C000015835 Performance — Putnam High Yield Fund, Class Y
Data updated: 2026-07-27
C000015835 returned +2.39% year to date and +8.57% over one year to May 2026. Annualised returns are +9.42% over 3 years and +4.21% over 5 years. The fund beat its High Yield Bond category average: $100 invested three years ago grew to $131, against $126 for the category, and to $109 over one year, against $107. Volatility over the past three years was 4.39% a year. In the 12 months to May 2026 the fund lost a net $54.6M, and assets reached $831.18M.
C000015835 Growth of $100
What $100 invested in Putnam High Yield Fund grew to, compounded from monthly returns reported on SEC Form N-PORT, against the High Yield Bond category average over the same months.
| Period | C000015835 | Category average |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year (Jun 2025 – May 2026) | $109 | $107 |
| 3 years (Jun 2023 – May 2026) | $131 | $126 |
| 5 years (Jun 2021 – May 2026) | $123 | $120 |
| Since data start (Sep 2019 – May 2026) | $137 | $132 |
C000015835 Trailing Returns
Total returns to May 2026, from SEC N-PORT.
| Period | Total return |
|---|---|
| YTD | +2.39% |
| 1 year | +8.57% |
| 3 years (annualised) | +9.42% |
| 5 years (annualised) | +4.21% |
C000015835 Annual Returns
Calendar-year total returns of Putnam High Yield Fund, compounded from monthly SEC N-PORT returns. Partial years show the months covered.
| Year | Total return |
|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–May) | +2.39% |
| 2025 | +7.67% |
| 2024 | +12.88% |
| 2023 | +9.23% |
| 2022 | −9.59% |
| 2021 | +3.59% |
| 2020 | +7.68% |
| 2019 (Sep–Dec) | 0.00% |
C000015835 Monthly Returns
Monthly total returns as reported on SEC Form N-PORT.
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | +0.6% | +0.5% | −1.3% | +1.7% | +0.8% | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025 | +1.3% | −0.5% | −1.3% | +0.1% | +1.9% | +1.7% | +0.7% | +1.2% | +0.7% | +0.3% | +0.7% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | +0.3% | +3.5% | +1.2% | −0.9% | +1.2% | +1.5% | +1.9% | +1.0% | +1.3% | −0.4% | +1.1% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | +4.0% | −0.9% | −1.0% | +1.0% | +0.8% | +0.3% | +1.5% | +1.5% | +4.7% | −1.6% | −1.4% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | −2.5% | +1.8% | −0.3% | −3.5% | −0.8% | −2.1% | +5.5% | −6.6% | +1.9% | +2.5% | −4.2% | −1.2% |
| 2021 | +0.2% | +1.5% | +0.4% | +1.1% | +0.4% | +0.4% | +0.4% | +1.3% | −0.9% | −0.1% | 0.0% | −0.9% |
| 2020 | +0.1% | +1.5% | +4.6% | +4.2% | −11.5% | +1.0% | +4.5% | +0.6% | +3.7% | +0.5% | −0.9% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | +0.6% | +0.4% | +0.4% | −1.4% |
C000015835 Risk
Risk measures from monthly returns over Jun 2023 – May 2026.
- 3-year volatility (annualised): 4.39%
- 3-year Sharpe ratio: 1.12 (vs 4.5% risk-free rate)
- Best month: +4.65% (Sep 2023)
- Worst month: −1.59% (Oct 2023)
C000015835 Fund Flows
Monthly money in and out of Putnam High Yield Fund, from SEC Form N-PORT.
- 12-month net flow: −$54.6M
- 12-month gross sales (incl. reinvestments): $176.0M
- Sales ÷ redemptions: 0.76×
| Month | Sales | Redemptions | Net flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | $9.3M | $11.8M | −$2.4M |
| Apr 2026 | $11.0M | $11.0M | $33K |
| Mar 2026 | $23.8M | $46.2M | −$22.4M |
| Feb 2026 | $10.3M | $14.3M | −$4.0M |
| Jan 2026 | $10.8M | $16.5M | −$5.7M |
| Dec 2025 | $13.0M | $15.6M | −$2.7M |
| Nov 2025 | $8.9M | $12.7M | −$3.8M |
| Oct 2025 | $19.8M | $20.0M | −$220K |
| Sep 2025 | $12.8M | $19.4M | −$6.5M |
| Aug 2025 | $11.2M | $13.3M | −$2.0M |
| Jul 2025 | $17.9M | $23.1M | −$5.2M |
| Jun 2025 | $27.1M | $26.8M | $323K |
C000015835 Assets Under Management
Net assets of Putnam High Yield Fund by report date, from SEC N-PORT filings.
| Report date | Net assets |
|---|---|
| 2026-05-31 | $831.18M |
| 2026-02-28 | $858.57M |
| 2025-11-30 | $868.43M |
| 2025-08-31 | $878.24M |
| 2025-05-31 | $867.62M |
| 2025-02-28 | $925.18M |
| 2024-11-30 | $938.12M |
| 2024-08-31 | $934.95M |
| 2024-05-31 | $900.93M |
| 2024-02-29 | $905.63M |
| 2023-11-30 | $891.64M |
| 2023-08-31 | $907.57M |
For information only. Not investment advice: figures are as reported in SEC filings and may contain errors or be out of date. Past performance does not guarantee future results.