Putnam Funds Trust

10/28/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/28/2021 08:30

Summary Prospectus by Investment Company (Form 497K)


Putnam
International Value
Fund

Summary prospectus
10 | 30 | 21

FUND SYMBOLS CLASS A CLASS B CLASS C CLASS R CLASS R6 CLASS Y
PNGAX PGNBX PIGRX PIIRX PIGWX PNGYX

Putnam International Value Fund

Before you invest, you may wish to review the fund's prospectus, which contains more information about the fund and its risks. You may obtain the prospectus and other information about the fund, including the statement of additional information (SAI) and most recent reports to shareholders, at no cost by visiting putnam.com/funddocuments, calling 1-800-225-1581, or e-mailing Putnam at [email protected].

The fund's prospectus and SAI, both dated 10/30/21, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus.

Goal

Putnam International Value Fund seeks capital growth. Current income is a secondary objective.

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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in Putnam funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in How do I buy fund shares? beginning on page 16 of the fund's prospectus, in the Appendix to the fund's prospectus, and in How to buy shares beginning on page II-1 of the fund's statement of additional information (SAI).

Shareholder fees(fees paid directly from your investment)

Share class Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower)
Class A 5.75% 1.00%*
Class B NONE 5.00%**
Class C NONE 1.00%***
Class R NONE NONE
Class R6 NONE NONE
Class Y NONE NONE

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Annual fund operating expenses
(expenses you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Share class Management fees† Distribution and service (12b-1) fees Other expenses Total annual fund operating expenses
Class A 0.74% 0.25% 0.44% 1.43%
Class B 0.74% 1.00% 0.44% 2.18%
Class C 0.74% 1.00% 0.44% 2.18%
Class R 0.74% 0.50% 0.44% 1.68%
Class R6 0.74% 0.00% 0.25% 0.99%
Class Y 0.74% 0.00% 0.44% 1.18%
* Applies only to certain redemptions of shares bought with no initial sales charge.
** This charge is phased out over six years.
*** This charge is eliminated after one year.
Management fees reflect a performance adjustment. The fund's base management fee is subject to adjustment, up or down, based on the fund's performance relative to the performance of the MSCI EAFE Value Index (ND). For the most recent fiscal year, the fund's base management fee prior to any performance adjustment was 0.682%.

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.

Share class 1 year 3 years 5 years 10 years
Class A $712 $1,001 $1,312 $2,190
Class B $721 $982 $1,369 $2,323
Class B (no redemption) $221 $682 $1,169 $2,323
Class C $321 $682 $1,169 $2,323
Class C (no redemption) $221 $682 $1,169 $2,323
Class R $171 $530 $913 $1,987
Class R6 $101 $315 $547 $1,213
Class Y $120 $375 $649 $1,432

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 17%.



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Investments, risks, and performance

Investments

We invest mainly in common stocks of large and midsize companies outside the United States, with a focus on value stocks. Value stocks are those that we believe are currently undervalued by the market. If we are correct and other investors ultimately recognize the value of the company, the price of its stock may rise. We invest mainly in developed countries, but may invest in emerging markets. We may consider, among other factors, a company's 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. At times, we also use derivatives, which are expected to include certain foreign currency transactions. For example, we typically use foreign currency forward contracts in connection with the fund's investments in foreign securities in order to hedge the fund's currency exposure relative to the fund's benchmark index.

Risks

It is important to understand that you can lose money by investing in the fund.

The value of investments in the fund's portfolio may fall or fail to rise over extended periods of time for a variety of reasons, including general economic, political or financial market conditions, investor sentiment and market perceptions, government actions, geopolitical events or changes, and factors related to a specific issuer, geography, industry or sector. These and other factors may lead to increased volatility and reduced liquidity in the fund's portfolio holdings. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and efforts to contain its spread are likely to negatively affect the value, volatility, and liquidity of the securities and other assets in which the fund invests and exacerbate other risks that apply to the fund. These effects could negatively impact the fund's performance and lead to losses on your investment in the fund. Value stocks may fail to rebound, and the market may not favor value-style investing. These risks are generally greater for small and midsize companies. From time to time, the fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in companies in one or more related industries or sectors, which would make the fund more vulnerable to adverse developments affecting those companies, industries or sectors.

The value of international investments traded in foreign currencies may be adversely impacted by fluctuations in exchange rates. International investments, particularly investments in emerging markets, may carry risks associated with potentially less stable economies or governments (such as the risk of seizure by a foreign government, the imposition of currency or other restrictions, or high levels of inflation), and may be or become illiquid.

Investments focused in a single region may be affected by common economic forces and other factors. In addition, events in any one country within the region may impact the other countries or the region as a whole. Because the fund currently invests, and may in the future invest significantly in European and Asian companies, the fund is particularly susceptible to economic, political, regulatory and other events or

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conditions affecting issuers in Europe and Asia. European financial markets have in recent years experienced increased volatility due to concerns with some countries' high levels of sovereign debt, budget deficits, and unemployment. Asia includes countries in various stages of economic development, from emerging market economies to the highly developed economy of Japan. Some parts of Asia may be subject to a greater degree of economic, political and social instability than is the case in the United States.

Our use of derivatives may increase the risks of investing in the fund by increasing investment exposure (which may be considered leverage) or, in the case of many over-the-counter instruments, because of the potential inability to terminate or sell derivatives positions and the potential failure of the other party to the instrument to meet its obligations. The value of derivatives may move in unexpected ways due to the use of leverage or other factors, especially in unusual market conditions, and may result in increased volatility.

There is no guarantee that the investment techniques, analyses, or judgments that we apply in making investment decisions for the fund will produce the intended outcome or that the investments we select for the fund will perform as well as other securities that were not selected for the fund. We, or the fund's other service providers, may experience disruptions or operating errors that could negatively impact the fund.

The fund may not achieve its goal, and it is not intended to be a complete investment program. An investment in the fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

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. The bar chart does not reflect the impact of sales charges. If it did, performance would be lower. Please remember that past performance is not necessarily an indication of future results. Monthly performance figures for the fund are available at putnam.com.

Annual total returns for class A shares before sales charges

Year-to-date performance through 9/30/21 12.72%
Best calendar quarter Q4 2020 20.74%
Worst calendar quarter Q1 2020 -25.56%



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Average annual total returns after sales charges(for periods ended 12/31/20)

Share class 1 year 5 years 10 years
Class A before taxes -1.83% 3.88% 3.22%
Class A after taxes on distributions -2.10% 3.50% 2.88%
Class A after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares -0.63% 3.22% 2.68%
Class B before taxes -1.67% 3.99% 3.21%
Class C before taxes  2.31% 4.33% 3.06%
Class R before taxes  3.86% 4.87% 3.58%
Class R6 before taxes*  4.60% 5.58% 4.23%
Class Y before taxes  4.37% 5.38% 4.10%
MSCI EAFE Value Index (ND) (no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes, other than withholding taxes on reinvested dividends) -2.63% 4.20% 3.37%
* Performance for class R6 shares prior to their inception (12/2/13) is derived from the historical performance of class Y shares and has not been adjusted for the lower investor servicing fees applicable to class R6 shares; had it, returns would have been higher.
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. After-tax returns are shown for class A shares only and will vary for other classes. 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.
Class B share performance reflects conversion to class A shares after eight years.
Effective March 1, 2021, Class C shares generally convert to Class A shares eight years after purchase. Prior to March 1, 2021, Class C shares generally converted to Class A shares ten years after purchase. Class C share performance does not reflect conversion to class A shares after eight years; had it, returns for the 10-year period would have been higher.

Your fund's management

Investment advisor

Putnam Investment Management, LLC

Portfolio manager

Darren Jaroch

Portfolio Manager, portfolio manager of the fund from 2005 to 2008 and since 2009

Assistant portfolio manager

Lauren DeMore

Portfolio Manager, Analyst, assistant portfolio manager of the fund since 2019

Sub-advisors

Putnam Investments Limited*

The Putnam Advisory Company, LLC*

* Though the investment advisor has retained the services of both Putnam Investments Limited (PIL) and The Putnam Advisory Company, LLC (PAC), PIL and PAC do not currently manage any assets of the fund..

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Purchase and sale of fund shares

You can open an account, purchase and/or sell fund shares, or exchange them for shares of another Putnam fund by contacting your financial professional or by calling Putnam Investor Services at 1-800-225-1581. Purchases of class B shares are closed to new and existing investors except by exchange from class B shares of another Putnam fund or through dividend and/or capital gains reinvestment.

When opening an account, you must complete and mail a Putnam account application, along with a check made payable to the fund, to: Putnam Investments, P.O. Box 219697, Kansas City, MO 64121-9697. The minimum initial investment of $500 is currently waived, although Putnam reserves the right to reject initial investments under $500 at its discretion. There is no minimum for subsequent investments.

You can sell your shares back to the fund or exchange them for shares of another Putnam fund any day the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open. Shares may be sold or exchanged by mail, by phone, or online at putnam.com. Some restrictions may apply.

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

If you purchase the fund through a broker/dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial professional), the fund and its related companies may pay that intermediary 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.

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 putnam.com/funddocuments, by calling 1-800-225-1581, or by e-mailing Putnam at [email protected].



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