New Jersey Tax Exempt Income Fund (PTNJX)

Seeking a high level of tax-free income

Pictured:
Thalia Meehan, CFA
(investing since 1983)

Fund price

 Yesterday's close 52-week high 52-week low
Net asset value $9.23
-0.33% ( $-0.03 )		 $9.88
(05/01/13) 		$8.93
(09/09/13)
 
Historical

Management team

Seeking a high level of tax-free income

  • Tax-advantaged income: The fund offers New Jersey residents the potential for high current income that is free from federal income tax and New Jersey State personal income taxes.
  • Focus on performance: The portfolio managers seek to provide a competitive yield through a combination of careful security selection and portfolio construction strategies.
  • A high-quality portfolio: A diversified portfolio of low-risk, high-quality investments enables the managers to pursue current income while maintaining a relatively stable share value.

Current performance may be lower or higher than the quoted past performance, which cannot guarantee future results. Share price, principal value, and return will vary, and you may have a gain or loss when you sell your shares. To obtain the most recent month-end performance, visit putnam.com.

Performance assumes reinvestment of distributions and does not account for taxes. Returns before sales charge do not reflect the current maximum sales charges as indicated below. Had the sales charge been reflected, returns would be lower. Returns at public offering price (after sales charge) for class A and class M shares reflect the current maximum initial sales charges of 5.75% and 3.50% for equity funds and Putnam Absolute Return 500 Fund and 700 Fund, and 4.00% and 3.25% for income funds (1.00% and 0.75% for Putnam Floating Rate Income Fund, Putnam Absolute Return 100 Fund and 300 Fund, and Putnam Short-Term Municipal Income Fund), respectively. Class B share returns reflect the applicable contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC), which is 5% in the first year, declining to 1% in the sixth year, and is eliminated thereafter (except for Putnam Floating Rate Income Fund, Putnam Absolute Return 100 Fund and 300 Fund, and Putnam Short-Term Municipal Income Fund, which is 1% in the first year, declining to 0.5% in the second year, and is eliminated thereafter). Class C shares reflect a 1% CDSC the first year that is eliminated thereafter. Performance for class B, C, M, R, T, and Y shares prior to their inception is derived from the historical performance of class A shares, adjusted for the applicable sales charge (or CDSC) and, except for class Y shares, the higher operating expenses for such shares (with the exception of Putnam Tax-Free High Yield Fund and Putnam AMT-Free Municipal Fund, which are based on the historical performance of class B shares). Performance for Class R5/R6 shares before their inception are derived from the historical performance of class Y shares, which have not been adjusted for the lower expenses; had they, returns would have been higher. Class A, M, and T shares of Putnam money market funds have no initial sales charge. For a portion of the period, some funds had expenses limitations or had been sold on a limited basis with limited assets and expenses, without which returns would be lower.

Objective

The fund seeks as high a level of current income exempt from federal income tax and personal income tax (if any) of the state of New Jersey as we believe is consistent with preservation of capital.

Fund facts as of 02/28/14

Fiscal year end May
Asset Class Tax-free Income
Inception date 02/20/90
Total net assets $216.46M
Dividend frequency Monthly
View distribution rate  
Number of holdings 147
Open to new investors  
CUSIP 746915107
Fund code 0029
Turnover (fiscal year end) 11%
Ticker PTNJX

Yield more closely reflects current performance than total return.

Barclays Municipal Bond Index is an unmanaged index of long-term fixed-rate investment-grade tax-exempt bonds. Securities indexes assume reinvestment of all distributions and interest payments and do not take in account brokerage fees or taxes. Securities in the fund do not match those in the indexes and performance of the fund will differ. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

Consider these risks before investing: Single-state investments are at risk of common economic forces and other factors affecting a state's tax-exempt investments. This may result in greater losses and volatility. Capital gains, if any, are taxed at the federal and, in most cases, state levels. For some investors, investment income may be subject to the federal alternative minimum tax. Bond investments are subject to interest-rate risk (the risk of bond prices falling if interest rates rise) and credit risk (the risk of an issuer defaulting on interest or principal payments). Interest-rate risk is greater for longer-term bonds, and credit risk is greater for below-investment-grade bonds. Unlike bonds, funds that invest in bonds have fees and expenses. Tax-exempt bonds may be issued under the Internal Revenue Code only by limited types of issuers for limited types of projects. As a result, the fund's investments may be focused in certain market segments and be more vulnerable to fluctuations in the values of the securities it holds than a more broadly invested fund. Interest the fund receives might be taxable. Bond prices may fall or fail to rise over time for several reasons, including general financial market conditions and factors related to a specific issuer or industry. You can lose money by investing in the fund. Credit qualities are shown as a percentage of net assets as of as of the date indicated above. A bond rated Baa or higher (MIG3/VMIG3 or higher, for short-term debt) is considered investment grade. This chart reflects the highest security rating provided by one or more of Standard & Poor`s, Moody`s and Fitch. Short-term cash bonds are included in the cash and net other assets category. Ratings and portfolio credit quality will vary over time. Credit quality includes the fixed-income portion of the portfolio. Derivative instruments, including currency forwards, are only included to the extent of any unrealized gain or loss on such instruments and are shown in the cash and net other assets category. The fund itself has not been rated by an independent rating agency.

You can lose money by investing in a fund. Any given fund may not achieve its goal, and is not intended as a complete investment program. All funds have risk. The value and/or returns of a portfolio will fluctuate with market conditions. You may have more or less than the original amount invested when you redeem your shares.