Home / Franklin Templeton / PUTNAM VARIABLE TRUST
PUTNAM VARIABLE TRUST
fund voting report, part of Franklin Templeton
- Vote records reported
- 23,812year to 30 June 2026
- Against management
- 7.2%1,622 of 22,637 marked votes
- Say-on-pay support
- 93.0%for, of for + against + abstain
- Shareholder-proposal support
- 11.7%for, of for + against + abstain
foragainstabstain, withhold or otheramber tick: the portion cast against management
In its Form N-PX for the year to 30 June 2026, PUTNAM VARIABLE TRUST listed 23,812 vote records. Votes against management made up 7.2% of those marked either way (1,622 of 22,637); the median fund registrant stood at 6.2%.
Weighted by the number of shares voted, the against-management share is 8.9%. The two figures differ when the votes against management fall on larger or smaller holdings than the rest.
On pay and on shareholder proposals: it voted for 93.0% of the section 14A say-on-pay items it reported (the median fund registrant: 91.6%) and it voted for 11.7% of the proposals put forward by security holders (the median fund registrant: 27.5%).
By category, votes against management were most frequent in SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS AND DEFENSES (33.3% of 87), COMPENSATION (15.1% of 1,340) and CORPORATE GOVERNANCE (12.3% of 1,993).
It reported 7.4 million shares out on loan at record dates, 0.51% of the shares it held or had lent across the meetings it reported. Shares on loan are not voted.
Compared with other filers
Each rate is defined once, in the methodology. The median is taken over 1,241 fund registrants with at least 25 vote records in the season.
| year to 30 June 2026 | This filer | Median fund registrant | All filers pooled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against-management share | 7.2% | 6.2% | 10.6% |
| Say-on-pay support rate | 93.0% | 91.6% | 86.0% |
| Shareholder-proposal support rate | 11.7% | 27.5% | 33.9% |
| Shares on loan, share of shares held | 0.51% | 0.00% | 3.12% |
| Largest families, year to 30 June 2026 | Against management | Say-on-pay support | Shareholder-proposal support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanguard | 20.1% | 94.1% | 42.0% |
| BlackRock and iShares | 7.5% | 88.3% | 11.9% |
| Fidelity | 6.0% | 94.7% | 27.6% |
| Dimensional | 16.4% | 78.9% | 57.4% |
| State Street and SPDR | 16.9% | 77.1% | 50.4% |
Votes by category
Filers choose one or more categories for each vote, so a vote can appear in more than one row. Category names are printed as Form N-PX defines them.
| Category (as the form names it) | Votes | For | Against | Against management | Split |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIRECTOR ELECTIONS | 14,351 | 13,230 | 740 | 7.6% | |
| SECTION 14A SAY-ON-PAY VOTES | 1,389 | 1,201 | 89 | 7.2% | |
| AUDIT-RELATED | 1,722 | 1,714 | 8 | 0.3% | |
| INVESTMENT COMPANY MATTERS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | |
| SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS AND DEFENSES | 87 | 60 | 27 | 33.3% | |
| EXTRAORDINARY TRANSACTIONS | 108 | 99 | 8 | 6.5% | |
| CAPITAL STRUCTURE | 1,334 | 1,320 | 14 | 2.4% | |
| COMPENSATION | 1,370 | 1,126 | 224 | 15.1% | |
| CORPORATE GOVERNANCE | 2,016 | 1,509 | 470 | 12.3% | |
| ENVIRONMENT OR CLIMATE | 278 | 21 | 257 | 0.7% | |
| HUMAN RIGHTS OR HUMAN CAPITAL/WORKFORCE | 114 | 12 | 102 | 0.0% | |
| DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION | 148 | 12 | 136 | 0.0% | |
| OTHER SOCIAL ISSUES | 437 | 77 | 360 | 0.0% | |
| OTHER | 33 | 23 | 10 | 9.7% |
By season
| Season | Vote records | Against management | Say-on-pay support | Shareholder-proposal support | Split |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| year to 30 June 2024 | 21,896 | 9.1% | 95.9% | 14.6% | |
| year to 30 June 2025 | 21,367 | 6.7% | 92.5% | 12.4% | |
| year to 30 June 2026 | 23,812 | 7.2% | 93.0% | 11.7% |
Say-on-pay votes against management
Counting one say-on-pay item per company meeting, PUTNAM VARIABLE TRUST voted against management on 51 of the 745 it marked either way (6.8%) in the year to 30 June 2026. The 40 companies with the most reporting filers are listed.
A further 3 say-on-pay items were reported without a management mark and are left out of both sides of that fraction.
- Oracle Corporation 18 Nov 2025
- Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 20 May 2026
- Wells Fargo & Company 28 Apr 2026
- Adobe Inc. 15 Apr 2026
- PALANTIR TECHNOLOGIES INC. 3 Jun 2026
- Arista Networks, Inc. 29 May 2026
- The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation 14 Apr 2026
- Welltower Inc. 21 May 2026
- Marvell Technology, Inc. 25 Jun 2026
- Snowflake Inc. 2 Jul 2025
- Simon Property Group, Inc. 13 May 2026
- Aon Plc 26 Jun 2026
- Workday, Inc. 16 Jun 2026
- Roblox Corporation 28 May 2026
- Rocket Lab Corporation 27 Aug 2025
- Tyson Foods, Inc. 5 Feb 2026
- Graco Inc. 24 Apr 2026
- IonQ, Inc. 16 Jun 2026
- SiTime Corporation 29 May 2026
- Maplebear Inc. 22 May 2026
- Janus Henderson Group Plc 29 May 2026
- Tri Pointe Homes, Inc. 16 Apr 2026
- Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 19 Mar 2026
- Axos Financial, Inc. 13 Nov 2025
- New York Community Bancorp, Inc. 9 Jun 2026
- TeraWulf Inc. 9 Jun 2026
- The Boston Beer Company, Inc. 27 May 2026
- TPG Inc. 3 Jun 2026
- Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 24 Jun 2026
- nLIGHT, Inc. 5 Jun 2026
- Steelcase Inc. 5 Dec 2025
- Upwork Inc. 4 Jun 2026
- RingCentral, Inc. 31 Dec 2025
- Customers Bancorp, Inc. 26 May 2026
- Newmark Group, Inc. 30 Dec 2025
- Hut 8 Corp. 11 Jun 2026
- Walker & Dunlop, Inc. 19 May 2026
- BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 11 Jun 2026
- Navitas Semiconductor Corporation 25 Jun 2026
- Levi Strauss & Co. 22 Apr 2026
Shareholder proposals it supported
Of 330 proposals from security holders that could be told apart in the filings and on which it cast a vote, PUTNAM VARIABLE TRUST voted for 46 (13.9%). The 40 at the companies with the most reporting filers are listed. Titles are the most common wording among filers; where a wording could name a person, the SEC category is printed instead.
| Company | Meeting | Proposal |
|---|---|---|
| Alphabet Inc. | 5 Jun 2026 | Shareholder proposal regarding equal shareholder voting |
| AbbVie Inc. | 8 May 2026 | Stockholder Proposal - to Adopt a Policy to Require an Independent Chair |
| Tesla, Inc. | 6 Nov 2025 | Declassify the Board of Directors |
| Tesla, Inc. | 6 Nov 2025 | Shareholder proposal: CORPORATE GOVERNANCE |
| Wells Fargo & Company | 28 Apr 2026 | Require Independent Board Chair |
| Wells Fargo & Company | 28 Apr 2026 | Shareholder Proposal - Govern by Majority Vote. |
| Starbucks Corporation | 25 Mar 2026 | Shareholder proposal requesting supermajority shareholder voting requirements be replaced with majority... |
| LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | 12 May 2026 | Stockholder Proposal Requiring Independent Board Chairman |
| Meta Platforms, Inc. | 27 May 2026 | A shareholder proposal regarding annual vote regarding executive pay. |
| Meta Platforms, Inc. | 27 May 2026 | A shareholder proposal regarding disclosure of voting results by share class. |
| Meta Platforms, Inc. | 27 May 2026 | A shareholder proposal regarding dual class capital structure. |
| United Parcel Service, Inc. | 7 May 2026 | To take steps to reduce the voting power of UPS class A stock from 10 votes per share to one vote per share. |
| Target Corporation | 10 Jun 2026 | Require Independent Board Chair |
| Kimberly-Clark Corporation | 14 May 2026 | Stockholder Proposal to Require Independent Board Chair |
| FedEx Corporation | 29 Sep 2025 | Stockholder proposal regarding independent board chairman. |
| FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 14 May 2026 | A shareholder proposal relating to a request that the Board take steps to implement one vote per share for... |
| FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 14 May 2026 | A shareholder proposal relating to public disclosure by share class of voting results on matters subject... |
| Marvell Technology, Inc. | 25 Jun 2026 | To consider and act on one stockholder proposal, entitled "Independent Board Chairman" |
| Snowflake Inc. | 29 Jun 2026 | To consider and vote on, if properly presented at the meeting, a non-binding stockholder proposal... |
| Prudential Financial, Inc. | 12 May 2026 | Shareholder proposal regarding an Independent Board Chairman. |
| WEC Energy Group, Inc. | 7 May 2026 | Stockholder proposal to govern by majority vote |
| Airbnb, Inc. | 5 Jun 2026 | Dual-class sunset; and |
| Datadog, Inc. | 15 Jun 2026 | The stockholder proposal, if properly presented at the Annual Meeting, requesting the adoption of a simple... |
| Eversource Energy | 6 May 2026 | Shareholder Proposal Regarding Independent Chair |
| Edison International | 23 Apr 2026 | Shareholder Proposal Regarding Retention of Equity |
| Workday, Inc. | 16 Jun 2026 | To consider and vote upon a stockholder proposal regarding disclosure of voting results based on share class. |
| Avery Dennison Corporation | 30 Apr 2026 | Require Independent Board Chair |
| CF Industries Holdings, Inc. | 28 Apr 2026 | Shareholder proposal regarding shareholder approval requirement for excessive golden parachutes |
| Zscaler, Inc. | 12 Jan 2026 | To vote on a non-binding stockholder proposal requesting the declassification of our board of directors. |
| Tyson Foods, Inc. | 5 Feb 2026 | Shareholder proposal regarding disclosure of voting results based on class of shares. |
| BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. | 18 Jun 2026 | Vote on a shareholder proposal regarding a report on greenhouse gas emissions reduction efforts |
| Universal Health Services, Inc. | 20 May 2026 | Disclosure of Voting Results Based on Shareholders' Money at Risk |
| Five Below, Inc. | 16 Jun 2026 | Shareholder proposal requesting that provisions in the Company's governance documents requiring greater... |
| Lumen Technologies, Inc. | 20 May 2026 | Approval of a shareholder proposal regarding a shareholder right to vote for or against a poison pill. |
| Eagle Materials Inc. | 4 Aug 2025 | Non-binding advisory stockholder proposal requesting the declassification of our Board of Directors. |
| Mohawk Industries, Inc. | 21 May 2026 | Stockholder proposal regarding a majority vote standard. |
| Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. | 21 Apr 2026 | Stockholder proposal regarding dual class capital structure. |
| Exxon Mobil Corporation | 27 May 2026 | Proposal requesting Company to modify its Voluntary Retail Voting Program to provide multiple options not... |
| Calix, Inc. | 14 May 2026 | To hold an advisory vote on a stockholder proposal relating to a simple majority vote. |
| Eni SpA | 6 May 2026 | Shareholder proposal: AUDIT-RELATED |
Shares on loan
PUTNAM VARIABLE TRUST reported 7.4 million shares on loan at record dates against 1.45 billion shares voted: 0.51% of the two together. Median fund registrant: 0.00%. Shares lent out at the record date cannot be voted by the lender, which is why Form N-PX asks for the figure. More on lending and votes.
Fund series in this filing
17 series reported votes. A vote record can list several series. Series with 500 or more vote records have their own page.
| Series | Vote records | Against management | Say-on-pay support | Shareholder-proposal support |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Putnam VT Global Asset Allocation | 8,500 | 7.2% | 93.4% | 14.0% |
| Putnam VT U.S. Research | 2,027 | 6.5% | 93.5% | 8.9% |
| Putnam VT George Putnam Balanced Fund | 2,027 | 6.5% | 93.5% | 8.9% |
| Putnam VT Core Equity | 1,787 | 5.4% | 95.8% | 8.6% |
| Putnam VT International Value | 1,170 | 4.9% | not reported | 0.0% |
| Putnam VT Small Cap Value | 1,095 | 7.9% | 91.1% | not reported |
| Putnam VT Large Cap Value | 1,057 | 4.5% | 96.9% | 8.3% |
| Putnam VT Emerging Markets Equity | 1,052 | 17.7% | not reported | 0.0% |
| Putnam VT International Equity | 924 | 6.5% | not reported | not reported |
| Putnam VT Sustainable Leaders | 861 | 5.3% | 93.8% | 8.9% |
| Putnam VT Small Cap Growth | 830 | 7.8% | 92.3% | not reported |
| Putnam VT Sustainable Future | 827 | 9.6% | 91.4% | 20.0% |
| Putnam VT Large Cap Growth | 600 | 6.0% | 91.9% | 11.9% |
| Putnam VT Focused International Equity | 542 | 9.2% | not reported | not reported |
| Putnam VT Global Health Care | 500 | 4.6% | 92.3% | 5.6% |
| Putnam VT High Yield | 10 | 90.0% | not reported | not reported |
| Putnam VT Diversified Income | 3 | 0.0% | not reported | not reported |
The filings
These figures are read from the filer's own Form N-PX. If a vote on this page looks wrong, the filing is the record: a dispute about a filed vote is a matter for the filer, and an error in how this site read the filing is a matter for corrections.
- N-PX filed 21 Aug 2026 accession 0001193125-26-360909
- Every N-PX filing by this filer on EDGAR
Questions
How did PUTNAM VARIABLE TRUST vote on executive pay?
In the year to 30 June 2026 PUTNAM VARIABLE TRUST reported 1,291 votes in the category SECTION 14A SAY-ON-PAY VOTES that were cast for, against or abstain. 1,201 were for (93.0%), 89 against and 1 abstentions. Counting one item per company meeting, it voted against management on 51 of the 745 say-on-pay items it marked either way. A further 3 say-on-pay items were reported without a management mark and are not counted in that figure.
How often does PUTNAM VARIABLE TRUST vote against management?
7.2% of the time in the year to 30 June 2026: 1,622 of the 22,637 votes it marked as for or against management. Form N-PX asks each filer to state, vote by vote, whether the vote was for or against management's recommendation; this figure counts those marks.
Did PUTNAM VARIABLE TRUST support shareholder proposals on climate?
In the category ENVIRONMENT OR CLIMATE it reported 259 votes on proposals from security holders in the year to 30 June 2026 and voted for 2 of them (0.8%). Across every category it voted for 11.7% of security-holder proposals. Filers choose the category for each vote, so the same proposal can sit in different categories in different filings.
Is this the result of the meetings?
No. Form N-PX shows how this filer voted the shares it held. It does not show how other shareholders voted or whether a proposal was approved. Companies report certified results separately, on Form 8-K.
Where does the data come from?
From the Form N-PX filings of this filer on the SEC's EDGAR system, read as filed. The SEC does not verify the contents. Amended filings (N-PX/A) replace the filings they amend. Data on this page runs through 23 Sep 2026.
Provenance: SEC EDGAR, Form N-PX and N-PX/A filings by PUTNAM VARIABLE TRUST (filer no. 822671), read as filed and not verified by the SEC. Amended filings replace the filings they amend. Filings read through 23 Sep 2026; page built 26 Sep 2026.