Top 5 Putnam Mutual Funds - Best of Fund Family

Putnam Investments has over seventy years of investment experience and offers investors 80 mutual funds across a range of asset classes and investment styles. With over $122 billion in assets under management, it serves 111 institutional clients including the pension funds of several states and many large corporations. Putnam considers its seasoned portfolio managers to be its biggest 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, then click here.

Putnam Small Cap Value A (PSLAX) invests primarily in common stocks of small domestic firms. The fund focuses on acquiring stocks which are attractively priced relative to their intrinsic value. It primarily invests in firms whose market capitalizations are identical to those which are part of the Russell 200 Value Index. This fund has a ten year annualized return of 4.59%.

The Putnam mutual fund has a minimum initial investment of $500 and an expense ratio of 1.30% compared to a category average of 1.48%.

Putnam Global Natural Resources A (EBERX) seeks capital growth. The fund invests heavily 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. The fund returned 27.61% over the last one year period.

The Fund Manager is Steven Curbow and he has managed this Putnam mutual fund since 2008.

Putnam 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. This fund has a five year annualized return of 3.24%.

As of June 2011, this Putnam mutual fund held 1952 issues, with 15.80% of its total assets invested in Putnam Money Market Liquidity P.

Putnam Fund for Growth & Income A (PGRWX) seeks current income and capital appreciation. The fund primarily purchases common stocks of large domestic firms. It concentrates on acquiring value stocks which have the ability to deliver current income or capital appreciation. The fund returned 12.82% over the last one year period.

The Putnam mutual fund has a minimum initial investment of $500 and an expense ratio of 1.16% compared to a category average of 1.27%.

Putnam Capital Opportunities A (PCOAX) invests the majority of its assets in common stocks of small and mid-cap domestic firms with good prospects. The fund invests in both growth and value stocks. The fund managers take into account a company's financial strength and growth potential among other factors while selecting firms for investment purposes. This fund has a three year annualized return of 5.93%.

Joseph Joseph is the fund manager and he has managed this Putnam mutual fund since 1999.

To view the Zacks Rank and past performance of all Putnam mutual funds, then click here.

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 at http://www.zacks.com/funds.