| |
| SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION |
| |
| CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED |
| |
| MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES |
| | |
| Investment Company Act file number: | (811-05346) |
| | |
| Exact name of registrant as specified in charter: | Putnam Variable Trust |
| | |
| Address of principal executive offices: | 100 Federal Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110 |
| | |
| Name and address of agent for service: | Stephen Tate, Vice President |
| | |
| | Boston, Massachusetts 02110 |
| | |
| Copy to: | Bryan Chegwidden, Esq. |
| | |
| | 1211 Avenue of the Americas |
| | |
| | Boston, Massachusetts 02199 |
| | |
| Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: | (617) 292-1000 |
| | |
| Date of fiscal year end: | December 31, 2024 |
| | |
| Date of reporting period: | January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024 |
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| Item 1. Report to Stockholders: |
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| The following is a copy of the report transmitted to stockholders pursuant to Rule 30e-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940: |
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Putnam VT Research Fund | |
| Class IA |
Annual Shareholder Report | December 31, 2024true |
|
This annual shareholder report contains important information about Putnam VT Research Fund for the period January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024.
You can find additional information about the Fund at https://www.franklintempleton.com/regulatory-fund-documents. You can also request this information by contacting us at (800) 225-1581.
This report describes changes to the Fund that occurred during the reporting period.
WHAT WERE THE FUND COSTS FOR THE LAST YEAR? (based on a hypothetical $10,000 investment)
| | |
Class Name | Costs of a $10,000 investment | Costs paid as a percentage of a $10,000 investment |
Class IA1 | $79 | 0.70% |
| 1 | Does not reflect expenses incurred from investing through variable annuity or variable life insurance products. |
HOW DID THE FUND PERFORM LAST YEAR AND WHAT AFFECTED ITS PERFORMANCE?
For the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, Class IA shares of Putnam VT Research Fund returned 26.61%. The Fund compares its performance to the S&P 500 Index, which returned 25.02% for the same period.
| |
Top contributors to performance: |
| ↑ | Overweight position in Oracle, a cloud application and platform services company |
| ↑ | Not owning Intel, a multinational technology company |
| ↑ | Overweight position in NRG Energy |
| |
Top detractors from performance: |
| ↓ | Overweight position in IT company Advanced Micro Devices |
| ↓ | Out-of-benchmark position in AIA Group, a multinational financial services company |
| ↓ | Overweight position in data storage company Seagate Technology |
| Putnam VT Research Fund | PAGE 1 | 38983-ATSIA-0225 |
HOW DID THE FUND PERFORM OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS?
The Fund’s past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. The graph and table do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or redemption of Fund shares.
VALUE OF A $10,000 INVESTMENT – Class IA 12/31/2014 — 12/31/2024
AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS (%) Period Ended December 31, 2024
| | | |
| | 1 Year | 5 Year | 10 Year |
Class IA | 26.61 | 15.20 | 13.30 |
Russell 3000 Index | 23.81 | 13.86 | 12.55 |
S&P 500 Index | 25.02 | 14.53 | 13.10 |
Performance does not reflect expenses incurred from investing through variable annuity or variable life insurance products, which if reflected, would reduce performance of the Fund.
Fund performance figures may reflect fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements, without which the performance would have been lower.
Performance benefited from gains related to settlement of security litigations recognized in May 2017.
Important data provider notices and terms available at www.franklintempletondatasources.com.
KEY FUND STATISTICS (as of December 31, 2024)
| |
Total Net Assets | $102,789,142 |
Total Number of Portfolio Holdings* | 171 |
Total Management Fee Paid | $503,113 |
Portfolio Turnover Rate | 37% |
| * | Includes derivatives, if applicable. |
| Putnam VT Research Fund | PAGE 2 | 38983-ATSIA-0225 |
WHAT DID THE FUND INVEST IN? (as of December 31, 2024)
Portfolio Composition (% of Total Net Assets)
| Cash and Equivalents, if any, represent the market value weights of cash, derivatives, short-term securities, and other unclassified assets in the portfolio. Holdings and allocations may vary over time. |
HOW HAS THE FUND CHANGED?
On May 31, 2023, Franklin Resources, Inc. (“Franklin Templeton”) and Great-West Lifeco Inc., the parent company of Putnam U.S. Holdings I, LLC (“Putnam Holdings”), announced that they had entered into a definitive agreement for a subsidiary of Franklin Templeton to acquire Putnam Holdings in a stock and cash transaction (the “Transaction”). The Transaction was completed on January 1, 2024. As part of the Transaction, your Fund’s investment advisor, Putnam Investment Management, LLC (“Putnam Management”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Putnam Holdings, and your Fund’s then-current sub-advisors, Putnam Investments Limited (“PIL”) and The Putnam Advisory Company, LLC (“PAC”), indirect, wholly-owned subsidiaries of Putnam Holdings, became indirect, wholly-owned subsidiaries of Franklin Templeton. In connection with the Transaction, shareholders of your Fund approved a new management contract with Putnam Management and new sub-advisory contracts with PIL and PAC. The new contracts were identical to the previous contracts, except for the effective dates, initial terms, updates to fund names as necessary to reflect previous name changes, and certain non-substantive changes.
Effective July 15, 2024, Franklin Advisers, Inc. (“Franklin Advisers”) was retained as a sub-advisor by Putnam Management for the Fund pursuant to a new sub-advisory agreement between Franklin Advisers and Putnam Management. Franklin Advisers is a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Templeton.
Effective November 1, 2024 (the “Effective Date”), PIL, a sub-advisor of the Fund prior to the Effective Date, merged with and into Franklin Templeton Investment Management Limited (“FTIML”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Templeton (the “Merger”). As of the Effective Date, PIL investment professionals became employees of FTIML, and the sub-advisory agreement between Putnam Management and PIL with respect to the Fund was terminated. In connection with the Merger, the Fund’s Trustees approved a new sub-advisory agreement between Putnam Management and FTIML, pursuant to which FTIML became a sub-advisor of the Fund on the Effective Date.
Effective July 31, 2024, the portfolio managers for the Fund are Kathryn Lakin, Jacquelyne Cavanaugh, Matthew LaPlant, Andrew O’Brien and William Rives.
This is a summary of certain changes to the Fund since January 1, 2024. For more complete information, you may review the Fund’s current prospectus and any applicable supplements and the Fund’s next prospectus, which we expect to be available by May 1, 2025, at https://www.franklintempleton.com/regulatory-fund-documents or upon request at (800) 225-1581 or
funddocuments@putnam.com.
| |
| WHERE CAN I FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND? |
Additional information is available on https://www.franklintempleton.com/regulatory-fund-documents, including its: |
| • prospectus • proxy voting information • financial information • holdings • tax information |
| Putnam VT Research Fund | PAGE 3 | 38983-ATSIA-0225 |
1000098711089013470128621718320659257092132227539348671000010048113271372113002170352059325877209072633432604100001013811351138291322317386205852649421696273993425430.112.611.810.39.06.76.13.33.22.61.52.8
| | |
Putnam VT Research Fund | |
| Class IB |
Annual Shareholder Report | December 31, 2024true |
|
This annual shareholder report contains important information about Putnam VT Research Fund for the period January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024.
You can find additional information about the Fund at https://www.franklintempleton.com/regulatory-fund-documents. You can also request this information by contacting us at (800) 225-1581.
This report describes changes to the Fund that occurred during the reporting period.
WHAT WERE THE FUND COSTS FOR THE LAST YEAR? (based on a hypothetical $10,000 investment)
| | |
Class Name | Costs of a $10,000 investment | Costs paid as a percentage of a $10,000 investment |
Class IB1 | $107 | 0.95% |
| 1 | Does not reflect expenses incurred from investing through variable annuity or variable life insurance products. |
HOW DID THE FUND PERFORM LAST YEAR AND WHAT AFFECTED ITS PERFORMANCE?
For the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, Class IB shares of Putnam VT Research Fund returned 26.28%. The Fund compares its performance to the S&P 500 Index, which returned 25.02% for the same period.
| |
Top contributors to performance: |
| ↑ | Overweight position in Oracle, a cloud application and platform services company |
| ↑ | Not owning Intel, a multinational technology company |
| ↑ | Overweight position in NRG Energy |
| |
Top detractors from performance: |
| ↓ | Overweight position in IT company Advanced Micro Devices |
| ↓ | Out-of-benchmark position in AIA Group, a multinational financial services company |
| ↓ | Overweight position in data storage company Seagate Technology |
| Putnam VT Research Fund | PAGE 1 | 38983-ATSIB-0225 |
HOW DID THE FUND PERFORM OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS?
The Fund’s past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. The graph and table do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or redemption of Fund shares.
VALUE OF A $10,000 INVESTMENT – Class IB 12/31/2014 — 12/31/2024
AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS (%) Period Ended December 31, 2024
| | | |
| | 1 Year | 5 Year | 10 Year |
Class IB | 26.28 | 14.91 | 13.02 |
Russell 3000 Index | 23.81 | 13.86 | 12.55 |
S&P 500 Index | 25.02 | 14.53 | 13.10 |
Performance does not reflect expenses incurred from investing through variable annuity or variable life insurance products, which if reflected, would reduce performance of the Fund.
Fund performance figures may reflect fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements, without which the performance would have been lower.
Performance benefited from gains related to settlement of security litigations recognized in May 2017.
Important data provider notices and terms available at www.franklintempletondatasources.com.
KEY FUND STATISTICS (as of December 31, 2024)
| |
Total Net Assets | $102,789,142 |
Total Number of Portfolio Holdings* | 171 |
Total Management Fee Paid | $503,113 |
Portfolio Turnover Rate | 37% |
| * | Includes derivatives, if applicable. |
| Putnam VT Research Fund | PAGE 2 | 38983-ATSIB-0225 |
WHAT DID THE FUND INVEST IN? (as of December 31, 2024)
Portfolio Composition (% of Total Net Assets)
| Cash and Equivalents, if any, represent the market value weights of cash, derivatives, short-term securities, and other unclassified assets in the portfolio. Holdings and allocations may vary over time. |
HOW HAS THE FUND CHANGED?
On May 31, 2023, Franklin Resources, Inc. (“Franklin Templeton”) and Great-West Lifeco Inc., the parent company of Putnam U.S. Holdings I, LLC (“Putnam Holdings”), announced that they had entered into a definitive agreement for a subsidiary of Franklin Templeton to acquire Putnam Holdings in a stock and cash transaction (the “Transaction”). The Transaction was completed on January 1, 2024. As part of the Transaction, your Fund’s investment advisor, Putnam Investment Management, LLC (“Putnam Management”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Putnam Holdings, and your Fund’s then-current sub-advisors, Putnam Investments Limited (“PIL”) and The Putnam Advisory Company, LLC (“PAC”), indirect, wholly-owned subsidiaries of Putnam Holdings, became indirect, wholly-owned subsidiaries of Franklin Templeton. In connection with the Transaction, shareholders of your Fund approved a new management contract with Putnam Management and new sub-advisory contracts with PIL and PAC. The new contracts were identical to the previous contracts, except for the effective dates, initial terms, updates to fund names as necessary to reflect previous name changes, and certain non-substantive changes.
Effective July 15, 2024, Franklin Advisers, Inc. (“Franklin Advisers”) was retained as a sub-advisor by Putnam Management for the Fund pursuant to a new sub-advisory agreement between Franklin Advisers and Putnam Management. Franklin Advisers is a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Templeton.
Effective November 1, 2024 (the “Effective Date”), PIL, a sub-advisor of the Fund prior to the Effective Date, merged with and into Franklin Templeton Investment Management Limited (“FTIML”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Templeton (the “Merger”). As of the Effective Date, PIL investment professionals became employees of FTIML, and the sub-advisory agreement between Putnam Management and PIL with respect to the Fund was terminated. In connection with the Merger, the Fund’s Trustees approved a new sub-advisory agreement between Putnam Management and FTIML, pursuant to which FTIML became a sub-advisor of the Fund on the Effective Date.
Effective July 31, 2024, the portfolio managers for the Fund are Kathryn Lakin, Jacquelyne Cavanaugh, Matthew LaPlant, Andrew O’Brien and William Rives.
This is a summary of certain changes to the Fund since January 1, 2024. For more complete information, you may review the Fund’s current prospectus and any applicable supplements and the Fund’s next prospectus, which we expect to be available by May 1, 2025, at https://www.franklintempleton.com/regulatory-fund-documents or upon request at (800) 225-1581 or
funddocuments@putnam.com.
| |
| WHERE CAN I FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND? |
Additional information is available on https://www.franklintempleton.com/regulatory-fund-documents, including its: |
| • prospectus • proxy voting information • financial information • holdings • tax information |
| Putnam VT Research Fund | PAGE 3 | 38983-ATSIB-0225 |
1000098501083813368127381697220352252642089826929340051000010048113271372113002170352059325877209072633432604100001013811351138291322317386205852649421696273993425430.112.611.810.39.06.76.13.33.22.61.52.8
| |
| (a) The fund’s principal executive, financial and accounting officers are employees of Putnam Investment Management, LLC, the Fund’s investment manager, or Franklin Templeton. As such they are subject to a comprehensive Code of Ethics adopted and administered by Putnam Investment Management, LLC and Franklin Templeton which is designed to protect the interests of the firm and its clients. The Fund has adopted a Code of Ethics which incorporates the Code of Ethics of Franklin Templeton with respect to all of its officers and Trustees who are employees of Putnam Investment Management, LLC and Franklin Templeton. For this reason, the Fund has not adopted a separate code of ethics governing its principal executive, financial and accounting officers. |
| |
| (c) In connection with the acquisition of Putnam Investments by Franklin Templeton, the Putnam Investments Code of Ethics was amended effective January 1, 2024 to reflect revised compliance processes, including: (i) Compliance with the Putnam Investments Code of Ethics will be viewed as compliance with the Franklin Templeton Code for certain Putnam employees who are dual-hatted in Franklin Templeton advisory entities (ii) Certain Franklin Templeton employees are required to hold shares of Putnam mutual funds at Putnam Investor Services, Inc. and (iii) Certain provisions of the Putnam Investments Code of Ethics are amended that are no longer needed due to organizational changes. Effective March 4, 2024, the majority of legacy Putnam employees transitioned to Franklin Templeton policies outlined in the Franklin Templeton Code. |
| |
| Item 3. Audit Committee Financial Expert: |
| |
| The Funds’ Audit, Compliance and Risk Committee is comprised solely of Trustees who are “independent” (as such term has been defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) in regulations implementing Section 407 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (the “Regulations”)). The Trustees believe that each member of the Audit, Compliance and Risk Committee also possesses a combination of knowledge and experience with respect to financial accounting matters, as well as other attributes, that qualifies him or her for service on the Committee. In addition, the Trustees have determined that each of Mr. McGreevey and Mr. Singh qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” (as such term has been defined by the Regulations) based on their review of his or her pertinent experience and education.The SEC has stated, and the funds’ amended and restated agreement and Declaration of Trust provides, that the designation or identification of a person as an audit committee financial expert pursuant to this Item 3 of Form N-CSR does not impose on such person any duties, obligations or liability that are greater than the duties, obligations and liability imposed on such person as a member of the Audit, Compliance and Risk Committee and the Board of Trustees in the absence of such designation or identification. |
| |
| Item 4. Principal Accountant Fees and Services: |
| |
| The following table presents fees billed in each of the last two fiscal years for services rendered to the fund by the fund’s independent auditor: |
Fiscal year ended | Audit Fees | Audit-Related Fees | Tax Fees | All Other Fees |
December 31, 2024 | $32,789 | $ — | $4,368 | $ — |
December 31, 2023 | $30,270 | $ — | $4,368 | $ — |
| |
| For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the fund’s independent auditor billed aggregate non-audit fees in the amounts of $868,604 and $364,500 respectively, to the fund, the fund’s investment manager and any entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with the fund’s investment manager that provides ongoing services to the fund. |
| |
| Audit Fees represent fees billed for the fund’s last two fiscal years relating to the audit and review of the financial statements included in annual reports and registration statements, and other services that are normally provided in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements. |
| |
| Audit-Related Fees represent fees billed in the fund’s last two fiscal years for services traditionally performed by the fund’s auditor, including accounting consultation for proposed transactions or concerning financial accounting and reporting standards and other audit or attest services not required by statute or regulation. |
| |
| Tax Fees represent fees billed in the fund’s last two fiscal years for tax compliance, tax planning and tax advice services. Tax planning and tax advice services include assistance with tax audits, employee benefit plans and requests for rulings or technical advice from taxing authorities. |
| |
| Pre-Approval Policies of the Audit, Compliance and Risk Committee. The Audit, Compliance and Risk Committee of the Putnam funds has determined that, as a matter of policy, all work performed for the funds by the funds’ independent auditors will be pre-approved by the Committee itself and thus will generally not be subject to pre-approval procedures. |
| |
| The Audit, Compliance and Risk Committee also has adopted a policy to pre-approve the engagement by the fund’s investment manager and certain of its affiliates of the funds’ independent auditors, even in circumstances where pre-approval is not required by applicable law. Any such requests by the fund’s investment manager or certain of its affiliates are typically submitted in writing to the Committee and explain, among other things, the nature of the proposed engagement, the estimated fees, and why this work should be performed by that particular audit firm as opposed to another one. In reviewing such requests, the Committee considers, among other things, whether the provision of such services by the audit firm are compatible with the independence of the audit firm. |
| |
| The following table presents fees billed by the fund’s independent auditor for services required to be approved pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(ii) of Rule 2–01 of Regulation S-X. |
Fiscal year ended | Audit-Related Fees | Tax Fees | All Other Fees | Total Non-Audit Fees |
December 31, 2024 | $ — | $791,963 | $72,273 | $864,236 |
December 31, 2023 | $ — | $360,132 | $ — | $360,132 |
| |
| Item 5. Audit Committee of Listed Registrants |
| |
| The registrant’s schedule of investments in unaffiliated issuers is included in the Financial Statements and Other Important Information in Item 7 below. |
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| Item 7. Financial Statements and Financial Highlights for Open-End Management Investment Companies. |
Putnam
VT Research
Fund
Financial Statements and Other Important Information
Annual | December 31, 2024
Table of Contents
| | Financial Statements and Other Important Information—Annual | franklintempleton.com |
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Board of Trustees of Putnam Variable Trust and Shareholders of
Putnam VT Research Fund:
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities, including the fund's portfolio, of Putnam VT Research Fund (one of the funds constituting Putnam Variable Trust, referred to hereafter as the “Fund”) as of December 31, 2024, the related statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2024, the statement of changes in net assets for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2024, including the related notes, and the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period ended December 31, 2024 (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Fund as of December 31, 2024, the results of its operations for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2024 and the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period ended December 31, 2024 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Fund's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Fund's financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Fund in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits of these financial statements in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of December 31, 2024 by correspondence with the custodian, transfer agent, and brokers; when replies were not received from brokers, we performed other auditing procedures. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Boston, Massachusetts
February 11, 2025
We have served as the auditor of one or more investment companies in the Putnam Funds family of funds since at least 1957. We have not been able to determine the specific year we began serving as auditor.
The fund’s portfolio 12/31/24 |
| | COMMON STOCKS (97.2%)* | Shares | Value |
| | Aerospace and defense (1.6%) | | |
| | Boeing Co. (The) † | 1,121 | $198,417 |
| | Howmet Aerospace, Inc. | 4,082 | 446,448 |
| | L3Harris Technologies, Inc. | 581 | 122,173 |
| | Northrop Grumman Corp. | 1,088 | 510,588 |
| | RTX Corp. | 3,289 | 380,603 |
| | | | 1,658,229 |
| | Air freight and logistics (0.9%) | | |
| | FedEx Corp. | 3,171 | 892,097 |
| | | | 892,097 |
| | Automobiles (2.2%) | | |
| | General Motors Co. | 3,710 | 197,632 |
| | Tesla, Inc. † | 5,146 | 2,078,161 |
| | | | 2,275,793 |
| | Banks (3.0%) | | |
| | Bank of America Corp. | 33,116 | 1,455,448 |
| | Citigroup, Inc. | 19,811 | 1,394,496 |
| | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | 1,180 | 282,858 |
| | | | 3,132,802 |
| | Beverages (2.1%) | | |
| | Coca-Cola Co. (The) | 15,504 | 965,279 |
| | Monster Beverage Corp. † | 3,553 | 186,746 |
| | PepsiCo, Inc. | 6,822 | 1,037,353 |
| | | | 2,189,378 |
| | Biotechnology (1.7%) | | |
| | AbbVie, Inc. | 5,946 | 1,056,604 |
| | Amgen, Inc. | 445 | 115,985 |
| | Ascendis Pharma A/S ADR (Denmark) † | 970 | 133,540 |
| | Exact Sciences Corp. † | 1,443 | 81,082 |
| | Janux Therapeutics, Inc. † | 621 | 33,248 |
| | Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. † | 162 | 115,397 |
| | Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. † | 615 | 247,661 |
| | | | 1,783,517 |
| | Broadline retail (4.6%) | | |
| | Amazon.com, Inc. † | 21,373 | 4,689,022 |
| | | | 4,689,022 |
| | Capital markets (1.9%) | | |
| | BlackRock, Inc. | 137 | 140,440 |
| | Charles Schwab Corp. (The) | 11,462 | 848,303 |
| | CME Group, Inc. | 2,247 | 521,821 |
| | TPG, Inc. | 7,544 | 474,065 |
| | | | 1,984,629 |
| | Chemicals (2.0%) | | |
| | Corteva, Inc. | 13,006 | 740,822 |
| | DuPont de Nemours, Inc. | 4,005 | 305,381 |
| | Eastman Chemical Co. | 2,406 | 219,716 |
| | Linde PLC | 287 | 120,158 |
| | PPG Industries, Inc. | 1,913 | 228,508 |
| | Sherwin-Williams Co. (The) | 1,234 | 419,474 |
| | | | 2,034,059 |
| | Construction materials (0.4%) | | |
| | CRH PLC | 4,546 | 420,596 |
| | | | 420,596 |
| | Consumer finance (1.5%) | | |
| | Capital One Financial Corp. | 8,580 | 1,529,986 |
| | | | 1,529,986 |
| | Consumer staples distribution and retail (2.3%) | | |
| | BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. † | 1,743 | 155,737 |
| | Costco Wholesale Corp. | 601 | 550,678 |
| | Target Corp. | 2,437 | 329,434 |
| | Walmart, Inc. | 14,831 | 1,339,981 |
| | | | 2,375,830 |
| | | | |
| | COMMON STOCKS (97.2%)* cont. | Shares | Value |
| | Containers and packaging (0.4%) | | |
| | Berry Global Group, Inc. | 2,336 | $151,069 |
| | International Paper Co. | 5,474 | 294,611 |
| | | | 445,680 |
| | Diversified telecommunication services (0.7%) | | |
| | AT&T, Inc. | 29,496 | 671,624 |
| | | | 671,624 |
| | Electric utilities (2.3%) | | |
| | Constellation Energy Corp. | 306 | 68,455 |
| | NextEra Energy, Inc. | 6,778 | 485,915 |
| | NRG Energy, Inc. | 8,955 | 807,920 |
| | PG&E Corp. | 16,454 | 332,042 |
| | PPL Corp. | 16,682 | 541,498 |
| | Southern Co. (The) | 2,001 | 164,722 |
| | | | 2,400,552 |
| | Electrical equipment (0.3%) | | |
| | Vertiv Holdings Co. Class A | 2,608 | 296,295 |
| | | | 296,295 |
| | Electronic equipment, instruments, and components (0.3%) | | |
| | Vontier Corp. | 7,257 | 264,663 |
| | | | 264,663 |
| | Entertainment (1.7%) | | |
| | Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. † | 3,345 | 433,178 |
| | Netflix, Inc. † | 588 | 524,096 |
| | Spotify Technology SA (Sweden) † | 844 | 377,589 |
| | Walt Disney Co. (The) | 3,255 | 362,444 |
| | | | 1,697,307 |
| | Financial services (4.2%) | | |
| | Apollo Global Management, Inc. | 4,764 | 786,822 |
| | Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. Class B † | 1,320 | 598,330 |
| | Mastercard, Inc. Class A | 3,607 | 1,899,338 |
| | Toast, Inc. Class A † | 5,005 | 182,432 |
| | Visa, Inc. Class A | 2,594 | 819,808 |
| | | | 4,286,730 |
| | Ground transportation (1.0%) | | |
| | Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Ltd. (Canada) | 4,138 | 299,467 |
| | Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. | 1,312 | 231,437 |
| | Union Pacific Corp. | 2,281 | 520,159 |
| | | | 1,051,063 |
| | Health care equipment and supplies (1.9%) | | |
| | Abbott Laboratories | 4,160 | 470,538 |
| | Becton, Dickinson and Co. | 407 | 92,336 |
| | Boston Scientific Corp. † | 5,838 | 521,450 |
| | Intuitive Surgical, Inc. † | 1,084 | 565,805 |
| | Medtronic PLC | 2,288 | 182,765 |
| | Stryker Corp. | 233 | 83,892 |
| | | | 1,916,786 |
| | Health care providers and services (2.5%) | | |
| | Cigna Group (The) | 813 | 224,502 |
| | CVS Health Corp. | 3,566 | 160,078 |
| | Humana, Inc. | 461 | 116,960 |
| | McKesson Corp. | 1,055 | 601,255 |
| | UnitedHealth Group, Inc. | 2,868 | 1,450,806 |
| | | | 2,553,601 |
| | Hotels, restaurants, and leisure (2.3%) | | |
| | Booking Holdings, Inc. | 142 | 705,516 |
| | Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. † | 8,570 | 516,771 |
| | Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Inc. | 1,808 | 446,865 |
| | McDonald’s Corp. | 665 | 192,777 |
| | Vail Resorts, Inc. | 1,053 | 197,385 |
| | Viking Holdings, Ltd. (Bermuda) † | 7,244 | 319,171 |
| | | | 2,378,485 |
| | | | |
| | COMMON STOCKS (97.2%)* cont. | Shares | Value |
| | Household durables (0.6%) | | |
| | PulteGroup, Inc. | 5,369 | $584,684 |
| | | | 584,684 |
| | Household products (1.6%) | | |
| | Clorox Co. (The) | 2,169 | 352,267 |
| | Procter & Gamble Co. (The) | 7,986 | 1,338,853 |
| | | | 1,691,120 |
| | Industrial conglomerates (0.7%) | | |
| | Honeywell International, Inc. | 3,214 | 726,010 |
| | | | 726,010 |
| | Insurance (1.9%) | | |
| | AIA Group, Ltd. (Hong Kong) | 73,400 | 527,222 |
| | Assured Guaranty, Ltd. | 5,936 | 534,299 |
| | AXA SA (France) | 20,525 | 730,477 |
| | Prudential PLC (United Kingdom) | 25,666 | 203,686 |
| | | | 1,995,684 |
| | Interactive media and services (6.3%) | | |
| | Alphabet, Inc. Class A | 19,005 | 3,597,646 |
| | Meta Platforms, Inc. Class A | 4,966 | 2,907,643 |
| | | | 6,505,289 |
| | Life sciences tools and services (1.3%) | | |
| | Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. Class A † | 1,254 | 411,952 |
| | Danaher Corp. | 1,703 | 390,924 |
| | Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. | 1,068 | 555,606 |
| | | | 1,358,482 |
| | Machinery (1.6%) | | |
| | Fortive Corp. | 9,052 | 678,900 |
| | Ingersoll Rand, Inc. | 3,117 | 281,964 |
| | Otis Worldwide Corp. | 7,045 | 652,437 |
| | | | 1,613,301 |
| | Media (0.4%) | | |
| | Charter Communications, Inc. Class A † | 1,099 | 376,704 |
| | | | 376,704 |
| | Metals and mining (0.4%) | | |
| | Agnico-Eagle Mines, Ltd. (Canada) | 2,575 | 201,457 |
| | Glencore PLC (United Kingdom) | 48,458 | 213,418 |
| | | | 414,875 |
| | Multi-utilities (0.3%) | | |
| | Ameren Corp. | 1,956 | 174,358 |
| | CenterPoint Energy, Inc. | 3,588 | 113,847 |
| | | | 288,205 |
| | Office REITs (0.2%) | | |
| | Vornado Realty Trust R S | 5,457 | 229,412 |
| | | | 229,412 |
| | Oil, gas, and consumable fuels (3.2%) | | |
| | Antero Resources Corp. † | 8,217 | 288,006 |
| | BP PLC (United Kingdom) | 40,620 | 200,783 |
| | Cenovus Energy, Inc. (Canada) | 29,784 | 451,489 |
| | ConocoPhillips | 3,360 | 333,211 |
| | Exxon Mobil Corp. | 15,325 | 1,648,510 |
| | Shell PLC (London Exchange) (United Kingdom) | 13,342 | 415,883 |
| | | | 3,337,882 |
| | Passenger airlines (0.3%) | | |
| | Southwest Airlines Co. | 7,739 | 260,185 |
| | | | 260,185 |
| | Pharmaceuticals (2.9%) | | |
| | 4Front Ventures Corp. † | 252,907 | 3,414 |
| | Eli Lilly and Co. | 1,752 | 1,352,544 |
| | Innoviva, Inc. † | 29,177 | 506,221 |
| | Johnson & Johnson | 4,480 | 647,898 |
| | Merck & Co., Inc. | 3,717 | 369,767 |
| | Zoetis, Inc. | 723 | 117,798 |
| | | | 2,997,642 |
| | | | |
| | COMMON STOCKS (97.2%)* cont. | Shares | Value |
| | Semiconductors and semiconductor equipment (11.2%) | | |
| | Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. † | 6,586 | $795,523 |
| | Analog Devices, Inc. | 6,197 | 1,316,615 |
| | Broadcom, Inc. | 11,958 | 2,772,343 |
| | Marvell Technology, Inc. | 2,735 | 302,081 |
| | NVIDIA Corp. | 43,091 | 5,786,690 |
| | Qualcomm, Inc. | 3,769 | 578,994 |
| | | | 11,552,246 |
| | Software (10.8%) | | |
| | Cadence Design Systems, Inc. † | 829 | 249,081 |
| | Microsoft Corp. | 16,061 | 6,769,711 |
| | Nutanix, Inc. Class A † | 4,583 | 280,388 |
| | Oracle Corp. | 14,154 | 2,358,623 |
| | Salesforce, Inc. | 4,314 | 1,442,300 |
| | | | 11,100,103 |
| | Specialized REITs (1.3%) | | |
| | American Tower Corp. R | 4,119 | 755,466 |
| | Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. R | 11,130 | 536,021 |
| | | | 1,291,487 |
| | Specialty retail (1.9%) | | |
| | Home Depot, Inc. (The) | 3,556 | 1,383,248 |
| | O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. † | 115 | 136,367 |
| | TJX Cos., Inc. (The) | 3,326 | 401,814 |
| | | | 1,921,429 |
| | Technology hardware, storage, and peripherals (7.8%) | | |
| | Apple, Inc. | 26,652 | 6,674,194 |
| | Seagate Technology Holdings PLC S | 15,420 | 1,330,900 |
| | | | 8,005,094 |
| | Textiles, apparel, and luxury goods (0.3%) | | |
| | Levi Strauss & Co. Class A | 5,434 | 94,008 |
| | Nike, Inc. Class B | 983 | 74,384 |
| | On Holding AG Class A (Switzerland) † | 2,338 | 128,052 |
| | | | 296,444 |
| | Trading companies and distributors (0.4%) | | |
| | United Rentals, Inc. | 567 | 399,417 |
| | | | 399,417 |
| | Total common stocks (cost $59,306,111) | $99,874,419 |
| | SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS (4.2%)* | Principal amount/shares | Value |
| | Putnam Cash Collateral Pool, LLC 4.55% d | Shares 1,389,335 | $1,389,335 |
| | Putnam Short Term Investment Fund Class P 4.56%L | Shares 2,753,082 | 2,753,082 |
| | U.S. Treasury Bills 4.564%, 1/9/25 # | $100,000 | 99,918 |
| | U.S. Treasury Bills 4.637%, 1/16/25 # | 100,000 | 99,835 |
| | Total short-term investments (cost $4,342,129) | $4,342,170 |
| | TOTAL INVESTMENTS |
| | Total investments (cost $63,648,240) | $104,216,589 |
| | Key to holding’s abbreviations |
| | ADR | American Depository Receipts: Represents ownership of foreign securities on deposit with a custodian bank. |
| | Notes to the fund’s portfolio |
| | Unless noted otherwise, the notes to the fund’s portfolio are for the close of the fund’s reporting period, which ran from January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024 (the reporting period). Within the following notes to the portfolio, references to “Putnam Management” represent Putnam Investment Management, LLC, the fund’s investment manager, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Resources, Inc., and references to “ASC 820” represent Accounting Standards Codification 820 Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures. |
| * | Percentages indicated are based on net assets of $102,789,142. |
| † | This security is non-income-producing. |
| # | This security, in part or in entirety, was pledged and segregated with the broker to cover margin requirements for futures contracts at the close of the reporting period. Collateral at period end totaled $198,701 and is included in Investments in securities on the Statement of assets and liabilities (Notes 1 and 8). |
| d | Affiliated company. See Notes 1 and 5 to the financial statements regarding securities lending. The rate quoted in the security description is the annualized 7-day yield of the fund at the close of the reporting period. |
| L | Affiliated company (Note 5). The rate quoted in the security description is the annualized 7-day yield of the fund at the close of the reporting period. |
| R | Real Estate Investment Trust. |
| S | Security on loan, in part or in entirety, at the close of the reporting period (Note 1). |
| | Unless otherwise noted, the rates quoted in Short-term investments security descriptions represent the weighted average yield to maturity. |
| | The dates shown on debt obligations are the original maturity dates. |
| | FORWARD CURRENCY CONTRACTS at 12/31/24 (aggregate face value $4,169,961) |
| | Counterparty | Currency | Contract type* | Delivery date | Value | Aggregate face value | Unrealized appreciation/ (depreciation) |
| | Bank of America N.A. |
| | | British Pound | Sell | 3/19/25 | $251,238 | $254,536 | $3,298 |
| | | Canadian Dollar | Sell | 1/22/25 | 14,272 | 15,249 | 977 |
| | | Danish Krone | Sell | 3/19/25 | 120,697 | 123,415 | 2,718 |
| | Barclays Bank PLC |
| | | British Pound | Sell | 3/19/25 | 95,715 | 97,006 | 1,291 |
| | | Canadian Dollar | Sell | 1/22/25 | 7,379 | 7,686 | 307 |
| | | Euro | Sell | 3/19/25 | 178,655 | 181,087 | 2,432 |
| | Citibank, N.A. |
| | | Canadian Dollar | Sell | 1/22/25 | 214,980 | 229,714 | 14,734 |
| | | Hong Kong Dollar | Sell | 2/19/25 | 327,717 | 327,793 | 76 |
| | Goldman Sachs International |
| | | British Pound | Sell | 3/19/25 | 521,619 | 528,522 | 6,903 |
| | | Canadian Dollar | Sell | 1/22/25 | 163,114 | 174,297 | 11,183 |
| | | Euro | Sell | 3/19/25 | 113,075 | 114,604 | 1,529 |
| | | Hong Kong Dollar | Sell | 2/19/25 | 40,463 | 40,479 | 16 |
| | HSBC Bank USA, National Association |
| | | British Pound | Sell | 3/19/25 | 9,008 | 9,129 | 121 |
| | | Canadian Dollar | Sell | 1/22/25 | 7,310 | 7,715 | 405 |
| | JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. |
| | | Canadian Dollar | Sell | 1/22/25 | 222,429 | 237,669 | 15,240 |
| | | Euro | Sell | 3/19/25 | 88,860 | 90,062 | 1,202 |
| | Morgan Stanley & Co. International PLC |
| | | British Pound | Sell | 3/19/25 | 226,965 | 230,812 | 3,847 |
| | | Canadian Dollar | Sell | 1/22/25 | 55,973 | 59,781 | 3,808 |
| | | Euro | Sell | 3/19/25 | 31,386 | 32,032 | 646 |
| | | Hong Kong Dollar | Sell | 2/19/25 | 157,759 | 157,791 | 32 |
| | | Swedish Krona | Sell | 3/19/25 | 331,979 | 338,692 | 6,713 |
| | NatWest Markets PLC |
| | | Canadian Dollar | Sell | 1/22/25 | 151,488 | 161,858 | 10,370 |
| | | Euro | Sell | 3/19/25 | 24,424 | 24,842 | 418 |
| | State Street Bank and Trust Co. |
| | | British Pound | Sell | 3/19/25 | 70,441 | 71,362 | 921 |
| | | Canadian Dollar | Buy | 1/22/25 | 18,727 | 19,491 | (764) |
| | | Euro | Sell | 3/19/25 | 12,679 | 12,858 | 179 |
| | | Hong Kong Dollar | Sell | 2/19/25 | 119,910 | 119,940 | 30 |
| | Toronto-Dominion Bank |
| | | Euro | Sell | 3/19/25 | 64,228 | 65,096 | 868 |
| | UBS AG |
| | | British Pound | Sell | 3/19/25 | 23,397 | 23,703 | 306 |
| | | Canadian Dollar | Sell | 1/22/25 | 219,087 | 234,054 | 14,967 |
| | | Euro | Sell | 3/19/25 | 176,264 | 178,686 | 2,422 |
| | Unrealized appreciation | 107,959 |
| | Unrealized (depreciation) | (764) |
| | Total | $107,195 |
| * | The exchange currency for all contracts listed is the United States Dollar. |
| | FUTURES CONTRACTS OUTSTANDING at 12/31/24 |
| | | Number of contracts | Notional amount | Value | Expiration date | Unrealized depreciation |
| | S&P 500 Index E-Mini (Long) | 6 | $1,764,489 | $1,780,725 | Mar-25 | $(57,775) |
| | Unrealized appreciation | | | | | — |
| | Unrealized (depreciation) | | | | | (57,775) |
| | Total | $(57,775) |
| | ASC 820 establishes a three-level hierarchy for disclosure of fair value measurements. The valuation hierarchy is based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of the fund’s investments. The three levels are defined as follows: |
| | Level 1: Valuations based on quoted prices for identical securities in active markets. |
| | Level 2: Valuations based on quoted prices in markets that are not active or for which all significant inputs are observable, either directly or indirectly. |
| | Level 3: Valuations based on inputs that are unobservable and significant to the fair value measurement. |
| | The following is a summary of the inputs used to value the fund’s net assets as of the close of the reporting period: |
| | | Valuation inputs |
| | Investments in securities: | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 |
| | Common stocks*: | | | |
| | Communication services | $9,250,924 | $— | $— |
| | Consumer discretionary | 12,145,857 | — | — |
| | Consumer staples | 6,256,328 | — | — |
| | Energy | 2,721,216 | 616,666 | — |
| | Financials | 11,468,446 | 1,461,385 | — |
| | Health care | 10,610,028 | — | — |
| | Industrials | 6,896,597 | — | — |
| | Information technology | 30,922,106 | — | — |
| | Materials | 3,101,792 | 213,418 | — |
| | Real estate | 1,520,899 | — | — |
| | Utilities | 2,688,757 | — | — |
| | Total common stocks | 97,582,950 | 2,291,469 | — |
| | Short-term investments | — | 4,342,170 | — |
| | Totals by level | $97,582,950 | $6,633,639 | $— |
| | | Valuation inputs |
| | Other financial instruments: | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 |
| | Forward currency contracts | $— | $107,195 | $— |
| | Futures contracts | (57,775) | — | — |
| | Totals by level | $(57,775) | $107,195 | $— |
| * | Common stock classifications are presented at the sector level, which may differ from the fund’s portfolio presentation. |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
Financial statements
Statement of assets and liabilities
12/31/24
| Assets | |
| Investment in securities, at value, including $1,361,809 of securities on loan (Note 1): | |
| Unaffiliated issuers (identified cost $59,505,823) | $100,074,172 |
| Affiliated issuers (identified cost $4,142,417) (Note 5) | 4,142,417 |
| Dividends, interest and other receivables | 105,088 |
| Receivable for shares of the fund sold | 100,805 |
| Unrealized appreciation on forward currency contracts (Note 1) | 107,959 |
| Total assets | 104,530,441 |
| | |
| Liabilities | |
| Payable to custodian | 463 |
| Payable for shares of the fund repurchased | 160,897 |
| Payable for compensation of Manager (Note 2) | 47,346 |
| Payable for custodian fees (Note 2) | 17,872 |
| Payable for investor servicing fees (Note 2) | 12,096 |
| Payable for Trustee compensation and expenses (Note 2) | 38,073 |
| Payable for administrative services (Note 2) | 860 |
| Payable for distribution fees (Note 2) | 16,394 |
| Payable for variation margin on futures contracts (Note 1) | 6,921 |
| Unrealized depreciation on forward currency contracts (Note 1) | 764 |
| Collateral on securities loaned, at value (Note 1) | 1,389,335 |
| Other accrued expenses | 50,278 |
| Total liabilities | 1,741,299 |
| Net assets | $102,789,142 |
| | |
| Represented by | |
| Paid-in capital (Unlimited shares authorized) (Notes 1 and 4) | $55,899,872 |
| Total distributable earnings (Note 1) | 46,889,270 |
| Total — Representing net assets applicable to capital shares outstanding | $102,789,142 |
| Computation of net asset value Class IA | |
| Net assets | $26,562,317 |
| Number of shares outstanding | 608,286 |
| Net asset value, offering price and redemption price per share (net assets divided by number of shares outstanding) | $43.67 |
| | |
| Computation of net asset value Class IB | |
| Net assets | $76,226,825 |
| Number of shares outstanding | 1,757,989 |
| Net asset value, offering price and redemption price per share (net assets divided by number of shares outstanding) | $43.36 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
Statement of operations
Year ended 12/31/24
| Investment income | |
| Dividends (net of foreign tax of $9,173) | $1,174,425 |
| Interest (including interest income of $125,590 from investments in affiliated issuers) (Note 5) | 132,151 |
| Securities lending (net of expenses) (Notes 1 and 5) | 2,061 |
| Total investment income | 1,308,637 |
| | |
| Expenses | |
| Compensation of Manager (Note 2) | 503,113 |
| Investor servicing fees (Note 2) | 65,354 |
| Custodian fees (Note 2) | 24,510 |
| Trustee compensation and expenses (Note 2) | 4,085 |
| Distribution fees (Note 2) | 168,596 |
| Administrative services (Note 2) | 1,777 |
| Other | 56,258 |
| Total expenses | 823,693 |
| Expense reduction (Note 2) | (18) |
| Net expenses | 823,675 |
| Net investment income | 484,962 |
| | |
| Realized and unrealized gain (loss) | |
| Net realized gain (loss) on: | |
| Securities from unaffiliated issuers (Notes 1 and 3) | 6,579,078 |
| Foreign currency transactions (Note 1) | (73) |
| Forward currency contracts (Note 1) | 34,822 |
| Futures contracts (Note 1) | 336,949 |
| Written options (Note 1) | (301,856) |
| Total net realized gain | 6,648,920 |
| Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on: | |
| Securities from unaffiliated issuers | 13,980,076 |
| Assets and liabilities in foreign currencies | (99) |
| Forward currency contracts | 177,032 |
| Futures contracts | (83,428) |
| Written options | (3,237) |
| Total change in net unrealized appreciation | 14,070,344 |
| Net gain on investments | 20,719,264 |
| Net increase in net assets resulting from operations | $21,204,226 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
Statement of changes in net assets
| | Year ended 12/31/24 | Year ended 12/31/23 |
| Increase in net assets | | |
| Operations: | | |
| Net investment income | $484,962 | $480,744 |
| Net realized gain on investments and foreign currency transactions | 6,648,920 | 875,496 |
| Change in net unrealized appreciation of investments and assets and liabilities in foreign currencies | 14,070,344 | 16,783,527 |
| Net increase in net assets resulting from operations | 21,204,226 | 18,139,767 |
| Distributions to shareholders (Note 1): | | |
| From ordinary income | | |
| Net investment income | | |
| Class IA | (151,050) | (223,851) |
| Class IB | (257,601) | (384,912) |
| Net realized short-term gain on investments | | |
| Class IA | (40,102) | — |
| Class IB | (101,020) | — |
| From capital gain on investments | | |
| Net realized long-term gain on investments | | |
| Class IA | (122,310) | — |
| Class IB | (308,111) | — |
| Increase (decrease) from capital share transactions (Note 4) | 2,055,270 | (123,252) |
| Total increase in net assets | 22,279,302 | 17,407,752 |
| Net assets: | | |
| Beginning of year | 80,509,840 | 63,102,088 |
| End of year | $102,789,142 | $80,509,840 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
| 10 | Putnam VT Research Fund |
Financial highlights
(For a common share outstanding throughout the period)
| INVESTMENT OPERATIONS: | LESS DISTRIBUTIONS: | RATIOS AND SUPPLEMENTAL DATA: |
| Period ended | Net asset value, beginning of period | Net investment income (loss)a | Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments | Total from investment operations | From net investment income | From net realized gain on investments | Total distributions | Net asset value, end of period | Total return at net asset value (%)b,c | Net assets, end of period (in thousands) | Ratio of expenses to average net assets (%)b,d | Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets (%) | Portfolio turnover (%) |
| Class IA |
| 12/31/24 | $34.91 | .28 | 8.95 | 9.23 | (.23) | (.24) | (.47) | $43.67 | 26.61 | $26,562 | .70 | .70 | 37 |
| 12/31/23 | 27.32 | .26 | 7.64 | 7.90 | (.31) | — | (.31) | 34.91 | 29.16 | 23,855 | .74 | .85 | 34 |
| 12/31/22 | 35.41 | .21 | (5.93) | (5.72) | (.27) | (2.10) | (2.37) | 27.32 | (17.07) | 20,807 | .76e | .74 | 40 |
| 12/31/21 | 30.80 | .18 | 6.90 | 7.08 | (.10) | (2.37) | (2.47) | 35.41 | 24.44 | 26,877 | .73 | .55 | 45 |
| 12/31/20 | 29.95 | .19 | 4.21 | 4.40 | (.25) | (3.30) | (3.55) | 30.80 | 20.23 | 23,098 | .82f | .72f | 74 |
| Class IB |
| 12/31/24 | $34.69 | .18 | 8.88 | 9.06 | (.15) | (.24) | (.39) | $43.36 | 26.28 | $76,227 | .95 | .45 | 37 |
| 12/31/23 | 27.15 | .18 | 7.60 | 7.78 | (.24) | — | (.24) | 34.69 | 28.86 | 56,655 | .99 | .60 | 34 |
| 12/31/22 | 35.22 | .14 | (5.91) | (5.77) | (.20) | (2.10) | (2.30) | 27.15 | (17.28) | 42,295 | 1.01e | .49 | 40 |
| 12/31/21 | 30.66 | .10 | 6.86 | 6.96 | (.03) | (2.37) | (2.40) | 35.22 | 24.13 | 45,787 | .98 | .29 | 45 |
| 12/31/20 | 29.81 | .13 | 4.19 | 4.32 | (.17) | (3.30) | (3.47) | 30.66 | 19.92 | 29,115 | 1.07f | .47f | 74 |
| a | Per share net investment income (loss) has been determined on the basis of the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the period. |
| b | The charges and expenses at the insurance company separate account level are not reflected. |
| c | Total return assumes dividend reinvestment. |
| d | Includes amounts paid through expense offset and/or brokerage/service arrangements, if any (Note 2). Also excludes acquired fund fees and expenses, if any. |
| e | Includes one-time proxy cost which amounted to 0.01%. |
| f | Reflects a voluntary waiver of certain fund expenses in effect during the period. As a result of such waiver, the expenses of each class reflect a reduction of 0.01% as a percentage of average net assets. |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
| Putnam VT Research Fund |
| 11 |
Notes to financial statements 12/31/24
Unless otherwise noted, the “reporting period” represents the period from January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024. The following table defines commonly used references within the Notes to financial statements:
| References to | Represent |
| 1940 Act | Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended |
| Franklin Advisers | Franklin Advisers, Inc., a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Templeton |
| Franklin Distributors | Franklin Distributors, LLC, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Templeton, and the fund’s distributor and principal underwriter for periods on or after August 2, 2024 |
| Franklin Templeton | Franklin Resources, Inc. |
| Franklin Templeton Services | Franklin Templeton Services, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Templeton |
| FTIML | Franklin Templeton Investment Management Limited |
| JPMorgan | JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. |
| OTC | Over-the-counter |
| PAC | The Putnam Advisory Company, LLC, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Templeton |
| PIL | Putnam Investments Limited, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Templeton |
| PSERV | Putnam Investor Services, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Templeton |
| Putnam Management | Putnam Investment Management, LLC, the fund’s investment manager, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Templeton |
| Putnam Retail Management | Putnam Retail Management Limited Partnership, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Templeton, and the fund’s distributor and principal underwriter for periods prior to August 2, 2024 |
| SEC | Securities and Exchange Commission |
| State Street | State Street Bank and Trust Company |
Putnam VT Research Fund (the fund) is a diversified series of Putnam Variable Trust (the Trust), a Massachusetts business trust registered under the 1940 Act as an open-end management investment company. The goal of the fund is to seek capital appreciation. The fund invests mainly in common stocks (growth or value stocks or both) of large U.S. companies that the fund’s investment manager believes have favorable investment potential. For example, the fund may purchase stocks of companies with stock prices that reflect a value lower than that which the fund’s investment manager places on the company. The fund’s investment manager may also consider other factors that the fund’s investment manager believes will cause the stock price to rise and 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.
The fund offers class IA and class IB shares of beneficial interest. Class IA shares are offered at net asset value and are not subject to a distribution fee. Class IB shares are offered at net asset value and pay an ongoing distribution fee, which is identified in Note 2.
In the normal course of business, the fund enters into contracts that may include agreements to indemnify another party under given circumstances. The fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown as this would involve future claims that may be, but have not yet been, made against the fund. However, the fund’s management team expects the risk of material loss to be remote.
The fund has entered into contractual arrangements with an investment adviser, administrator, distributor, shareholder servicing agent and custodian, who each provide services to the fund. Unless expressly stated otherwise, shareholders are not parties to, or intended beneficiaries of these contractual arrangements, and these contractual arrangements are not intended to create any shareholder right to enforce them against the service providers or to seek any remedy under them against the service providers, either directly or on behalf of the fund.
Under the Trust’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust, any claims asserted by a shareholder against or on behalf of the Trust (or its series), including claims against Trustees and Officers, must be brought in courts located within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Note 1: Significant accounting policies
The fund follows the accounting and reporting guidance in Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946, Financial Services – Investment Companies (ASC 946) and applies the specialized accounting and reporting guidance in U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (U.S. GAAP), including, but not limited to, ASC 946. The following is a summary of significant accounting policies consistently followed by the fund in the preparation of its financial statements. The preparation of financial statements is in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities in the financial statements and the reported amounts of increases and decreases in net assets from operations. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Subsequent events after the Statement of assets and liabilities date through the date that the financial statements were issued have been evaluated in the preparation of the financial statements.
Investment income, realized and unrealized gains and losses and expenses of the fund are borne pro-rata based on the relative net assets of each class to the total net assets of the fund, except that each class bears expenses unique to that class (including the distribution fees applicable to such classes). Each class votes as a class only with respect to its own distribution plan or other matters on which a class vote is required by law or determined by the Trustees. If the fund were liquidated, shares of each class would receive their pro-rata share of the net assets of the fund. In addition, the Trustees declare separate dividends on each class of shares.
Security valuation Portfolio securities and other investments are valued using policies and procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees (Trustees). The Trustees have formed a Pricing Committee to oversee the implementation of these procedures. Under compliance policies and procedures approved by the Trustees, the Trustees have designated the fund’s investment manager as the valuation designee and has responsibility for oversight of valuation. The investment manager is assisted by the fund’s administrator in performing this responsibility, including leading the cross-functional Valuation Committee (VC). The VC is responsible for making fair value determinations, evaluating the effectiveness of the pricing policies of the fund and reporting to the Trustees.
Investments for which market quotations are readily available are valued at the last reported sales price on their principal exchange, or official closing price for certain markets, and are classified as Level 1 securities under Accounting Standards Codification 820 Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (ASC 820). If no sales are reported, as in the case of some securities that are traded OTC, a security is valued at the average of the last reported bid and ask prices, the “mid price” (prior to July 22, 2024, the most recent bid price was used), and is generally categorized as a Level 2 security.
Investments in open-end investment companies (excluding exchange-traded funds), if any, which can be classified as Level 1 or Level 2 securities, are valued based on their net asset value. The net asset value of such investment companies equals the total value of their assets less their liabilities and divided by the number of their outstanding shares.
Market quotations are not considered to be readily available for certain debt obligations (including short-term investments with remaining maturities of 60 days or less) and other investments; such investments are valued on the basis of valuations furnished by an independent pricing service approved by the Trustees or dealers selected by the fund’s investment manager. Such services or dealers determine valuations for normal institutional-size trading units of such securities using methods based on market transactions for comparable securities and various relationships, generally recognized by institutional traders, between securities (which consider such factors as security prices, yields, maturities and ratings). These securities will generally be categorized as Level 2.
Many securities markets and exchanges outside the U.S. close prior to the scheduled close of the New York Stock Exchange and therefore the closing prices for securities in such markets or on such exchanges may not fully reflect events that occur after such close but before the scheduled close of the New York Stock Exchange. Reliable prices are not readily available for equity securities in these circumstances, where the value of a security has been affected by events after the close of the exchange or market on which the security is principally traded, but before the fund calculates its net asset value. To address this, the fund will fair value these securities as determined in accordance with procedures approved by the Trustees. This includes using an independent third-party pricing service to adjust the value of such securities to the latest indications of fair value at 4:00 p.m.
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(Eastern Time). These securities, which would generally be classified as Level 1 securities, will be transferred to Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy when they are valued at fair value. At the close of the reporting period, fair value pricing was used for certain foreign securities in the portfolio. Securities quoted in foreign currencies, if any, are translated into U.S. dollars at the current exchange rate.
To the extent a pricing service or dealer is unable to value a security or provides a valuation that the fund’s investment manager does not believe accurately reflects the security’s fair value, the security will be valued at fair value by the fund’s investment manager, which has been designated as valuation designee pursuant to Rule 2a–5 under the 1940 Act, in accordance with policies and procedures approved by the Trustees. Certain investments, including certain restricted and illiquid securities and derivatives, are also valued at fair value following procedures approved by the Trustees. These valuations consider such factors as significant market or specific security events such as interest rate or credit quality changes, various relationships with other securities, discount rates, U.S. Treasury, U.S. swap and credit yields, index levels, convexity exposures, recovery rates, sales and other multiples and resale restrictions. These securities are classified as Level 2 or as Level 3 depending on the priority of the significant inputs.
To assess the continuing appropriateness of fair valuations, the Valuation Committee reviews and affirms the reasonableness of such valuations on a regular basis after considering all relevant information that is reasonably available. Such valuations and procedures are reviewed periodically by the Trustees. The fair value of securities is generally determined as the amount that the fund could reasonably expect to realize from an orderly disposition of such securities over a reasonable period of time. By its nature, a fair value price is a good faith estimate of the value of a security in a current sale and does not reflect an actual market price, which may be different by a material amount.
Security transactions and related investment income Security transactions are recorded on the trade date (the date the order to buy or sell is executed). Gains or losses on securities sold are determined on the identified cost basis.
Interest income, net of any applicable withholding taxes, if any, is recorded on the accrual basis. Amortization and accretion of premiums and discounts on debt securities, if any, is recorded on the accrual basis.
Dividend income, net of any applicable withholding taxes, is recognized on the ex-dividend date except that certain dividends from foreign securities, if any, are recognized as soon as the fund is informed of the ex-dividend date. Non-cash dividends, if any, are recorded at the fair value of the securities received. Dividends representing a return of capital or capital gains, if any, are reflected as a reduction of cost and/or as a realized gain.
Foreign currency translation The accounting records of the fund are maintained in U.S. dollars. The fair value of foreign securities, currency holdings, and other assets and liabilities is recorded in the books and records of the fund after translation to U.S. dollars based on the exchange rates on that day. The cost of each security is determined using historical exchange rates. Income and withholding taxes are translated at prevailing exchange rates when earned or incurred. The fund does not isolate that portion of realized or unrealized gains or losses resulting from changes in the foreign exchange rate on investments from fluctuations arising from changes in the market prices of the securities. Such gains and losses are included with the net realized and unrealized gain or loss on investments. Net realized gains and losses on foreign currency transactions represent net realized exchange gains or losses on disposition of foreign currencies, currency gains and losses realized between the trade and settlement dates on securities transactions and the difference between the amount of investment income and foreign withholding taxes recorded on the fund’s books and the U.S. dollar equivalent amounts actually received or paid. Net unrealized appreciation and depreciation of assets and liabilities in foreign currencies arise from changes in the value of assets and liabilities other than investments at the period end, resulting from changes in the exchange rate.
Options contracts The fund uses options contracts for gaining exposure to securities.
The potential risk to the fund is that the change in value of options contracts may not correspond to the change in value of the hedged instruments. In addition, losses may arise from changes in the value of the underlying instruments if there is an illiquid secondary market for the contracts, if interest or exchange rates move unexpectedly or if the counterparty to the contract is unable to perform. Realized gains and losses on purchased options are included in realized gains and losses on investment securities. If a written call option is exercised, the premium originally received is recorded as an addition to sales proceeds. If a written put option is exercised, the premium originally received is recorded as a reduction to the cost of investments.
Exchange-traded options are valued at the last sale price. OTC traded options are valued using quotations from an independent pricing service.
Options on swaps are similar to options on securities except that the premium paid or received is to buy or grant the right to enter into a previously agreed upon interest rate or credit default contract. Forward premium swap option contracts include premiums that have extended settlement dates. The delayed settlement of the premiums is factored into the daily valuation of the option contracts. In the case of interest rate cap and floor contracts, in return for a premium, ongoing payments between two parties are based on interest rates exceeding a specified rate, in the case of a cap contract, or falling below a specified rate in the case of a floor contract.
Written option contracts outstanding at period end, if any, are listed after the fund’s portfolio.
Futures contracts The fund uses futures contracts for equitizing cash.
The potential risk to the fund is that the change in value of futures contracts may not correspond to the change in value of the hedged instruments. In addition, losses may arise from changes in the value of the underlying instruments, if there is an illiquid secondary market for the contracts, if interest or exchange rates move unexpectedly or if the counterparty to the contract is unable to perform. With futures, there is minimal counterparty credit risk to the fund since futures are exchange traded and the exchange’s clearinghouse, as counterparty to all exchange traded futures, guarantees the futures against default. Risks may exceed amounts recognized on the Statement of assets and liabilities. When the contract is closed, the fund records a realized gain or loss equal to the difference between the value of the contract at the time it was opened and the value at the time it was closed.
Futures contracts are valued at the quoted daily settlement prices established by the exchange on which they trade. The fund and the broker agree to exchange an amount of cash equal to the daily fluctuation in the value of the futures contract. Such receipts or payments are known as “variation margin.”
Futures contracts outstanding at period end, if any, are listed after the fund’s portfolio.
Forward currency contracts The fund buys and sells forward currency contracts, which are agreements between two parties to buy and sell currencies at a set price on a future date. These contracts are used for hedging foreign exchange risk.
The U.S. dollar value of forward currency contracts is determined using current forward currency exchange rates supplied by a quotation service. The fair value of the contract will fluctuate with changes in currency exchange rates. The contract is marked to market daily and the change in fair value is recorded as an unrealized gain or loss. The fund records a realized gain or loss equal to the difference between the value of the contract at the time it was opened and the value at the time it was closed when the contract matures or by delivery of the currency. The fund could be exposed to risk if the value of the currency changes unfavorably, if the counterparties to the contracts are unable to meet the terms of their contracts or if the fund is unable to enter into a closing position. Risks may exceed amounts recognized on the Statement of assets and liabilities.
Forward currency contracts outstanding at period end, if any, are listed after the fund’s portfolio.
Master agreements The fund is a party to ISDA (International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc.) Master Agreements (Master Agreements) with certain counterparties that govern OTC derivative and foreign exchange contracts entered into from time to time. The Master Agreements may contain provisions regarding, among other things, the parties’ general obligations, representations, agreements, collateral requirements, events of default and early termination. With respect to certain counterparties, in accordance with the terms of the Master Agreements, collateral pledged to the fund is held in a segregated account by the fund’s custodian and, with respect to those amounts which can be sold or repledged, is presented in the fund’s portfolio.
Collateral pledged by the fund is segregated by the fund’s custodian and identified in the fund’s portfolio. Collateral can be in the form of cash or debt securities issued by the U.S. Government or related agencies or other securities as agreed to by the fund and the applicable counterparty. Collateral requirements are determined based on the fund’s net position with each counterparty.
With respect to ISDA Master Agreements, termination events applicable to the fund may occur upon a decline in the fund’s net assets below a specified threshold over a certain period of time. Termination events applicable to counterparties may occur upon a decline in the counterparty’s long-term or short-term credit ratings below a specified level. In each case, upon occurrence, the other party may elect to terminate early and cause settlement of all derivative and foreign exchange
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contracts outstanding, including the payment of any losses and costs resulting from such early termination, as reasonably determined by the terminating party. Any decision by one or more of the fund’s counterparties to elect early termination could impact the fund’s future derivative activity.
At the close of the reporting period, the fund did not have a net liability position on open derivative contracts subject to the Master Agreements.
Securities lending The fund may lend securities, through its agent, to qualified borrowers in order to earn additional income. The loans are collateralized by cash in an amount at least equal to the fair value of the securities loaned. The fair value of securities loaned is determined daily and any additional required collateral is allocated to the fund on the next business day. The remaining maturities of the securities lending transactions are considered overnight and continuous. The risk of borrower default will be borne by the fund’s agent; the fund will bear the risk of loss with respect to the investment of the cash collateral. Income from securities lending, if any, is net of expenses and is included in investment income on the Statement of operations. Cash collateral is invested in Putnam Cash Collateral Pool, LLC, a limited liability company that is managed by an affiliate of Putnam Management. Investments in Putnam Cash Collateral Pool, LLC are valued at its closing net asset value each business day. There are no management fees charged to Putnam Cash Collateral Pool, LLC. At the close of the reporting period, the fund received cash collateral of $1,389,335 and the value of securities loaned amounted to $1,361,809.
Interfund lending The fund, along with other Putnam funds, may participate in an interfund lending program pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the SEC. This program allows the fund to borrow from or lend to other Putnam funds that permit such transactions. Interfund lending transactions are subject to each fund’s investment policies and borrowing and lending limits. Interest earned or paid on the interfund lending transaction will be based on the average of certain current market rates. During the reporting period, the fund did not utilize the program.
Lines of credit Prior to January 31, 2025, the fund participated, along with other Putnam funds, in a $320 million syndicated unsecured committed line of credit, provided by State Street ($160 million) and JPMorgan ($160 million), and a $235.5 million unsecured uncommitted line of credit, provided by State Street. Borrowings could be made for temporary or emergency purposes, including the funding of shareholder redemption requests and trade settlements. Interest is charged to the fund based on the fund’s borrowing at a rate equal to 1.25% plus the higher of (1) the Federal Funds rate and (2) the Overnight Bank Funding Rate for the committed line of credit and 1.30% plus the higher of (1) the Federal Funds rate and (2) the Overnight Bank Funding Rate for the uncommitted line of credit. A closing fee equal to 0.04% of the committed line of credit and 0.04% of the uncommitted line of credit was paid by the participating funds and a $75,000 fee was paid by the participating funds to State Street as agent of the syndicated committed line of credit. In addition, a commitment fee of 0.21% per annum on any unutilized portion of the committed line of credit is allocated to the participating funds based on their relative net assets and paid quarterly. During the reporting period, the fund had no borrowings against these arrangements.
Effective January 31, 2025, the fund, together with other U.S. registered and foreign investment funds managed by an affiliate of Franklin Templeton are borrowers in a joint syndicated senior unsecured credit facility totaling $2.995 billion, which matures on January 30, 2026.
Federal taxes It is the policy of the fund to distribute all of its taxable income within the prescribed time period and otherwise comply with the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code), applicable to regulated investment companies.
The fund is subject to the provisions of Accounting Standards Codification 740 Income Taxes (ASC 740). ASC 740 sets forth a minimum threshold for financial statement recognition of the benefit of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. The fund did not have a liability to record for any unrecognized tax benefits in the accompanying financial statements. No provision has been made for federal taxes on income, capital gains or unrealized appreciation on securities held nor for excise tax on income and capital gains. Each of the fund’s federal tax returns for the prior three fiscal years remains subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service.
The fund may also be subject to taxes imposed by governments of countries in which it invests. Such taxes are generally based on either income or gains earned or repatriated. The fund accrues and applies such taxes to net investment income, net realized gains and net unrealized gains as income and/or capital gains are earned. In some cases, the fund may be entitled to reclaim all or a portion of such taxes, and such reclaim amounts, if any, are reflected as an asset and other income on the fund’s books. In many cases, however, the fund may not receive such amounts for an extended period of time, depending on the country of investment.
Distributions to shareholders Distributions to shareholders from net investment income, if any, are recorded by the fund on the ex-dividend date. Distributions from capital gains, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date and paid at least annually. The amount and character of income and gains to be distributed are determined in accordance with income tax regulations, which may differ from generally accepted accounting principles. These differences include temporary and/or permanent differences from losses on wash sale transactions, from foreign currency gains and losses, from unrealized gains and losses on certain futures contracts and from straddle loss deferrals. Reclassifications are made to the fund’s capital accounts to reflect income and gains available for distribution (or available capital loss carryovers) under income tax regulations. At the close of the reporting period, the fund reclassified $38,859 to increase undistributed net investment income, $2 to increase paid-in capital and $38,861 to decrease accumulated net realized gain.
Tax cost of investments includes adjustments to net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) which may not necessarily be final tax cost basis adjustments, but closely approximate the tax basis unrealized gains and losses that may be realized and distributed to shareholders. The tax basis components of distributable earnings and the federal tax cost as of the close of the reporting period were as follows:
| Unrealized appreciation | $41,127,169 |
| Unrealized depreciation | (1,591,157) |
| Net unrealized appreciation | 39,536,012 |
| Undistributed ordinary income | 669,592 |
| Undistributed short-term gain | 1,471,002 |
| Undistributed long-term gain | 5,212,735 |
| Cost for federal income tax | $64,729,997 |
Expenses of the Trust Expenses directly charged or attributable to any fund will be paid from the assets of that fund. Generally, expenses of the Trust will be allocated among and charged to the assets of each fund on a basis that the Trustees deem fair and equitable, which may be based on the relative assets of each fund or the nature of the services performed and relative applicability to each fund.
Beneficial interest At the close of the reporting period, insurance companies or their separate accounts were record owners of all but a de minimis number of the shares of the fund. Approximately 35.2% of the fund is owned by accounts of one insurance company.
Note 2: Management fee, administrative services and other transactions
The fund pays Putnam Management a management fee (based on the fund’s average net assets and computed and paid monthly) at annual rates that may vary based on the average of the aggregate net assets of all open-end mutual funds sponsored by Putnam Management (including open-end funds managed by affiliates of Putnam Management that have been deemed to be sponsored by Putnam Management for this purpose) (excluding net assets of funds that are invested in, or that are invested in by, other Putnam funds to the extent necessary to avoid “double counting” of those assets). Such annual rates may vary as follows:
| 0.710% | of the first $5 billion, |
| 0.660% | of the next $5 billion, |
| 0.610% | of the next $10 billion, |
| 0.560% | of the next $10 billion, |
| 0.510% | of the next $50 billion, |
| 0.490% | of the next $50 billion, |
| 0.480% | of the next $100 billion and |
| 0.475% | of any excess thereafter. |
For the reporting period, the management fee represented an effective rate (excluding the impact from any expense waivers in effect) of 0.539% of the fund’s average net assets.
Putnam Management has contractually agreed, through April 30, 2026, to waive fees and/or reimburse the fund’s expenses to the extent necessary to limit the cumulative expenses of the fund, exclusive of brokerage, interest, taxes, investment-related expenses, extraordinary expenses, acquired fund fees and expenses and payments under the fund’s investor servicing contract, investment management contract and distribution plan, on a fiscal year-to-date basis to an annual rate of 0.20% of the fund’s average net assets over such fiscal year-to-date period. During the reporting period, the fund’s expenses were not reduced as a result of this limit.
Effective July 15, 2024, Franklin Advisers was retained by Putnam Management as a sub-advisor for the fund pursuant to a new sub-advisory agreement between Putnam Management and Franklin Advisers. Pursuant to the agreement, Franklin Advisers provides certain advisory and related services. Putnam Management pays a monthly fee to Franklin Advisers based on the costs of Franklin Advisers in
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providing these services to the fund, which may include a mark-up not to exceed 15% over such costs.
Effective November 1, 2024, FTIML is authorized by the Trustees to manage a separate portion of the assets of the fund as determined by Putnam Management from time to time. FTIML did not manage any portion of the assets of the fund during the reporting period. If Putnam Management were to engage the services of FTIML, Putnam Management (and not the fund) would pay a monthly sub-management fee to FTIML for its services at an annual rate of 0.25% of the average net assets of the portion of the fund managed by FTIML.
Prior to November 1, 2024, PIL was authorized by the Trustees to manage a separate portion of the assets of the fund as determined by Putnam Management from time to time. PIL did not manage any portion of the assets of the fund during the reporting period. If Putnam Management had engaged the services of PIL, Putnam Management (and not the fund) would have paid a quarterly sub-management fee to PIL for its services at an annual rate of 0.25% of the average net assets of the portion of the fund managed by PIL. Effective November 1, 2024, PIL merged into FTIML, and PIL investment professionals became employees of FTIML.
PAC is authorized by the Trustees to manage a separate portion of the assets of the fund, as designated from time to time by Putnam Management or PIL (prior to November 1, 2024). PAC did not manage any portion of the assets of the fund during the reporting period. If Putnam Management were to engage the services of PAC, Putnam Management (and not the fund) would pay a monthly sub-advisory fee to PAC for its services at the annual rate of 0.25% of the average net assets of the portion of the fund’s assets for which PAC is engaged as sub-advisor.
Effective June 1, 2024, Franklin Templeton Services provides certain administrative services to the fund. The fee for those services is paid by the fund’s investment manager based on the fund’s average daily net assets and is not an additional expense of the fund.
The fund reimburses Putnam Management an allocated amount for the compensation and related expenses of certain officers of the fund and their staff who provide administrative services to the fund. The aggregate amount of all such reimbursements is determined annually by the Trustees.
Custodial functions for the fund’s assets are provided by State Street. Custodian fees are based on the fund’s asset level, the number of its security holdings and transaction volumes.
PSERV, an affiliate of Putnam Management, provides investor servicing agent functions to the fund. PSERV was paid a monthly fee for investor servicing at an annual rate of 0.07% of the fund’s average daily net assets. During the reporting period, the expenses for each class of shares related to investor servicing fees were as follows:
| Class IA | $18,157 |
| Class IB | 47,197 |
| Total | $65,354 |
The fund has entered into expense offset arrangements with PSERV and State Street whereby PSERV’s and State Street’s fees are reduced by credits allowed on cash balances. For the reporting period, the fund’s expenses were reduced by $18 under the expense offset arrangements.
Each Independent Trustee of the fund receives an annual Trustee fee, of which $66, as a quarterly retainer, has been allocated to the fund, and an additional fee for each Trustees meeting attended. Trustees also are reimbursed for expenses they incur relating to their services as Trustees.
The fund has adopted a Trustee Fee Deferral Plan (the Deferral Plan) which allows the Trustees to defer the receipt of all or a portion of Trustees fees payable from July 1, 1995 through December 31, 2023. The deferred fees remain invested in certain Putnam funds until distribution in accordance with the Deferral Plan.
The fund has adopted an unfunded noncontributory defined benefit pension plan (the Pension Plan) covering all Trustees of the fund who have served as a Trustee for at least five years and were first elected prior to 2004. Benefits under the Pension Plan are equal to 50% of the Trustee’s average annual attendance and retainer fees for the three years ended December 31, 2005. The retirement benefit is payable during a Trustee’s lifetime, beginning the year following retirement, for the number of years of service through December 31, 2006. Pension expense for the fund is included in Trustee compensation and expenses in the Statement of operations. Accrued pension liability is included in Payable for Trustee compensation and expenses in the Statement of assets and liabilities. The Trustees have terminated the Pension Plan with respect to any Trustee first elected after 2003.
The fund has adopted a distribution plan (the Plan) with respect to its class IB shares pursuant to Rule 12b–1 under the 1940 Act. The purpose of the Plan is to compensate Franklin Distributors, or prior to August 2, 2024, Putnam Retail Management, for services provided and expenses incurred in distributing shares of the fund. The Plan provides for payment by the fund to Franklin Distributors and to Putnam Retail Management at an annual rate of up to 0.35% of the average net assets attributable to the fund’s class IB shares. The Trustees have approved payment by the fund at an annual rate of 0.25% of the average net assets attributable to the fund’s class IB shares. The expenses related to distribution fees during the reporting period are included in Distribution fees in the Statement of operations and were paid out as follows:
| Franklin Distributors | $75,448 |
| Putnam Retail Management | 93,148 |
| Total | $168,596 |
Note 3: Purchases and sales of securities
During the reporting period, the cost of purchases and the proceeds from sales, excluding short-term investments, were as follows:
| | Cost of purchases | Proceeds from sales |
| Investments in securities (Long-term) | $35,854,330 | $33,761,716 |
| U.S. government securities (Long-term) | — | — |
| Total | $35,854,330 | $33,761,716 |
The fund may purchase or sell investments from or to other Putnam funds in the ordinary course of business, which can reduce the fund’s transaction costs, at prices determined in accordance with SEC requirements and policies approved by the Trustees. During the reporting period, purchases or sales of long-term securities from or to other Putnam funds, if any, did not represent more than 5% of the fund’s total cost of purchases and/or total proceeds from sales.
Note 4: Capital shares
At the close of the reporting period, there were an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest authorized. Subscriptions and redemptions are presented at the omnibus level. Transactions in capital shares were as follows:
| | Class IA shares | Class IB shares |
| | Year ended 12/31/24 | Year ended 12/31/23 | Year ended 12/31/24 | Year ended 12/31/23 |
| | Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount |
| Shares sold | 16,346 | $664,623 | 47,450 | $1,481,604 | 336,884 | $13,569,333 | 227,139 | $6,897,875 |
| Shares issued in connection with reinvestment of distributions | 8,094 | 313,462 | 7,830 | 223,851 | 17,304 | 666,731 | 13,525 | 384,912 |
| | 24,440 | 978,085 | 55,280 | 1,705,455 | 354,188 | 14,236,064 | 240,664 | 7,282,787 |
| Shares repurchased | (99,471) | (3,987,418) | (133,650) | (4,081,172) | (229,439) | (9,171,461) | (165,285) | (5,030,322) |
| Net increase (decrease) | (75,031) | $(3,009,333) | (78,370) | $(2,375,717) | 124,749 | $5,064,603 | 75,379 | $2,252,465 |
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Note 5: Affiliated transactions
Transactions during the reporting period with any company which is under common ownership or control were as follows:
| Name of affiliate | Fair value as of 12/31/23 | Purchase cost | Sale proceeds | Investment income | Shares outstanding and fair value as of 12/31/24 |
| Short-term investments | | | | | |
| Putnam Cash Collateral Pool, LLC* | $1,558,400 | $20,079,760 | $20,248,825 | $54,114 | $1,389,335 |
| Putnam Short Term Investment Fund Class P ‡ | 2,594,949 | 16,631,987 | 16,473,854 | 125,590 | 2,753,082 |
| Total Short-term investments | $4,153,349 | $36,711,747 | $36,722,679 | $179,704 | $4,142,417 |
| * No management fees are charged to Putnam Cash Collateral Pool, LLC (Note 1). Investment income shown is included in securities lending income on the Statement of operations. There were no realized or unrealized gains or losses during the period. |
| ‡ Management fees charged to Putnam Short Term Investment Fund have been waived by Putnam Management. There were no realized or unrealized gains or losses during the period. |
Note 6: Market, credit and other risks
In the normal course of business, the fund trades financial instruments and enters into financial transactions where risk of potential loss exists due to changes in the market (market risk) or failure of the contracting party to the transaction to perform (credit risk). The fund may be exposed to additional credit risk that an institution or other entity with which the fund has unsettled or open transactions will default. Investments in foreign securities involve certain risks, including those related to economic instability, unfavorable political developments, and currency fluctuations.
Note 7: Summary of derivative activity
The volume of activity for the reporting period for any derivative type that was held during the period is listed below and was based on an average of the holdings at the end of each fiscal quarter:
| Purchased equity option contracts (contract amount) | $13,000 |
| Written equity option contracts (contract amount) | $13,000 |
| Futures contracts (number of contracts) | 4 |
| Forward currency contracts (contract amount) | $4,900,000 |
The following is a summary of the fair value of derivative instruments as of the close of the reporting period:
| Fair value of derivative instruments as of the close of the reporting period |
| | Asset derivatives | Liability derivatives |
| Derivatives not accounted for as hedging instruments under ASC 815 | Statement of assets and liabilities location | Fair value | Statement of assets and liabilities location | Fair value |
| Foreign exchange contracts | Receivables | $107,959 | Payables | $764 |
| Equity contracts | Investments | — | Payables | 57,775 * |
| Total | | $107,959 | | $58,539 |
| * Includes cumulative appreciation/depreciation of futures contracts as reported in the fund’s portfolio. Only current day’s variation margin is reported within the Statement of assets and liabilities. |
The following is a summary of realized and change in unrealized gains or losses of derivative instruments in the Statement of operations for the reporting period (Note 1):
| Amount of realized gain or (loss) on derivatives recognized in net gain or (loss) on investments |
| Derivatives not accounted for as hedging instruments under ASC 815 | Options | Futures | Forward currency contracts | Total |
| Foreign exchange contracts | $— | $— | $34,822 | $34,822 |
| Equity contracts | 106,516 | 336,949 | — | 443,465 |
| Total | $106,516 | $336,949 | $34,822 | $478,287 |
| Change in unrealized appreciation or (depreciation) on derivatives recognized in net gain or (loss) on investments |
| Derivatives not accounted for as hedging instruments under ASC 815 | Options | Futures | Forward currency contracts | Total |
| Foreign exchange contracts | $— | $— | $177,032 | $177,032 |
| Equity contracts | 4,846 | (83,428) | — | (78,582) |
| Total | $4,846 | $(83,428) | $177,032 | $98,450 |
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| Putnam VT Research Fund |
Note 8: Offsetting of financial and derivative assets and liabilities
The following table summarizes any derivatives, repurchase agreements and reverse repurchase agreements, at the end of the reporting period, that are subject to an enforceable master netting agreement or similar agreement. For securities lending transactions or borrowing transactions associated with securities sold short, if any, see Note 1. For financial reporting purposes, the fund does not offset financial assets and financial liabilities that are subject to the master netting agreements in the Statement of assets and liabilities.
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| | Bank of America N.A. | Barclays Bank PLC | BofA Securities, Inc. | Citibank, N.A. | Goldman Sachs International | HSBC Bank USA, National Association | JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. |
| Assets: | | | | | | | |
| Futures contracts § | $— | $— | $— | $— | $— | $— | $— |
| Forward currency contracts # | 6,993 | 4,030 | — | 14,810 | 19,631 | 526 | 16,442 |
| Total Assets | $6,993 | $4,030 | $— | $14,810 | $19,631 | $526 | $16,442 |
| Liabilities: | | | | | | | |
| Futures contracts § | — | — | 6,921 | — | — | — | — |
| Forward currency contracts # | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Total Liabilities | $— | $— | $6,921 | $— | $— | $— | $— |
| Total Financial and Derivative Net Assets | $6,993 | $4,030 | $(6,921) | $14,810 | $19,631 | $526 | $16,442 |
| Total collateral received (pledged) †## | $— | $— | $— | $— | $— | $— | $— |
| Net amount | $6,993 | $4,030 | $(6,921) | $14,810 | $19,631 | $526 | $16,442 |
| Controlled collateral received (including TBA commitments)** | $— | $— | $— | $— | $— | $— | $— |
| Uncontrolled collateral received | $— | $— | $— | $— | $— | $— | $— |
| Collateral (pledged) (including TBA commitments)** | $— | $— | $— | $— | $— | $— | $— |
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| | Morgan Stanley & Co. International PLC | NatWest Markets PLC | State Street Bank and Trust Co. | Toronto-Dominion Bank | UBS AG | Total |
| Assets: | | | | | | |
| Futures contracts § | $— | $— | $— | $— | $— | $— |
| Forward currency contracts # | 15,046 | 10,788 | 1,130 | 868 | 17,695 | 107,959 |
| Total Assets | $15,046 | $10,788 | $1,130 | $868 | $17,695 | $107,959 |
| Liabilities: | | | | | | |
| Futures contracts § | — | — | — | — | — | 6,921 |
| Forward currency contracts # | — | — | 764 | — | — | 764 |
| Total Liabilities | $— | $— | $764 | $— | $— | $7,685 |
| Total Financial and Derivative Net Assets | $15,046 | $10,788 | $366 | $868 | $17,695 | $100,274 |
| Total collateral received (pledged) †## | $— | $— | $— | $— | $— | |
| Net amount | $15,046 | $10,788 | $366 | $868 | $17,695 | |
| Controlled collateral received (including TBA commitments)** | $— | $— | $— | $— | $— | $— |
| Uncontrolled collateral received | $— | $— | $— | $— | $— | $— |
| Collateral (pledged) (including TBA commitments)** | $— | $— | $— | $— | $— | $— |
| ** | Included with Investments in securities on the Statement of assets and liabilities. |
| † | Additional collateral may be required from certain brokers based on individual agreements. |
| # | Covered by master netting agreement (Note 1). |
| ## | Any over-collateralization of total financial and derivative net assets is not shown. Collateral may include amounts related to unsettled agreements. |
| § | Includes current day’s variation margin only as reported on the Statement of assets and liabilities, which is not collateralized. Cumulative appreciation/(depreciation) for futures contracts is represented in the tables listed after the fund’s portfolio. Collateral pledged for initial margin on futures contracts, which is not included in the table above, amounted to $198,701. |
| Putnam VT Research Fund |
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Note 9: Operating segments
The fund has adopted the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280) - Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures. The update is limited to disclosure requirements and does not impact the fund’s financial position or results of operations.
The fund operates as a single operating segment, which is an investment portfolio. The fund’s investment manager serves as the Chief Operating Decision Maker (CODM), evaluating fund-wide results and performance under a unified investment strategy. The CODM uses these measures to assess fund performance and allocate resources effectively. Internal reporting provided to the CODM aligns with the accounting policies and measurement principles used in the financial statements.
For information regarding segment assets, segment profit or loss, and significant expenses, refer to the Statement of assets and liabilities and the Statement of operations, along with the related notes to the financial statements. The fund’s portfolio provides details of the fund’s investments that generate returns such as interest, dividends, and realized and unrealized gains or losses. Performance metrics, including portfolio turnover and expense ratios, are disclosed in the Financial highlights.
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| Putnam VT Research Fund |
Federal tax information (Unaudited)
Pursuant to §852 of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended, the fund hereby designates $5,471,453 as a capital gain dividend with respect to the taxable year ended December 31, 2024, or, if subsequently determined to be different, the net capital gain of such year.
The fund designated $931,239 of income eligible as qualifying for the dividends received deduction for corporations.
| Putnam VT Research Fund |
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Changes in and disagreements with accountants
Not applicable
Results of any shareholder votes
Not applicable
Remuneration paid to directors, officers, and others
Remuneration paid to directors, officers, and others is included in the Notes to financial statements above.
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| Putnam VT Research Fund |
Board approval of management and subadvisory agreements (Unaudited)
At its meeting on September 27, 2024, the Board of Trustees of your fund, including all of the Trustees who are not “interested persons” (as this term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”)) of the Putnam mutual funds, closed-end funds and exchange-traded funds (collectively, the “funds”) (the “Independent Trustees”), approved a new Sub-Advisory Agreement with respect to your fund (the “New FTIML Sub-Advisory Agreement”) between Putnam Investment Management, LLC (“Putnam Management”) and its affiliate, Franklin Templeton Investment Management Limited (“FTIML”), and an amended and restated Sub-Advisory Contract with respect to your fund (the “Amended PAC Sub-Advisory Contract”) between Putnam Management and its affiliate, The Putnam Advisory Company, LLC (“PAC”). Putnam Management, FTIML, and PAC are each direct or indirect, wholly-owned subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc. (“Franklin Templeton”). (Because FTIML and PAC are affiliates of Putnam Management and Putnam Management remains fully responsible for all services provided by FTIML and PAC, the Trustees did not attempt to evaluate FTIML and PAC as separate entities.)
The Board of Trustees, with the assistance of its Contract Committee (which consists solely of Independent Trustees) and its independent legal counsel (as that term is defined in Rule 0-1(a)(6)(i) under the 1940 Act), requested and evaluated all information it deemed reasonably necessary under the circumstances in connection with its review of the New FTIML Sub-Advisory Agreement and the Amended PAC Sub-Advisory Contract. At its September 2024 meeting, the Contract Committee met with representatives of Putnam Management and Franklin Templeton, and separately in executive session, to consider the information provided. At the September Trustees’ meetings, the Contract Committee also met in executive session with the other Independent Trustees to discuss its observations and recommendations. Throughout this process, the Contract Committee was assisted by the members of the Board of Trustees’ independent staff and by independent legal counsel for the Independent Trustees.
Considerations in connection with the Trustees’ approval of the New FTIML Sub-Advisory Agreement
The Trustees considered the proposed New FTIML Sub-Advisory Agreement in connection with the planned November 1, 2024 merger (the “Merger”) of Putnam Investments Limited (“PIL”), an affiliate of Putnam Management and a sub-adviser to your fund prior to the Merger, with and into FTIML. The Trustees considered that, in connection with the Merger, PIL investment professionals would become employees of FTIML, and, upon consummation of the Merger, PIL would cease to exist as a separate legal entity. The Trustees noted that Franklin Templeton viewed the Merger as a further step in the integration of the legacy Putnam and Franklin Templeton organizations, offering potential operational efficiencies and enhanced investment resources for the funds. The Trustees also considered, among other factors, that:
• The Merger and the New FTIML Sub-Advisory Agreement would not result in any reduction or material change in the nature or the level of the sub-advisory services provided to the funds;
• The PIL portfolio managers who are responsible for the day-to-day management of the applicable funds would be the same immediately prior to, and immediately after, the Merger, and these investment personnel would have access to the same research and other resources to support their respective investment advisory functions and operate under the same conditions both immediately before and after the Merger;
• Despite a change in the sub-advisory fee structure for certain funds, the New FTIML Sub-Advisory Agreement would not result in an increase in the advisory fee rates payable by each fund, as Putnam Management would be responsible for overseeing the investment advisory services provided to the applicable funds by FTIML under the New FTIML Sub-Advisory Agreement and would compensate FTIML for such services out of the fees it receives under each fund’s Management Contract with Putnam Management (each, a “Current Management Contract”); and
• The terms of the New FTIML Sub-Advisory Agreement were substantially similar to those under the sub-management contract between Putnam Management and PIL with respect to the fund (the “PIL Sub-Management Contract”). 1
The Trustees also considered that, prior to the Merger, counsel to Putnam Management and FTIML had provided a legal opinion that the Merger and the appointment of FTIML as sub-adviser to the funds would not result in an “assignment” under the 1940 Act of the PIL Sub-Management Contract and that the New FTIML Sub-Advisory Agreement did not require shareholder approval.
In addition, the Trustees considered that, in connection with their review of your fund’s Current Management Contract and the PIL Sub-Management Contract over the course of several months ending in June 2023, they had considered information regarding the nature, extent and quality of the services provided to the fund, the fund’s performance, the fund’s management fees and expense ratios, the profitability of Putnam Management and its affiliates in providing services to the fund, whether there had been economies of scale with respect to the management of the fund and other benefits received by Putnam Management and its affiliates as a result of their relationships with the fund. Because, other than the parties to the contract, the revised sub-advisory fee structure for certain funds, and certain other non-substantive changes to contractual terms, the New FTIML Sub-Advisory Agreement was substantially similar to the PIL Sub-Management Contract, the Trustees relied to a considerable extent on their previous approval of the PIL Sub-Management Contract in connection with their consideration of the New FTIML Sub-Advisory Agreement.
The Trustees also considered information received as part of the review process ending in June 2024 in connection with their consideration of a new Sub-Advisory Agreement for your fund (the “Franklin Advisers Sub-Advisory Agreement”) between Putnam Management and Franklin Advisers, Inc., an affiliate of Putnam Management and FTIML, including updated information regarding the profitability of Putnam Management and its affiliates, potential economies of scale, other benefits received by Putnam Management and its affiliates as a result of their relationships with the funds, and the performance and expenses of the funds. The Trustees also considered other information received in connection with their review of the Franklin Advisers Sub-Advisory Agreement, including certain performance information for Franklin Templeton’s fixed income and investment solutions investment strategies and information regarding the revenues, expenses and profitability of Franklin Templeton’s global investment management business and its U.S.
1 The New PIL Sub-Management Contract was operative until the effective date of the Merger, November 1, 2024, and was replaced by the New FTIML Sub-Advisory Agreement effective as of that date.
| Putnam VT Research Fund |
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registered investment company business, which included the financial results of FTIML.
Considerations in connection with the Trustees’ approval of the Amended PAC Sub-Advisory Contract
With respect to the proposed Amended PAC Sub-Advisory Contract, the Trustees considered that the contract was being amended and restated to remove PIL as a party to the contract, revise the sub-advisory fee structure for certain funds, and make certain other non-substantive changes to contractual terms. The Trustees noted that removing PIL from the sub-advisory contract with respect to the fund among Putnam Management, PIL, and PAC (the “PAC Sub-Advisory Contract”) would have no impact on the management of the funds, since Putnam Management, and not PIL, had been (under the PAC Sub-Advisory Contract), and would continue to be (under the Amended PAC Sub-Advisory Contract), responsible for overseeing any services provided by PAC to the applicable funds. The Trustees also considered that the Amended PAC Sub-Advisory Contract would not result in an increase in the advisory fee rates payable by each fund, as Putnam Management would compensate PAC for such services out of the fees it receives under each fund’s Current Management Contract.
Board of Trustees’ Conclusions
After considering the factors described above, as well as other factors, the Board of Trustees, including all of the Independent Trustees, concluded that the fees payable under the New FTIML Sub-Advisory Agreement and the Amended PAC Sub-Advisory Contract represented reasonable compensation in light of the nature and quality of the services that would be provided to the funds, and determined to approve the New FTIML Sub-Advisory Agreement and the Amended PAC Sub-Advisory Contract for your fund. These conclusions were based on a comprehensive consideration of all information provided to the Trustees and were not the result of any single factor.
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| Putnam VT Research Fund |
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| © 2024 Franklin Templeton. All rights reserved. | 38983-AFSOI 2/25 |
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| Item 8. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants for Open-End Management Investment Companies. |
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| Included in Item 7 above. |
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| Item 9. Proxy Disclosure for Open-End Management Investment Companies. |
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| Included in Item 7 above. |
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| Item 10. Remuneration Paid to Directors, Officers, and Others of Open-End Management Investment Companies. |
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| Included in Item 7 above. |
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| Item 11. Statement Regarding Basis for Approval of Investment Advisory Contract. |
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| Included in Item 7 above. |
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| Item 12. Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures For Closed-End Management Investment Companies: |
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| Item 13. Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Investment Companies |
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| Item 14. Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Companies and Affiliated Purchasers: |
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| Item 15. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders: |
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| Item 16. Controls and Procedures: |
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| (a) The registrant’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded, based on their evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of this report, that the design and operation of such procedures are generally effective to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by the registrant in this report is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms. |
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| (b) Changes in internal control over financial reporting: Not applicable |
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| Item 17. Disclosures of Securities Lending Activities for Closed-End Investment Companies: |
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| Item 18. Recovery of Erroneously Awarded Compensation. |
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| (a)(1) The Code of Ethics of The Putnam Funds and Franklin Templeton are filed herewith. |
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| (a)(2) Any policy required by the listing standards adopted pursuant to Rule 10D-1 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.10D-1) by the registered national securities exchange or registered national securities association upon which the registrant’s securities are listed. |
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| Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized. |
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| By (Signature and Title): |
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| Jeffrey White
Principal Accounting Officer |
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| Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated. |
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| By (Signature and Title): |
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| Jonathan S. Horwitz
Principal Executive Officer |
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| By (Signature and Title): |
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| Jeffrey White
Principal Financial Officer |
