquired 2/6/15, cost     
$5,967,941) (Private)  ∆∆ F   2,096,000  5,055,552 
UNEXT.com, LLC zero % cv. pfd. (acquired 4/14/00, cost $10,451,238)     
(Private)  ∆∆ F   125,000   
Total convertible preferred stocks (cost $21,307,251)    $9,196,366 
 
U.S. GOVERNMENT AND AGENCY  Principal   
MORTGAGE OBLIGATIONS (—%)*  amount  Value 
U.S. Government Agency Mortgage Obligations (—%)     
Federal National Mortgage Association Pass-Through Certificates     
3.00%, 3/1/43   $120,322  $120,743 
Total U.S. government and agency mortgage obligations (cost $120,743)    $120,743 

 

  Expiration  Strike     
WARRANTS (—%)* †   date  price  Warrants  Value 
Neuralstem, Inc. Ser. K (acquired 4/20/17,         
cost $—) ∆∆   1/9/22  $42.00  55,497  $— 
Total warrants (cost $—)        $— 

 

  Principal amount/   
SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS (4.3%)*    shares  Value 
Putnam Cash Collateral Pool, LLC 1.55%   Shares   162,425,906  $162,425,906 
Putnam Short Term Investment Fund 1.45% L   Shares   21,087,227  21,087,227 
U.S. Treasury Bills 1.040%, 1/18/18    $241,000  240,841 
U.S. Treasury Bills 1.065%, 2/1/18    504,000  503,414 
U.S. Treasury Bills 1.081%, 2/15/18     1,556,000  1,553,355 
U.S. Treasury Bills 1.091%, 2/8/18    2,600,000  2,596,314 
Total short-term investments (cost $188,408,563)      $188,407,057 
 
TOTAL INVESTMENTS       
Total investments (cost $3,266,569,165)      $4,512,842,730 

 

Key to holding’s abbreviations

 

ADR  American Depository Receipts: represents ownership of foreign securities on deposit with a custodian bank 
SPDR  S&P Depository Receipts 

 

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 July 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017 (the reporting period). Within the following notes to the portfolio, 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 “ASC 820” represent Accounting Standards Codification 820 Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures.

* Percentages indicated are based on net assets of $4,339,739,796.

18 Multi-Cap Growth Fund 

 



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 $11,542,274, or 0.3% of net assets.

This security, in part or in entirety, was pledged and segregated with the custodian for collateral on certain derivative contracts at the close of the reporting period. Collateral at period end totaled $463,257 and is included in Investments in securities on the Statement of assets and liabilities (Notes 1 and 8).

d Affiliated company. See Notes 1 and 5 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 are classified as Level 3 for ASC 820 based on the securities’ valuation inputs. At the close of the reporting period, fair value pricing was also used for certain foreign securities in the portfolio (Note 1).

i This security was pledged, or purchased with cash that was pledged, to the fund for collateral on certain derivative contracts (Note 1).

L Affiliated company (Note 5). The rate quoted in the security description is the annualized 7-day yield of the fund at the close of the reporting period.

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 $442,891 to cover certain derivative contracts.

Unless otherwise noted, the rates quoted in Short-term investments security descriptions represent the weighted average yield to maturity.

144A after the name of an issuer represents securities exempt from registration under Rule 144A of 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.

FORWARD CURRENCY CONTRACTS at 12/31/17 (aggregate face value $134,702,182) (Unaudited) 
            Unrealized 
    Contract  Delivery    Aggregate  appreciation/ 
Counterparty  Currency  type*  date  Value  face value  (depreciation) 
Bank of America N.A.             
  British Pound  Sell  3/21/18  $14,047,515  $14,063,518  $16,003 
JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A.           
  Euro  Sell  3/21/18  49,167,402  48,746,205  (421,197) 
State Street Bank and Trust Co.           
  Australian Dollar  Sell  1/17/18  11,236,435  11,173,170  (63,265) 
  Euro  Sell  3/21/18  20,278,564  20,103,752  (174,812) 
UBS AG             
  Euro  Sell  3/21/18  40,965,040  40,615,537  (349,503) 
Unrealized appreciation          16,003 
Unrealized (depreciation)          (1,008,777) 
Total            $(992,774) 

 

* The exchange currency for all contracts listed is the United States Dollar.

 

Multi-Cap Growth Fund 19 

 



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  $614,629,070  $53,889,564  $794,584 
Consumer staples  117,087,169  82,721,023  —­ 
Energy  90,727,844  10,524,754  —­ 
Financials  248,465,350  50,342,581  1,551,257 
Health care  719,193,086  —­  —­ 
Industrials  510,132,738  25,555,655  67 
Information technology  1,476,773,849  30,291,749  —­ 
Materials  175,338,520  —­  —­ 
Real estate  58,226,857  —­  —­ 
Telecommunication services  —­  26,246,210  —­ 
Total common stocks  4,010,574,483  279,571,536  2,345,908 
 
Convertible preferred stocks  —­  —­  9,196,366 
Investment companies  22,626,637  —­  —­ 
U.S. government and agency mortgage obligations  —­  120,743  —­ 
Warrants  —­  —­  —­ 
Short-term investments  21,087,227  167,319,830  —­ 
Totals by level  $4,054,288,347  $447,012,109  $11,542,274 
 
      Valuation inputs   
Other financial instruments:  Level 1  Level 2  Level 3 
Forward currency contracts  $—­  $(992,774)  $—­ 
Totals by level  $—­  $(992,774)  $—­ 

 

* Common stock classifications are presented at the sector level, which may differ from the fund’s portfolio presentation.

During the reporting period, transfers 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.

At the start and close of the reporting period, Level 3 investments in securities represented less than 1% of the fund’s net assets and were not considered a significant portion of the fund’s portfolio.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

20 Multi-Cap Growth Fund 

 



Statement of assets and liabilities 12/31/17 (Unaudited)

ASSETS   
Investment in securities, at value, including $157,351,374 of securities on loan (Notes 1 and 8):   
Unaffiliated issuers (identified cost $3,083,056,032)  $4,329,329,597 
Affiliated issuers (identified cost $183,513,133) (Notes 1 and 5)  183,513,133 
Cash  1,531 
Foreign currency (cost $639) (Note 1)  472 
Dividends, interest and other receivables  3,217,743 
Receivable for shares of the fund sold  692,920 
Receivable for investments sold  5,788,938 
Unrealized appreciation on forward currency contracts (Note 1)  16,003 
Prepaid assets  57,189 
Total assets  4,522,617,526 
 
LIABILITIES   
Payable for investments purchased  5,473,029 
Payable for shares of the fund repurchased  2,779,451 
Payable for compensation of Manager (Note 2)  1,834,663 
Payable for custodian fees (Note 2)  28,451 
Payable for investor servicing fees (Note 2)  1,150,591 
Payable for Trustee compensation and expenses (Note 2)  2,617,916 
Payable for administrative services (Note 2)  44,300 
Payable for distribution fees (Note 2)  4,951,965 
Unrealized depreciation on forward currency contracts (Note 1)  1,008,777 
Collateral on securities loaned, at value (Note 1)  162,425,906 
Collateral on certain derivative contracts, at value (Notes 1 and 8)  120,743 
Other accrued expenses  441,938 
Total liabilities  182,877,730 
 
Net assets  $4,339,739,796 
 
REPRESENTED BY   
Paid-in capital (Unlimited shares authorized) (Notes 1 and 4)  $2,886,214,004 
Distributions in excess of net investment income (Note 1)  (172,951) 
Accumulated net realized gain on investments and foreign currency transactions (Note 1)  208,409,285 
Net unrealized appreciation of investments and assets and liabilities in foreign currencies  1,245,289,458 
Total — Representing net assets applicable to capital shares outstanding  $4,339,739,796 

 

(Continued on next page)

 

Multi-Cap Growth Fund 21 

 



Statement of assets and liabilities cont.

COMPUTATION OF NET ASSET VALUE AND OFFERING PRICE   
Net asset value and redemption price per class A share   
($3,921,366,189 divided by 43,836,991 shares)  $89.45 
Offering price per class A share (100/94.25 of $89.45)*  $94.91 
Net asset value and offering price per class B share ($55,340,476 divided by 785,033 shares)**  $70.49 
Net asset value and offering price per class C share ($71,531,091 divided by 934,787 shares)**  $76.52 
Net asset value and redemption price per class M share ($54,551,050 divided by 700,672 shares)  $77.86 
Offering price per class M share (100/96.50 of $77.86)*  $80.68 
Net asset value, offering price and redemption price per class R share   
($8,813,749 divided by 101,638 shares)  $86.72 
Net asset value, offering price and redemption price per class Y share   
($228,137,241 divided by 2,388,150 shares)  $95.53 

 

* 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.

22 Multi-Cap Growth Fund 

 



Statement of operations Six months ended 12/31/17 (Unaudited)

INVESTMENT INCOME   
Dividends (net of foreign tax of $85,090)  $19,519,363 
Interest (including interest income of $289,376 from investments in affiliated issuers) (Note 5)  323,442 
Securities lending (net of expenses) (Notes 1 and 5)  163,210 
Total investment income  20,006,015 
 
EXPENSES   
Compensation of Manager (Note 2)  10,808,954 
Investor servicing fees (Note 2)  3,929,017 
Custodian fees (Note 2)  39,223 
Trustee compensation and expenses (Note 2)  43,248 
Distribution fees (Note 2)  5,654,349 
Administrative services (Note 2)  78,419 
Other  609,356 
Total expenses  21,162,566 
Expense reduction (Note 2)  (228,158) 
Net expenses  20,934,408 
 
Net investment loss  (928,393) 
 
Net realized gain on securities from unaffiliated issuers (Notes 1 and 3)  237,523,467 
Net realized loss on forward currency contracts (Note 1)  (3,529,386) 
Net realized gain on foreign currency transactions (Note 1)  3,984 
Net realized gain on futures contracts (Note 1)  3,728,286 
Net unrealized appreciation of securities in unaffiliated issuers during the period  242,549,390 
Net unrealized appreciation of forward currency contracts during the period  164,151 
Net unrealized appreciation of assets and liabilities in foreign currencies during the period  5,430 
Net unrealized appreciation of futures contracts during the period  300,261 
Net gain on investments  480,745,583 
 
Net increase in net assets resulting from operations  $479,817,190 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

Multi-Cap Growth Fund 23 

 



Statement of changes in net assets

INCREASE IN NET ASSETS  Six months ended 12/31/17*  Year ended 6/30/17 
Operations     
Net investment income (loss)  $(928,393)  $14,273,317 
Net realized gain on investments     
and foreign currency transactions  237,726,351  444,051,632 
Net unrealized appreciation of investments and assets     
and liabilities in foreign currencies  243,019,232  374,675,620 
Net increase in net assets resulting from operations  479,817,190  833,000,569 
Distributions to shareholders (Note 1):     
From ordinary income     
Net investment income     
Class A  (18,937,050)   
Class M  (65,559)   
Class R  (27,177)   
Class Y  (1,519,222)   
From net realized long-term gain on investments     
Class A  (165,804,391)   
Class B  (3,011,322)   
Class C  (3,522,737)   
Class M  (2,635,752)   
Class R  (390,797)   
Class Y  (8,987,588)   
Increase (decrease) from capital share transactions (Note 4)  33,619,879  (341,872,934) 
Total increase in net assets  308,535,474  491,127,635 
 
NET ASSETS     
Beginning of period  4,031,204,322  3,540,076,687 
End of period (including distributions in excess of net     
investment income of $172,951 and undistributed net     
investment income of $21,304,450, respectively)  $4,339,739,796  $4,031,204,322 

 

* Unaudited.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

24 Multi-Cap Growth Fund 

 



This page left blank intentionally. 

 

Multi-Cap Growth Fund 25 

 



Financial highlights (For a common share outstanding throughout the period)

  INVESTMENT OPERATIONS LESS DISTRIBUTIONS RATIOS AND SUPPLEMENTAL DATA
                        Ratio of  Ratio of net   
  Net asset    Net realized      From            expenses  investment   
  value,    and unrealized  Total from  From  net realized  From    Net asset  Total return  Net assets,  to average  income (loss)  Portfolio 
  beginning  Net investment  gain (loss) on  investment  net investment  gain on  return of  Total  value, end  at net asset  end of period  net assets  to average  turnover 
Period ended­  of period­  income (loss)a  investments­  operations­  income­  investments­  capital­  distributions  of period­  value (%)b  (in thousands)  (%)c  net assets (%)  (%) 
Class A­                             
December 31, 2017**   $83.77­  (.01)  10.08­  10.07­  (.45)  (3.94)  —­  (4.39)  $89.45­  12.12*  $3,921,366­  .49*  (.01)*  39* 
June 30, 2017­  67.21­  .30­e  16.26­  16.56­  —­  —­  —­  —­  83.77­  24.64­  3,648,574­  1.01­  .40­e  76­ 
June 30, 2016­  78.35­  .05­  (2.64)  (2.59)  (.39)  (8.11)  (.05)  (8.55)  67.21­  (3.56)  3,221,906­  1.03­d  .07­d  58­ 
June 30, 2015­  81.46­  .05­  6.70­  6.75­  (.24)  (9.62)  —­  (9.86)  78.35­  8.53­  3,627,975­  1.04­  .06­  69­ 
June 30, 2014­  62.31­  .27­  19.05­  19.32­  (.17)  —­  —­  (.17)  81.46­  31.03­  3,622,814­  1.04­  .37­  88­ 
June 30, 2013­  52.15­  .19­  10.20­  10.39­  (.23)  —­  —­  (.23)  62.31­  19.98­  3,004,507­  1.08­  .32­  78­ 
Class B­                             
December 31, 2017**   $66.70­  (.28)  8.01­  7.73­  —­  (3.94)  —­  (3.94)  $70.49­  11.70*  $55,340­  .87*  (.39)*  39* 
June 30, 2017­  53.91­  (.21) e  13.00­  12.79­  —­  —­  —­  —­  66.70­  23.72­  57,979­  1.76­  (.35)e  76­ 
June 30, 2016­  64.63­  (.39)  (2.17)  (2.56)  —­  (8.11)  (.05)  (8.16)  53.91­  (4.30)  63,183­  1.78­d  (.68)d  58­ 
June 30, 2015­  69.07­  (.46)  5.64­  5.18­  —­  (9.62)  —­  (9.62)  64.63­  7.73­  82,571­  1.79­  (.69)  69­ 
June 30, 2014­  53.11­  (.24)  16.20­  15.96­  —­  —­  —­  —­  69.07­  30.05­  95,550­  1.79­  (.39)  88­ 
June 30, 2013­  44.60­  (.21)  8.72­  8.51­  —­  —­  —­  —­  53.11­  19.08­  93,740­  1.83­  (.43)  78­ 
Class C­                             
December 31, 2017**   $72.09­  (.30)  8.67­  8.37­  —­  (3.94)  —­  (3.94)  $76.52­  11.71*  $71,531­  .87*  (.39)*  39* 
June 30, 2017­  58.28­  (.23) e  14.04­  13.81­  —­  —­  —­  —­  72.09­  23.70­  66,307­  1.76­  (.35)e  76­ 
June 30, 2016­  69.19­  (.41)  (2.34)  (2.75)  —­  (8.11)  (.05)  (8.16)  58.28­  (4.29)  60,469­  1.78­d  (.68)d  58­ 
June 30, 2015­  73.30­  (.49)  6.00­  5.51­  —­  (9.62)  —­  (9.62)  69.19­  7.74­  66,682­  1.79­  (.69)  69­ 
June 30, 2014­  56.37­  (.25)  17.18­  16.93­  —­  —­  —­  —­  73.30­  30.03­  63,105­  1.79­  (.38)  88­ 
June 30, 2013­  47.33­  (.22)  9.26­  9.04­  —­  —­  —­  —­  56.37­  19.10­  50,514­  1.83­  (.43)  78­ 
Class M­                             
December 31, 2017**   $73.29­  (.21)  8.82­  8.61­  (.10)  (3.94)  —­  (4.04)  $77.86­  11.85*  $54,551­  .75*  (.27)*  39* 
June 30, 2017­  59.09­  (.07) e  14.27­  14.20­  —­  —­  —­  —­  73.29­  24.03­  50,678­  1.51­  (.10)e  76­ 
June 30, 2016­  69.92­  (.27)  (2.35)  (2.62)  (.05)  (8.11)  (.05)  (8.21)  59.09­  (4.05)  45,684­  1.53­d  (.43)d  58­ 
June 30, 2015­  73.81­  (.31)  6.04­  5.73­  —­  (9.62)  —­  (9.62)  69.92­  8.00­  57,797­  1.54­  (.44)  69­ 
June 30, 2014­  56.62­  (.09)  17.28­  17.19­  —­  —­  —­  —­  73.81­  30.36­  57,211­  1.54­  (.14)  88­ 
June 30, 2013­  47.42­  (.09)  9.29­  9.20­  —­  —­  —­  —­  56.62­  19.40­  47,819­  1.58­  (.18)  78­ 
Class R­                             
December 31, 2017**   $81.27­  (.12)  9.78­  9.66­  (.27)  (3.94)  —­  (4.21)  $86.72­  11.99*  $8,814­  .62*  (.14)*  39* 
June 30, 2017­  65.36­  .11­e  15.80­  15.91­  —­  —­  —­  —­  81.27­  24.34­  7,930­  1.26­  .15­e  76­ 
June 30, 2016­  76.43­  (.12)  (2.59)  (2.71)  (.20)  (8.11)  (.05)  (8.36)  65.36­  (3.82)  6,378­  1.28­d  (.17)d  58­ 
June 30, 2015­  79.65­  (.15)  6.56­  6.41­  (.01)  (9.62)  —­  (9.63)  76.43­  8.28­  8,888­  1.29­  (.19)  69­ 
June 30, 2014­  60.96­  .09­  18.62­  18.71­  (.02)  —­  —­  (.02)  79.65­  30.69­  9,313­  1.29­  .13­  88­ 
June 30, 2013­  51.03­  .05­  9.97­  10.02­  (.09)  —­  —­  (.09)  60.96­  19.67­  7,381­  1.33­  .08­  78­ 

 

See notes to financial highlights at the end of this section.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

26 Multi-Cap Growth Fund  Multi-Cap Growth Fund 27 

 



Financial highlights cont.

  INVESTMENT OPERATIONS LESS DISTRIBUTIONS RATIOS AND SUPPLEMENTAL DATA
                        Ratio of  Ratio of net   
  Net asset    Net realized      From            expenses  investment   
  value,    and unrealized  Total from  From  net realized  From    Net asset  Total return  Net assets,  to average  income (loss)  Portfolio 
  beginning  Net investment  gain (loss) on  investment  net investment  gain on  return of  Total  value, end  at net asset  end of period  net assets  to average  turnover 
Period ended­  of period­  income (loss)a  investments­  operations­  income­  investments­  capital­  distributions  of period­  value (%)b  (in thousands)  (%)c  net assets (%)  (%) 
Class Y­                             
December 31, 2017**   $89.27­  .11­  10.76­  10.87­  (.67)  (3.94)  —­  (4.61)  $95.53­  12.27*  $228,137­  .37*  .11*  39* 
June 30, 2017­  71.44­  .52­e  17.31­  17.83­  —­  —­  —­  —­  89.27­  24.96­  199,737­  .76­  .64­e  76­ 
June 30, 2016­  82.75­  .24­  (2.80)  (2.56)  (.59)  (8.11)  (.05)  (8.75)  71.44­  (3.32)  142,456­  .78­d  .32­d  58­ 
June 30, 2015­  85.51­  .26­  7.04­  7.30­  (.44)  (9.62)  —­  (10.06)  82.75­  8.80­  157,844­  .79­  .30­  69­ 
June 30, 2014­  65.37­  .47­  20.00­  20.47­  (.33)  —­  —­  (.33)  85.51­  31.37­  173,998­  .79­  .62­  88­ 
June 30, 2013­  54.70­  .35­  10.69­  11.04­  (.37)  —­  —­  (.37)  65.37­  20.27­  134,628­  .83­  .57­  78­ 

 

* Not annualized.

** Unaudited.

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 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.

e Reflects a dividend received by the fund from a single issuer which amounted to the following amounts:

  Per share  Percentage of average net assets 
Class A  $0.22  0.29% 
Class B  0.18  0.30 
Class C  0.19  0.29 
Class M  0.19  0.29 
Class R  0.21  0.28 
Class Y  0.22  0.27 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

28 Multi-Cap Growth Fund  Multi-Cap Growth Fund 29 

 



Notes to financial statements 12/31/17 (Unaudited)

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 July 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017.

Putnam Multi-Cap Growth 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 long-term capital appreciation. The fund invests mainly in common stocks of U.S. companies of any size, 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 and class Y shares. The fund registered class T shares in February 2017, however, as of the date of this report, class T shares had not commenced operations and are not available for purchase. Purchases of class B shares are closed to new and existing investors except by exchange from class B shares of another Putnam fund or through dividend and/or capital gains reinvestment. 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, class R 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, are not subject to 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 are subject to 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 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. 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 Agreement and 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

30 Multi-Cap Growth Fund 

 



by the Trustees. 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.

Market quotations are not considered to be readily available for certain debt obligations (including short-term investments with remaining maturities of 60 days or less) and other investments; such investments are valued on the basis of valuations furnished by an independent pricing service approved by the Trustees or dealers selected by Putnam Management. Such services or dealers determine valuations for normal institutional-size trading units of such securities using methods based on market transactions for comparable securities and various relationships, generally recognized by institutional traders, between securities (which consider such factors as security prices, yields, maturities and ratings). These securities will generally be categorized as Level 2.

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 certain 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. The foreign equity 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. At the close of the reporting period, fair value pricing was used for certain foreign securities in the portfolio. Securities quoted in foreign currencies, if any, are translated into U.S. dollars at the current exchange rate.

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.

Multi-Cap Growth Fund 31 

 



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 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 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 assets and liabilities other than investments at the period end, resulting from changes in the exchange rate.

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 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.

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.

32 Multi-Cap Growth Fund 

 



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 $1,008,777 on open derivative contracts subject to the Master Agreements. Collateral posted by the fund at period end for these agreements totaled $463,257 and may include amounts related to unsettled 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 $162,425,906 and the value of securities loaned amounted to $157,351,374.

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 $317.5 million unsecured committed line of credit and a $235.5 million unsecured uncommitted line of credit, both 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 1.25% plus the higher of (1) the Federal Funds rate and (2) the overnight LIBOR 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 plus a $25,000 flat fee and 0.04% of the uncommitted line of credit has been paid by the participating funds. In addition, a commitment fee of 0.21% 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

Multi-Cap Growth Fund 33 

 



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.

At June 30, 2017, the fund had a capital loss carryover of $17,691,992 available to the extent allowed by the Code to offset future net capital gain, if any. For any carryover, the amount of the carryover and that carryover’s expiration date is:

  Loss carryover  
Short-term  Long-term  Total  Expiration 
$17,691,992  N/A  $17,691,992  June 30, 2018 

 

Under the Regulated Investment Company Modernization Act of 2010, the fund will be permitted to carry forward capital losses incurred in taxable years beginning after December 22, 2010 for an unlimited period. However, any losses incurred will be required to be utilized prior to the losses incurred in pre-enactment tax years. As a result of this ordering rule, pre-enactment capital loss carryforwards may be more likely to expire unused. Additionally, post-enactment capital losses that are carried forward will retain their character as either short-term or long-term capital losses rather than being considered all short-term as under previous law.

The aggregate identified cost on a tax basis is $3,273,060,201, resulting in gross unrealized appreciation and depreciation of $1,281,770,090 and $42,980,335, respectively, or net unrealized appreciation of $1,238,789,755.

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. Dividend sources are estimated at the time of declaration. Actual results may vary. Any non-taxable return of capital cannot be determined until final tax calculations are completed after the end of the fund’s fiscal year. 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.

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 3000 Growth Index each measured over the performance period. The maximum annualized performance adjustment rate is +/–0.12%. 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

34 Multi-Cap Growth Fund 

 



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 0.279% of the fund’s average net assets before a decrease of $939,546 (0.022% of the fund’s average net assets) based on performance.

Putnam Management has contractually agreed, through October 30, 2018, 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 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.

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; (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, Inc. 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.

During the reporting period, the expenses for each class of shares related to investor servicing fees were as follows:

Class A  $3,553,153  Class R  7,912 
Class B  52,904  Class Y  201,091 
Class C  64,685  Total  $3,929,017 
Class M  49,272     

 

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 $3,585 under the expense offset arrangements and by $224,573 under the brokerage/service arrangements.

Each Independent Trustee of the fund receives an annual Trustee fee, of which $3,053, 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 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

Multi-Cap Growth Fund 35 

 



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 the following share classes 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 payments by the fund to Putnam Retail Management Limited Partnership at an annual rate of up to the following amounts (“Maximum %”) of the average net assets attributable to each class. The Trustees have approved payment by the fund at the following annual rate (“Approved %”) of the average net assets attributable to each class. During the reporting period, the class-specific expenses related to distribution fees were as follows:

  Maximum %  Approved %  Amount 
Class A  0.35%  0.25%  $4,798,053 
Class B  1.00%  1.00%  285,797 
Class C  1.00%  1.00%  349,480 
Class M  1.00%  0.75%  199,648 
Class R  1.00%  0.50%  21,371 
Total      $5,654,349 

 

For the reporting period, Putnam Retail Management Limited Partnership, acting as underwriter, received net commissions of $98,504 and $1,351 from the sale of class A and class M shares, respectively, and received $14,568 and $832 in contingent deferred sales charges from redemptions of class B and class C shares, respectively.

A deferred sales charge of up to 1.00% is assessed on certain redemptions of class A shares. For the reporting period, Putnam Retail Management Limited Partnership, acting as underwriter, received $73 on class A redemptions.

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)  $1,636,720,951  $1,772,336,032 
U.S. government securities (Long-term)     
Total  $1,636,720,951  $1,772,336,032 

 

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.

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:

  SIX MONTHS ENDED 12/31/17  YEAR ENDED 6/30/17 
Class A  Shares  Amount  Shares  Amount 
Shares sold  437,088  $38,681,618  920,144  $70,046,484 
Shares issued in connection with         
reinvestment of distributions  1,982,325  174,008,389     
  2,419,413  212,690,007  920,144  70,046,484 
Shares repurchased  (2,138,909)  (189,434,879)  (5,304,773)  (401,008,983) 
Net increase (decrease)  280,504  $23,255,128  (4,384,629)  $(330,962,499) 

 

36 Multi-Cap Growth Fund 

 



  SIX MONTHS ENDED 12/31/17  YEAR ENDED 6/30/17 
Class B  Shares  Amount  Shares  Amount 
Shares sold  6,243  $437,458  75,042  $4,417,439 
Shares issued in connection with         
reinvestment of distributions  42,668  2,953,052     
  48,911  3,390,510  75,042  4,417,439 
Shares repurchased  (133,133)  (9,286,036)  (377,699)  (22,745,646) 
Net decrease  (84,222)  $(5,895,526)  (302,657)  $(18,328,207) 
 
  SIX MONTHS ENDED 12/31/17  YEAR ENDED 6/30/17 
Class C  Shares  Amount  Shares  Amount 
Shares sold  40,762  $3,107,048  103,686  $6,879,341 
Shares issued in connection with         
reinvestment of distributions  45,654  3,429,999     
  86,416  6,537,047  103,686  6,879,341 
Shares repurchased  (71,354)  (5,430,730)  (221,593)  (14,667,716) 
Net increase (decrease)  15,062  $1,106,317  (117,907)  $(7,788,375) 
 
  SIX MONTHS ENDED 12/31/17  YEAR ENDED 6/30/17 
Class M  Shares  Amount  Shares  Amount 
Shares sold  6,282  $481,799  13,330  $896,876 
Shares issued in connection with         
reinvestment of distributions  34,609  2,644,837     
  40,891  3,126,636  13,330  896,876 
Shares repurchased  (31,718)  (2,434,426)  (94,947)  (6,308,028) 
Net increase (decrease)  9,173  $692,210  (81,617)  $(5,411,152) 
 
  SIX MONTHS ENDED 12/31/17  YEAR ENDED 6/30/17 
Class R  Shares  Amount  Shares  Amount 
Shares sold  5,648  $486,952  14,314  $1,062,886 
Shares issued in connection with         
reinvestment of distributions  4,908  417,684     
  10,556  904,636  14,314  1,062,886 
Shares repurchased  (6,491)  (554,984)  (14,322)  (1,023,874) 
Net increase (decrease)  4,065  $349,652  (8)  $39,012 
 
  SIX MONTHS ENDED 12/31/17  YEAR ENDED 6/30/17 
Class Y  Shares  Amount  Shares  Amount 
Shares sold  243,770  $23,010,212  614,729  $50,463,409 
Shares issued in connection with         
reinvestment of distributions  104,934  9,834,391     
  348,704  32,844,603  614,729  50,463,409 
Shares repurchased  (198,020)  (18,732,505)  (371,293)  (29,885,122) 
Net increase  150,684  $14,112,098  243,436  $20,578,287 

 

Multi-Cap Growth Fund 37 

 



Note 5: Affiliated transactions

Transactions during the reporting period with any company which is under common ownership or control were as follows:

          Shares 
          outstanding 
          and fair 
  Fair value as  Purchase  Sale  Investment  value as 
Name of affiliate  of 6/30/17  Cost  Proceeds  Income  of 12/31/17 
Short-term investments           
Putnam Cash Collateral           
Pool, LLC*  $127,054,475  $546,071,124  $510,699,693  $968,938  $162,425,906 
Putnam Short Term           
Investment Fund**  41,210,183  583,253,769  603,376,725  289,376  21,087,227 
Total Short-term           
investments  $168,264,658  $1,129,324,893  $1,114,076,418  $1,258,314  $183,513,133 

 

* No management fees are charged to Putnam Cash Collateral Pool, LLC (Note 1). Investment income shown is included in securities lending income on the Statement of operations. There were no realized or unrealized gains or losses during the period.

** Management fees charged to Putnam Short Term Investment Fund have been waived by Putnam Management. There were no realized or unrealized gains or losses during the period.

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:

Futures contracts (number of contracts)  70 
Forward currency contracts (contract amount)  $128,500,000 
Warrants (number of warrants)  55,000 

 

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  $16,003  Payables  $1,008,777 
Total    $16,003    $1,008,777 

 

38 Multi-Cap Growth Fund 

 



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 (Note 1):

Amount of realized gain or (loss) on derivatives recognized in net gain or (loss) on investments   
Derivatives not accounted         
for as hedging instruments      Forward currency   
under ASC 815  Warrants  Futures  contracts  Total 
Foreign exchange contracts  $—  $—  $(3,529,386)  $(3,529,386) 
Equity contracts  33,178  3,728,286    3,761,464 
Total  $33,178  $3,728,286  $(3,529,386)  $232,078 

 

Change in unrealized appreciation or (depreciation) on derivatives recognized in net gain or (loss)   
on investments       
Derivatives not accounted for as hedging    Forward currency   
instruments under ASC 815  Futures  contracts  Total 
Foreign exchange contracts  $—  $164,151  $164,151 
Equity contracts  300,261    300,261 
Total  $300,261  $164,151  $464,412 

 

Note 8: 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.  JPMorganChase Bank N.A.  State Street Bank and Trust Co.  UBS AG  Total 
Assets:           
Forward currency contracts#  $16,003  $—  $—  $—  $16,003 
Total Assets  $16,003  $—  $—  $—  $16,003 
Liabilities:           
Forward currency contracts#    421,197  238,077  349,503  1,008,777 
Total Liabilities  $—  $421,197  $238,077  $349,503  $1,008,777 
Total Financial and Derivative Net  $16,003  $(421,197)  $(238,077)  $(349,503)  $(992,774) 
Assets           
Total collateral received (pledged)†##  $16,003  $(181,709)  $(130,790)  $(150,758)   
Net amount  $—  $(239,488)  $(107,287)  $(198,745)   
Controlled collateral received (including TBA  $120,743  $—  $—  $—  $120,743 
commitments)**           
Uncontrolled collateral received  $—  $—  $—  $—  $— 
Collateral (pledged) (including TBA  $—  $(181,709)  $(130,790)  $(150,758)  $(463,257) 
commitments)**           

 

** Included with Investments in securities on the Statement of assets and liabilities.

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.

Multi-Cap Growth Fund 39 

 



Note 9: Strategy and name change

Shareholders were informed through a supplement to the fund’s prospectus that Putnam Management has recommended, and the fund’s Board of Trustees has approved, changes to the fund’s investment strategy in order to incorporate sustainability criteria. In connection with these changes, the fund’s name will change to Putnam Sustainable Leaders Fund. Putnam Management anticipates that the changes will be effective on or about March 19, 2018. See the prospectus supplement for more information.

40 Multi-Cap Growth Fund 

 



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.

Blend  Value 
Capital Opportunities Fund  Convertible Securities Fund 
Capital Spectrum Fund  Equity Income Fund 
Emerging Markets Equity Fund  International Value Fund 
Equity Spectrum Fund  Multi-Cap Value Fund 
Europe Equity Fund  Small Cap Value Fund 
Global Equity Fund 
International Capital Opportunities Fund  Income 
International Equity Fund  American Government Income Fund 
Investors Fund  Diversified Income Trust 
Low Volatility Equity Fund  Emerging Markets Income Fund 
Multi-Cap Core Fund  Floating Rate Income Fund 
Research Fund  Global Income Trust 
Government Money Market Fund* 
Global Sector  High Yield Fund 
Global Consumer Fund  Income Fund 
Global Financials Fund  Money Market Fund 
Global Health Care Fund  Short Duration Income Fund 
Global Industrials Fund  U.S. Government Income Trust 
Global Natural Resources Fund 
Global Sector Fund  Tax-free Income 
Global Technology Fund  AMT-Free Municipal Fund 
Global Telecommunications Fund  Intermediate-Term Municipal Income Fund 
Global Utilities Fund  Short-Term Municipal Income Fund 
Tax Exempt Income Fund 
Growth  Tax-Free High Yield Fund 
Growth Opportunities Fund 
International Growth Fund  State tax-free income funds: 
Multi-Cap Growth Fund  California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, 
Small Cap Growth Fund  New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. 

 

International Value Fund 41 

 



Absolute Return  Asset Allocation 
Absolute Return 100 Fund®  George Putnam Balanced Fund 
Absolute Return 300 Fund® 
Absolute Return 500 Fund®  Dynamic Asset Allocation Balanced Fund 
Absolute Return 700 Fund®  Dynamic Asset Allocation Conservative Fund 
Dynamic Asset Allocation Growth Fund 
Putnam PanAgora**  Dynamic Risk Allocation Fund 
Putnam PanAgora Managed Futures Strategy 
Putnam PanAgora Market Neutral Fund  Retirement Income Fund Lifestyle 1 
Putnam PanAgora Risk Parity Fund   
RetirementReady® 2060 Fund 
  RetirementReady® 2055 Fund 
  RetirementReady® 2050 Fund 
  RetirementReady® 2045 Fund 
  RetirementReady® 2040 Fund 
  RetirementReady® 2035 Fund 
  RetirementReady® 2030 Fund 
  RetirementReady® 2025 Fund 
  RetirementReady® 2020 Fund 

 

* You could lose money by investing in the fund. Although the fund seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it cannot guarantee it will do so. An investment in the fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The fund’s sponsor has no legal obligation to provide financial support to the fund, and you should not expect that the sponsor will provide financial support to the fund at any time.

You could lose money by investing in the fund. Although the fund seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it cannot guarantee it will do so. The fund may impose a fee upon sale of your shares or may temporarily suspend your ability to sell shares if the fund’s liquidity falls below required minimums because of market conditions or other factors. An investment in the fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The fund’s sponsor has no legal obligation to provide financial support to the fund, and you should not expect that the sponsor will provide financial support to the fund at any time.

Not available in all states.

** Sub-advised by PanAgora Asset Management.

Check your account balances and the most recent month-end performance in the Individual Investors section at putnam.com.

42 International Value Fund 

 



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.

International Value Fund 43 

 



Putnam’s commitment to confidentiality

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.

Within the Putnam organization, your information is shared with those who need it to service your account or provide you with information about other Putnam products or services. Under certain circumstances, we must also 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. It is also our policy to share account information with your financial advisor, if you've provided us with information about your advisor and that person is listed on your Putnam account.

If you would like clarification about our confidentiality policies or have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us at 1-800-225-1581, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

44 International Value Fund 

 



Fund information

Founded over 80 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  Michael J. Higgins 
Putnam Investment  Jameson A. Baxter, Chair  Vice President, Treasurer, 
Management, LLC  Kenneth R. Leibler, Vice Chair  and Clerk 
One Post Office Square  Liaquat Ahamed   
Boston, MA 02109  Ravi Akhoury  Janet C. Smith 
  Barbara M. Baumann  Vice President, 
Investment Sub-Advisor  Katinka Domotorffy  Principal Financial Officer, 
Putnam Investments Limited  Catharine Bond Hill  Principal Accounting Officer, 
16 St James’s Street  Paul L. Joskow  and Assistant Treasurer 
London, England SW1A 1ER  Robert E. Patterson 
George Putnam, III  Susan G. Malloy 
Marketing Services  Robert L. Reynolds  Vice President and 
Putnam Retail Management  Manoj P. Singh  Assistant Treasurer 
One Post Office Square   
Boston, MA 02109  Officers  Mark C. Trenchard 
Robert L. Reynolds  Vice President and 
Custodian  President  BSA Compliance Officer 
State Street Bank   
and Trust Company  Jonathan S. Horwitz  Nancy E. Florek 
Executive Vice President,  Vice President, Director of 
Legal Counsel  Principal Executive Officer,  Proxy Voting and Corporate 
Ropes & Gray LLP  and Compliance Liaison  Governance, Assistant Clerk, 
  and Assistant Treasurer 
  Robert T. Burns   
  Vice President and  Denere P. Poulack 
  Chief Legal Officer  Assistant Vice President, Assistant 
  Clerk, and Assistant Treasurer 
  James F. Clark   
  Vice President and   
  Chief Compliance Officer   

 

This report is for the information of shareholders of Putnam Multi-Cap Growth 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.

 




Item 2. Code of Ethics:
Not applicable

Item 3. Audit Committee Financial Expert:
Not applicable

Item 4. Principal Accountant Fees and Services:
Not applicable

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) Not applicable
(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 Multi-Cap Growth Fund
By (Signature and Title):
/s/ Janet C. Smith
Janet C. Smith
Principal Accounting Officer

Date: February 27, 2018
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: February 27, 2018
By (Signature and Title):
/s/ Janet C. Smith
Janet C. Smith
Principal Financial Officer

Date: February 27, 2018