PRFBX Performance — Putnam Research Fund, Class B
Data updated: 2026-10-13
PRFBX returned +29.26% over one year to Oct 2024. Annualised returns are +7.57% over 3 years and +14.44% over 5 years. The fund beat its US Large Blend category average: $100 invested three years ago grew to $124, against $118 for the category, and to $129 over one year, against $118. Volatility over the past three years was 17.29% a year. In the 12 months to Jul 2026 the fund took in a net $139.8M, and assets reached $819.27M.
PRFBX Growth of $100
What $100 invested in Putnam Research Fund grew to, compounded from monthly returns reported on SEC Form N-PORT, against the US Large Blend category average over the same months.
| Period | PRFBX | Category average |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year (Sep 2023 – Oct 2024) | $129 | $118 |
| 3 years (Sep 2021 – Oct 2024) | $124 | $118 |
| 5 years (Sep 2019 – Oct 2024) | $196 | $175 |
| Since data start (Aug 2019 – Oct 2024) | $201 | $172 |
PRFBX Trailing Returns
Total returns to Oct 2024, from SEC N-PORT.
| Period | Total return |
|---|---|
| 1 year | +29.26% |
| 3 years (annualised) | +7.57% |
| 5 years (annualised) | +14.44% |
PRFBX Annual Returns
Calendar-year total returns of Putnam Research Fund, compounded from monthly SEC N-PORT returns. Partial years show the months covered.
| Year | Total return |
|---|---|
| 2024 (Jan–Oct) | +27.91% |
| 2023 | +19.55% |
| 2022 | −14.82% |
| 2021 | +33.76% |
| 2020 | +10.19% |
| 2019 (Aug–Dec) | +4.59% |
PRFBX 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +9.0% | −4.1% | +3.6% | +5.8% | +0.6% | +3.6% | +5.3% | — | — | +1.7% | — | — |
| 2023 | +5.7% | +1.8% | +3.1% | −2.1% | +3.0% | +6.3% | +1.2% | −1.8% | −4.2% | −1.3% | +2.3% | +4.5% |
| 2022 | −1.7% | −8.1% | +2.8% | −3.5% | +9.3% | −8.0% | +0.4% | +8.6% | −9.4% | −4.1% | +6.0% | −5.9% |
| 2021 | +11.1% | +5.2% | +3.4% | +2.8% | +2.3% | +2.6% | +0.1% | +7.3% | −5.0% | +3.2% | −5.0% | +2.5% |
| 2020 | +3.5% | +11.9% | −12.2% | −7.7% | +5.3% | +2.6% | +5.6% | −2.9% | −3.8% | +7.3% | −1.0% | +3.6% |
| 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | +2.3% | +1.5% | −2.0% | −0.3% | +3.1% |
PRFBX Risk
Risk measures from monthly returns over Sep 2021 – Oct 2024.
- 3-year volatility (annualised): 17.29%
- 3-year Sharpe ratio: 0.18 (vs 4.5% risk-free rate)
- Best month: +9.28% (May 2022)
- Worst month: −9.37% (Sep 2022)
PRFBX Fund Flows
Monthly money in and out of Putnam Research Fund, from SEC Form N-PORT.
- 12-month net flow: $139.8M
- 12-month gross sales (incl. reinvestments): $294.1M
- Sales ÷ redemptions: 1.91×
| Month | Sales | Redemptions | Net flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2026 | $63.2M | $8.2M | $55.0M |
| Jun 2026 | $14.5M | $22.4M | −$7.9M |
| May 2026 | $34.0M | $7.4M | $26.6M |
| Apr 2026 | $25.2M | $6.4M | $18.8M |
| Mar 2026 | $10.1M | $8.9M | $1.1M |
| Feb 2026 | $10.5M | $33.7M | −$23.2M |
| Jan 2026 | $23.1M | $17.2M | $5.9M |
| Dec 2025 | $76.6M | $16.3M | $60.2M |
| Nov 2025 | $6.7M | $9.3M | −$2.5M |
| Oct 2025 | $5.1M | $7.7M | −$2.6M |
| Sep 2025 | $4.9M | $6.2M | −$1.3M |
| Aug 2025 | $20.3M | $10.5M | $9.7M |
PRFBX Assets Under Management
Net assets of Putnam Research Fund by report date, from SEC N-PORT filings.
| Report date | Net assets |
|---|---|
| 2026-07-31 | $819.27M |
| 2026-04-30 | $708.52M |
| 2026-01-31 | $675.65M |
| 2025-10-31 | $667.79M |
| 2025-07-31 | $605.82M |
| 2025-04-30 | $537.57M |
| 2025-01-31 | $603.04M |
| 2024-10-31 | $577.76M |
| 2024-07-31 | $554.05M |
| 2024-04-30 | $511.26M |
| 2024-01-31 | $490.56M |
| 2023-10-31 | $429.09M |
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.