Putnam Growth Opportunities APOGAX

Putnam Growth Opportunities has benefited from a recent management change, but we're not yet convinced it's a standout offering.

Before current portfolio manager Rob Brookby took the lead here at the beginning of 2009, this fund was coming off several years of lackluster performance and unsteady management.  Read more 

Management looks to identify rapidly growing opportunities before these companies are classified as growth stocks by Wall Street. The fund's benchmark changed from the S&P 500 Index to the Russell 1000 Growth Index at the beginning of 2009, and the goal is to hold between 80 and 90 stocks in the portfolio, with a desired holding period of one to two years.  Read more 

Manager turnover has been excessively high at this fund. In February 2008, Putnam fired managers Kelly Morgan and Rob Ginsberg and replaced them with Jeff Knight and Rob Schoen, who finished out the year. In January 2009, Robert Brookby took the reins.  Read more 

Putnam has gone through numerous changes in the executive and investment-management ranks over the past few years. This fund's new manager posted good returns over a three-year period as a comanager at American Century Fundamental Equity and has gotten off to a strong start in 2009.  Read more