Putnam
Sustainable Leaders
ETF
Summary prospectus
12 | 30 | 24
This ETF is different from traditional ETFs. |
Traditional ETFs tell the public what assets they hold each day. This ETF will not. This may create additional risks for your investment. For example: |
The differences between this ETF and other ETFs may also have advantages. By keeping certain information about the ETF secret, the ETF may face less risk that other traders can predict or copy its investment strategy. This may improve the ETF’s performance. If other traders are able to copy or predict the ETF’s investment strategy, however, this may hurt the ETF’s performance. |
For additional information regarding the unique attributes and risks of this ETF, see “Tracking Basket structure risk,” “Arbitrage risk,” and “Fluctuation of NAV and share price risk” in the “Principal investment risks” section (in the Fund summary section and in the Fund details section under “Investment details”) and the “Additional information about the fund” section (in the Fund details section under “Shareholder information”) below and in the ETF’s prospectus. |
FUND SYMBOL | Putnam Sustainable Leaders ETF |
PLDR |
Principal U.S. Listing Exchange: NYSE Arca, Inc.
Putnam Sustainable Leaders ETF
Investment objective
Putnam Sustainable Leaders ETF seeks long-term capital appreciation.
Fees and expenses
The following tables describe the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.
Annual fund operating expenses
(expenses you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management fees | Distribution and service (12b-1) fees |
Other expenses | Acquired fund fees and expenses | Total annual fund operating expenses |
0.59% | N/A | 0.00% | 0.01% | 0.60% |
Example
The following hypothetical example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then, except as indicated, redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. It assumes a 5% return on your investment each year and that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Your actual costs may be higher or lower.
1 year | 3 years | 5 years | 10 years |
$61 | $192 | $335 | $750 |
Portfolio turnover
The fund pays transaction-related costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when the fund’s shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or the above example, affect fund performance. The fund’s turnover rate in the most recent fiscal year was 32%.
Principal investment strategies
The fund invests mainly in common stocks of U.S. companies of any size, with a focus on companies that Putnam Investment Management, LLC (“Putnam Management” or the “Investment Manager”) believes exhibit a commitment to financially material sustainable business practices. We may also invest in non-U.S. companies. In evaluating investments for the fund, the Investment Manager views “financially
2 |
material sustainable business practices” as business practices that it believes are reasonably likely to impact the financial condition or operating performance of a company and that relate to environmental, social, or corporate governance (“ESG”) issues. The Investment Manager identifies relevant ESG issues on a sector-specific basis using an internally developed materiality map, which is informed by the industry-specific financial materiality framework of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (“SASB”, now incorporated in the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation). As part of this analysis, the Investment Manager may utilize metrics and information such as emissions data, carbon intensity, sources of energy used for operations, water use and re-use, water generation and diversion from landfill, employee safety and diversity data, supplier audits, product safety, board composition, and incentive compensation structures. Stocks of companies that exhibit a commitment to financially material sustainable business practices are typically, but not always, considered to be growth stocks. Growth stocks are stocks of companies whose revenues, earnings, or cash flows 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. The Investment Manager may consider, among other factors, a company’s sustainable business practices (as described below), 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.
Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of the value of its net assets in securities that meet the Investment Manager’s sustainability criteria. These criteria are based on a proprietary materiality map that is informed by the industry-specific financial materiality framework of the SASB. In applying these criteria, the Investment Manager will assign each company a proprietary ESG rating ranging from 1 to 4 (1 indicating the highest (best) ESG rating and 4 indicating the lowest (worst) ESG rating). In order to meet the Investment Manager’s sustainability criteria for purposes of this investment policy, a company must be rated 2 or 1 by the Investment Manager. This policy is non-fundamental and may be changed only after 60 days’ notice to shareholders. In selecting each investment, the fund’s investment manager, the Investment Manager, focuses on companies that have a demonstrated commitment to sustainable business practices in areas that are relevant and material to their long-term financial returns and risk profiles. The Investment Manager believes that companies that have exhibited such a commitment also often demonstrate potential for strong financial growth. This commitment may be reflected through ESG policies, practices, or outcomes. The fund’s approach to sustainable investing incorporates fundamental research together with consideration of ESG factors. Environmental factors include, for example, a company’s carbon intensity and use of resources like water or minerals. Sustainability measures in this area might include plans to reduce waste, increase recycling, raise the proportion of energy supply from renewable sources, or improve product design to be less resource intensive. Social factors include, for example, labor practices and supply chain management. Sustainability measures in this area might include programs to improve employee well-being, commitment to workplace equality and diversity, or
3 |
improved stewardship of supplier relationships and working conditions. Corporate governance factors include, for example, board composition and executive compensation. Sustainability measures in this area might include improvements in board independence or diversity, or alignment of management incentives with the company’s strategic sustainability objectives. Our integrated approach combines analysis of the growing body of ESG data and deep fundamental analysis and looks for companies that demonstrate leadership, beyond compliance, on relevant sustainability issues. The characteristics that the Investment Manager may use when considering sustainability leadership include:
(1) Materiality. The company is focused on sustainability issues that are relevant to long term business success.
(2) Creativity and proactiveness. The company’s sustainability characteristics go beyond compliance to demonstrate heightened commitment.
(3) Transparency. The company’s goals are specific, with candid and consistent progress reporting.
(4) Impact. The sustainability characteristics create benefits that are meaningful both at the company and more broadly.
The fund is an actively managed ETF that operates pursuant to an exemptive order from the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Order”) and does not publicly disclose its complete portfolio holdings each business day. Instead, the fund publishes each business day on its website a “Tracking Basket,” which is designed to closely track the daily performance of the fund but is not the fund’s actual portfolio. The Tracking Basket is comprised of: (1) select recently disclosed portfolio holdings and/or select securities from the universe from which the fund’s investments are selected (“Strategy Components”); (2) liquid ETFs that convey information about the types of instruments (that are not otherwise fully represented by the Strategy Components) in which the fund invests (“Representative ETFs”); and (3) cash and cash equivalents. For additional information regarding the Tracking Basket, see “Additional information about the fund — Tracking basket structure” in the prospectus.
The fund also publishes each business day on its website the “Tracking Basket Weight Overlap,” which is the percentage weight overlap between the holdings of the prior business day’s Tracking Basket compared to the holdings of the fund that formed the basis for the fund’s calculation of net asset value (“NAV”) per share at the end of the prior business day. The Tracking Basket Weight Overlap is designed to provide investors with an understanding of how similar the Tracking Basket is to the fund’s actual portfolio in percentage terms.
Principal investment risks
4 |
at or close to the fund’s NAV per share, there is a risk that market prices will vary significantly from NAV. ETFs trading on the basis of a published Tracking Basket may trade at a wider bid/ask spread than ETFs that publish their portfolios on a daily basis, and therefore, may cost investors more to trade. These risks may increase during periods of market disruption or volatility. In addition, although the fund seeks to benefit from keeping its portfolio information secret, market participants may attempt to use the Tracking Basket to identify the fund’s trading strategy. If successful, this could result in such market participants engaging in certain predatory trading practices that may have the potential to harm the fund and its shareholders, such as front running the fund’s trades of portfolio securities.
5 |
The market prices of the fund’s shares are expected to fluctuate, in some cases materially, in response to changes in the fund’s NAV, the intraday value of the fund’s holdings and supply and demand for the fund’s shares. The Investment Manager cannot predict whether the fund’s shares will trade above, below or at their NAV or the intraday value of the fund’s holdings. During such periods, investors may incur significant losses if they sell shares.
The securities held by the fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than the exchange on which the fund’s shares are listed. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when the exchange is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid-ask spreads on the exchange and the corresponding premium or discount to the shares’ NAV may widen.
6 |
extent that those authorized participants do not engage in creation and redemption orders, there may be a significantly diminished trading market for fund shares or fund shares may trade at a discount (or premium) to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or de-listing. This risk may be heightened due to the fact that the fund has a novel and unique structure and does not disclose its portfolio holdings daily, unlike certain other actively managed ETFs, and could be greater during market disruptions or periods of volatility.
7 |
investment opportunity, the Investment Manager may make investment decisions without the availability of optimal ESG-related data or based on information and data that is incomplete or inaccurate. Sustainability and ESG metrics are not uniformly defined and applying such metrics involves subjective assessments. Sustainability and ESG scorings and assessments of issuers can vary across third-party data providers and may change over time. The Investment Manager does not rely exclusively on third-party data providers in evaluating ESG criteria. ESG information from third-party providers may be incomplete, inaccurate or unavailable. In addition, a company’s business practices, products or services may change over time. As a result of these possibilities, among others, the fund may temporarily hold securities that are inconsistent with the fund’s sustainable investment criteria. Regulatory changes or interpretations regarding the definitions and/or use of ESG or other sustainability criteria could have a material adverse effect on the fund’s ability to invest in accordance with its investment policies and/or achieve its investment objective, as well as the ability of certain classes of investors to invest in funds, such as the fund, whose strategies include ESG or other sustainability criteria.
An investment in the fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. It is important to understand that you can lose money by investing in the fund.
Performance
The performance information below gives some indication of the risks associated with an investment in the fund by showing the fund’s performance year to year and over time. Please remember that past performance is not necessarily an indication of future results. Monthly performance figures for the fund are available at www.franklintempleton.com.
8 |
Annual total returns
Year-to-date performance through 9/30/24 |
24.97% |
Best calendar quarter Q4 2023 |
14.15% |
Worst calendar quarter Q2 2022 |
–18.25% |
Average annual total returns (for periods ended 12/31/23)
Share class | 1 year | Since Inception (5/25/21) |
Returns before taxes | 27.36% | 3.76% |
Returns after taxes on distributions | 27.06% | 3.50% |
Returns after taxes on distribution and sale of fund shares | 16.19% | 2.77% |
Russell 3000 Index* (no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | 25.96% | 5.38% |
S&P 500 Index* (no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | 26.29% | 6.80% |
* | The table above compares the fund’s returns to the performance of two indexes: (i) the Russell 3000 Index, a broad measure of market performance, and (ii) the S&P 500 Index, an additional index that the Investment Manager believes more closely reflects the fund’s principal investment objective and strategies. |
After-tax returns reflect the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. These after-tax returns do not apply if you hold your fund shares through a 401(k) plan, an IRA, or another tax-advantaged arrangement. |
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. |
Your fund’s management
Investment advisor
Putnam Investment Management, LLC (“Putnam Management” or the “Investment Manager”)
Portfolio managers
Katherine Collins, CFA, MTS
Head of Sustainable Investing,
portfolio manager of the fund
since 2021
Stephanie Dobson
Portfolio Manager, portfolio manager
of the fund since 2021
Sub-advisors
Franklin Advisers, Inc. (“Franklin Advisers”)
9 |
Franklin Templeton Investment Management Limited (“FTIML”)*
* | Though the Investment Manager has retained the services of FTIML, FTIML does not currently manage any assets of the fund. |
The Investment Manager, Franklin Advisers and FTIML are each direct or indirect, wholly-owned subsidiaries of Franklin Templeton.
Purchase and sale of fund shares
Shares of the fund are listed and traded on an exchange, and individual fund shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker or dealer at market price. These transactions, which do not involve the fund, are made at market prices that may vary throughout the day, rather than at NAV. Shares of the fund may trade at a price greater than the fund’s NAV (“premium”) or less than the fund’s NAV (“discount”). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares (“bid”) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares (“ask”) when buying or selling fund shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information, including information regarding the fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spread, is available at www.franklintempleton.com.
Tax information
The fund’s distributions will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains unless you hold the shares through a tax-advantaged arrangement, in which case you will generally be taxed only upon withdrawal of monies from the arrangement.
Financial intermediary compensation
The fund and its related companies may pay intermediaries, which may include banks, broker/dealers, or financial professionals, for the sale of fund shares and related services. Please bear in mind that these payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker/dealer or other intermediary to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your advisor or visit your advisor’s website for more information.
10 |
Information about the Summary Prospectus, Prospectus, and SAI
The summary prospectus, prospectus, and SAI for a fund provide information concerning the fund. The summary prospectus, prospectus, and SAI are updated at least annually and any information provided in a summary prospectus, prospectus, or SAI can be changed without a shareholder vote unless specifically stated otherwise. The summary prospectus, prospectus, and the SAI are not contracts between the fund and its shareholders and do not give rise to any contractual rights or obligations or any shareholder rights other than any rights conferred explicitly by federal or state securities laws that may not be waived.
Additional information, including current performance, is available at www.franklintempleton.com, or by calling (800) DIAL BEN/342-5236.
Putnam Investments
100 Federal Street
Boston, MA 02110
(800) DIAL BEN/342-5236
www.franklintempleton.com
11 |
39435-PSUM 12/24