With over seventy five years of investment experience, Putnam Investments offers investors 70 mutual funds across a range of asset classes and investment styles. The company has over $133 billion in assets under management and serves several institutional clients including the pension funds of several states and many large corporations. Putnam believes that its team of seasoned portfolio managers is one of its greatest assets and relies primarily on original, fundamental research on a global scale.

Below we will share with you 5 top rated Putnam funds. Each has earned a Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) as we expect the fund to outperform its peers in the future. To view the Zacks Rank and past performance of all Putnam funds, investors can click here to see the complete list of funds.

Putnam Multi-Cap Value A (PMVAX) invests primarily in common stocks of domestic companies. The fund invests in companies regardless of their sizes. It focuses on acquiring value stocks. This fund has a three year annualized return of 11.87%.

The Putnam mutual fund has an expense ratio of 1.17% compared to a category average of 1.27%.

Putnam Global Natural Resources A (EBERX) seeks capital growth. The fund invests a large share of its assets in domestic and foreign common stocks issued by energy and natural resources companies. The fund focuses on acquiring value stocks issued by mid-cap and large-cap firms, but may invest in smaller companies. This fund has a three year annualized return of 2.68%.

As of December 2012, this Putnam mutual fund held 110 issues, with 9.76% of its total assets invested in Exxon Mobil Corporation.

Putnam Dynamic Asset Allocation: Conservative A (PACAX) invests 15% to 45% of its assets in equity securities and 55% to 85% in fixed-income securities. The fund rebalances its portfolio whenever required in order to improve its performance in keeping with its investment objectives. It may also invest in derivatives to manage risk or enhance returns. This fund has a three year annualized return of 7.40%.

Jeffrey L. Knight is the fund manager and has managed this Putnam mutual fund since 2002.

Putnam Tax-Free High Yield A (PTHAX) seeks high current income free from federal income tax. The majority of the fund’s assets are invested in bonds, the interest from which is exempt from federal income tax. It purchases securities rated investment grade as well as those of lower quality. The fund has a three year annualized return of 8.28%

The Putnam mutual fund has an expense ratio of 0.81% compared to a category average of 1.00%.

Putnam Diversified Income A (PDINX) invests primarily in bonds which are secularized debt instruments, for example mortgage backed securities. The fund may also purchase securities issued by firms and governments across the world. It may purchase securities rated investment grade as well as junk bonds. The fund has a three year annualized return of 7.30%.

D. William Kohli is the fund manager and has managed this Putnam mutual fund since 1994.

To view the Zacks Rank and past performance of all Putnam mutual funds, investors can click here to see the complete list of funds.

About Zacks Mutual Fund Rank

By applying the Zacks Rank to mutual funds, investors can find funds that not only outpaced the market in the past but are also expected to outperform going forward. Learn more about the Zacks Mutual Fund Rank.


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