List of the top-performing flexi cap mutual funds sorted by returns with their AUM and Expense Ratio.
As the name suggests, Flexi Cap Mutual Funds enjoy the ‘flexibility’ to invest across all market capitalization. These mutual funds are invested in large-, mid-, or small-cap companies.
Unlike Large Cap, Mid Cap, or Small Cap mutual funds, Flexi Cap funds are not restricted to a specific market capitalization segment. This allows for a more balanced and adaptable investment approach that caters to varying market conditions.
This approach helps them navigate volatility with ease. The benchmark of Flexi cap mutual funds is usually NIFTY 500 TRI or BSE 500 TRI. These indices consist of the top 500 companies and represent the broader market. Considering the flexibility of these funds to invest across market caps, these indexes serve as an appropriate benchmark.
According to recent data, flexi cap funds have delivered average returns of 18-27% over the past 5 years, though performance varies significantly among fund managers.
In the last one month, the Parag Parikh Flexi Cap Direct Growth has emerged as the leader in AUM growth, witnessing an impressive addition of ₹6.08K crore. This positions it as one of the top-performing Flexi Cap mutual funds in terms of investor interest and fund growth.
Over the last six months, 8 Flexi Cap Mutual Funds have added One 97 Communications Ltd to their portfolio. This move highlights the stock’s growing appeal in the segment as a promising investment.
In contrast, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd has been exited by 6 of 44 Flexi Cap Mutual Funds in the last six months. This shift underscores a cautious approach by fund managers toward the stock, reflecting changing market dynamics.
Over the last 6 months, Flexi Cap category has seen increased allocation towards Real Estate, Communication, Consumer Cyclical sectors
Flexi-cap mutual funds are a popular choice among investors. Let's look at the benefits of investing in a flexi-cap fund:
Flexi-cap funds ensure your portfolio is diversified with different market capitalizations. Investors who prefer not to invest in a fund dominated by a single market capitalization can benefit from a well-diversified fund that includes all market capitalization.
These funds stand the chance of earning a high return potential since they invest in large-cap companies known for their stable growth, and small-cap & mid-cap companies are high-growth, high-risk stocks. Further, the fund managers have the flexibility to adjust the fund allocation to get maximum returns.
Flexi-cap funds give managers the flexibility to change investments across large, mid, and small-cap stocks based on market conditions. This allows them to move money to better-performing areas, aiming to boost returns and reduce losses.
While diversification is a strong suit for flexi-cap funds, these funds can also be affected by certain risks, which include:
Flexi-cap mutual funds are actively managed funds, meaning they rely on the fund manager's expertise to make calls and investment decisions. Poor decisions, especially during market volatility when picking and allocating stocks, can lead to underperformance.
Different Flexi Cap funds follow varying allocation strategies, leading to differences in performance. A fund with a higher allocation to mid- and small-cap stocks inherently carries more risk. If these market segments decline, the fund’s performance is also likely to suffer.
While Flexi-cap and Multi-cap both invest in all three market capitalization. They differ in how their assets are allocated.
With Multi-cap mutual funds, SEBI mandates that the fund manager must allocate 25% each across all market capitalization. So multi-cap mutual funds allocate:
Unlike Multi-cap, Flexi-cap funds have no fixed allocation. Managers can re-allocate based on market conditions.
Flexi-Cap funds are ideal for investors seeking a "go-anywhere" strategy. If you want a single fund that invests across large, mid, and small-cap companies, this is for you. It suits investors who trust the fund manager to dynamically shift allocations based on market conditions, capitalising on growth during rallies and managing risk during downturns, without needing to time the market themselves.
The expense ratio of Flexi Cap mutual funds typically ranges between 0.5% and 2.5%,
Flexi cap funds can have higher or lower expense ratios because their management style varies widely. Since fund managers actively shift between large, mid, and small caps, the research and trading effort can be higher, pushing up costs. But if a flexi cap fund maintains a steadier allocation with fewer adjustments, its expense ratio may be closer to or even lower than other actively managed equity categories.
Your allocation to flexi cap mutual funds depends on your risk appetite and need for flexibility. Many investors keep 20 to 40 percent of their equity portfolio in flexi cap funds because they offer balanced growth by investing across large, mid, and small caps. If you prefer a single, all-in-one equity fund, you can allocate even more.
Flexi cap mutual funds work best when you stay invested for at least 5 to 7 years or more. Their mix of large, mid, and small caps can create short-term ups and downs, so a longer horizon gives the fund enough time to deliver stable, growth-oriented returns.
Flexi cap mutual funds offer the advantage of letting the fund manager decide where opportunities are strongest at any given time. Unlike pure large cap or small cap funds, they can freely shift between segments based on market conditions. This flexibility helps reduce risk, capture growth across market cycles, and avoid being locked into just one category when it’s not performing well.
The fund has the freedom to move money between large, mid and small-cap stocks depending on its view of markets, it can capture growth opportunities but also take on more risk. For example, if the manager increases small-cap exposure to chase growth, volatility can rise. On the flip side, in uncertain or falling markets the manager may shift more into large cap stocks for stability. That flexibility is a strength, but it means your results depend heavily on manager’s calls and timing.
Flexi cap funds carry unique risks because their allocation can change based on the fund manager’s calls. If the manager makes the wrong shifts between large, mid, and small caps, performance may suffer. They can also become more volatile at times if the fund leans heavily toward mid or small caps, which increases short-term ups and downs for investors.
Yes, as one of the key features is that there is no fixed minimum allocation to large, mid or small-cap segments under the flexi-cap fund category. That means the manager has the discretion, subject to scheme’s mandate, to favour large cap stocks in unsettled times, or take more small-cap exposure when looking for higher growth. That flexibility is both the advantage and the source of additional risk in flexi cap funds.
A Flexi Cap Mutual Fund can invest freely across large, mid, and small caps with no fixed percentage limits, giving the fund manager full flexibility to shift based on market conditions.
A Multi Cap Mutual Fund, on the other hand, must follow SEBI’s mandatory allocation rule of investing at least 25 percent each in large, mid, and small caps. This makes multi cap funds more rigid, while flexi cap funds are more dynamic and adaptable.
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