Best Equity Funds in India
Best Large-Cap Equity Funds
Given in the table below are 3 top-performing large-cap equity funds in the market as of March 2016:
| CRISIL Rank as of March 2016 | Assets as of March 2016 | NAV | 3-month returns | 6-month returns | 1-year returns | 2-year returns | 3-year returns | |
| Franklin India Opportunities | 1 | Rs. 412.43 crore | Rs. 58.71 | 9.7% | 8.5% | 1.2% | 15.1% | 23.2% |
| Kotak Select Focus | 1 | Rs. 3,251.55 crore | Rs. 24.62 | 11.1% | 8.8.% | 6.1% | 15.8% | 24.8% |
| SBI Blue Chip | 1 | Rs. 5,981.62 crore | Rs. 30.16 | 8.4% | 5.7% | 5% | 15.3% | 22.6% |
Franklin India Opportunities Fund: This fund is operated by Franklin Templeton Investments India and is managed by Janakiraman Rengaraju, Hari Shyamsunder and Srikesh Karunakaran Nair. It is an open-ended growth fund launched in February 2000 and takes the S&P BSE 200 as its benchmark. Its portfolio consists of Banking and Finance stocks such as HDFC and Yes Bank, Automotive stocks such as Tata Motors and TVS Motors, Technology stocks such as Infosys and Mindtree, Pharmaceutical stocks such as Pfizer and Cadila Health, Engineering stocks such as Larsen and Oil & Gas stocks such as ONGC and Bharat Petroleum.
Kotak Select Focus Fund – Regular Plan: This fund is run by Kotak Asset Management and is managed by Harsha Upadhaya. It is an open-ended growth fund introduced in September 2009 and takes the Nifty 200 as its benchmark. The following stocks comprise its portfolio: Banking and Finance stocks such as HDFC and Axis Banks, Cement & Construction stocks such as UltraTech and Shree Cements, Consumer Durables such as Whirlpool and Consumer Non-durables such as Colgate, and other prominent companies such as Reliance Industries and Hero Motocorp.
SBI Blue Chip Fund: This fund, operated by SBI Mutual Funds and managed by Sohini Andani, is an open-ended growth fund. It was started in January 2006 and takes S&P BSE 100 as its benchmark. Its portfolio consists of the following stocks: Banking and Finance stocks such as HDFC and ICICI Banks, Automotive stocks such as Maruti Suzuki and Eicher Motors, Conglomerate stocks such as Voltas, Food and Beverage stocks such as Britannia and Nestle, and Technology stocks such as TCS and Tech Mahindra.
Best Small and Mid-Cap Equity Funds
The table below lists the best 3 performers in the small and mid-cap market as of March 2016:
| CRISIL Rank as of March 2016 | Assets as of March 2016 | NAV | 3-month returns | 6-month returns | 1-year returns | 2-year returns | 3-year returns | |
| DSP BlackRock Micro Cap | 1 | Rs. 2,028.96 crore | Rs. 47.79 | 16.4% | 8.4% | 17.4% | 30.9% | 46.7% |
| Franklin India Smaller Companies | 1 | Rs. 3,961.50 crore | Rs. 43.87 | 13.1% | 9.9% | 14.1% | 23.4% | 38.8% |
| Mirae Asset Emerging Bluechip | 1 | Rs. 1,104.68 crore | Rs. 33.90 | 13.4% | 7.5% | 11.2% | 23.7% | 38.3% |
DSP BlackRock Micro Cap Fund: This DSP BlackRock Mutual Fund product is managed by Vinit Sambre and Jay Kothari. It is an open-ended growth fund that was started in May 2007. Its benchmark is S&P BSE SmallCap. Banking and Finance stocks such as DCB Bank and Capital First, Chemicals stocks such as Solar Ind and Finolex Ind, Consumer durables such as Symphony, Manufacturing stocks such as Siyaram Silk and Centum Electron, and Metals and Mining stocks such as Kirloskar Ferro comprise its portfolio.
Franklin India Smaller Companies Fund: Another top-notch fund by Franklin Templeton Investments India, this fund is managed by the same team that handles Franklin India Opportunities Fund. It is an open-ended growth fund launched in December 2005 with the Nifty Midcap 100 as benchmark. Among its portfolio are Banking and Finance stocks such as IndusInd and Yes Bank, Cement & Construction stocks such as JK Lakshmi Cement and Cera Sanitary, Conglomerates such as Nesco, and Media & Entertainment stocks such as HT Media and TV Today Network.
Mirae Asset Emerging Bluechip Fund: This Mirae Asset Mutual Funds-owned fund is managed by Neelesh Surana and was introduced in June 2010. It is an open-ended growth fund considering Nifty Midcap 100 as its benchmark. Its portfolio comprises Banking and Finance stocks such as ICICI and Federal Banks, Consumer non-durables stocks such as Dabur India and Gilette India, Oil & Gas stocks such as HPCL, and Services stocks such as Blue Dart.
Best Diversified Equity Funds
The top 3 diversified equity funds in the market as of March 2016 are listed in the table below:
| CRISIL Rank as of March 2016 | Assets as of March 2016 | NAV | 3-month returns | 6-month returns | 1-year returns | 2-year returns | 3-year returns | |
| ICICI Prudential Exports and Other Services | 1 | Rs. 675.02 crore | Rs. 46.57 | 6.6% | -1.5% | 4.7% | 18.8% | 32.6% |
| L&T India Value | 1 | Rs. 867.55 crore | Rs. 26.47 | 9.9% | 4.3% | 7.8% | 17% | 31.1% |
| Principal Emerging Bluechip | 1 | Rs. 452.43 crore | Rs. 73 | 11.7% | 7% | 4.7% | 18.4% | 32.3% |
ICICI Prudential Exports and Other Services Fund: This open-ended growth fund is operated by ICICI Prudential and is managed by Manish Gunwani and Yogesh Bhatt. It was started in November 2005 and its benchmark is Nifty Service Sector. Prominent among its portfolio are: Banking and Finance stocks such as Axis and ICICI Banks, Food and Beverages stocks such as Coffee Day, Technology stocks such as HCL Tech and Infosys, Pharmaceutical stocks such as AstraZenca and Cipla, and Telecom stocks such as Bharati Airtel.
L&T India Value Fund: This L&T Mutual Funds-operated fund is managed by Venugopal Manghat and Abhijeet Dakshikar. It is an open-ended growth fund that was introduced in December 2009. With S&P BSE 200 as its benchmark, it has a portfolio comprising Banking and Finance stocks such as SBI and Bank of Baroda, Automotive stocks such as Bajaj Auto and Tata Motors, Cement and Construction stocks such as Ramco Cements, Conglomerates such as Grasim, and Oil & Gas stocks such as GAIL and Reliance.
Principal Emerging Bluechip Fund: Run by Principal Mutual Fund India, this open-ended growth fund was launched in October 2008 and is managed by Dhimant Shah. It takes Nifty Midcap 100 as its benchmark. The key stocks in its portfolio are: Banking and Finance stocks such as City Union Bank and Kotak Mahindra, Cement and Construction stocks such as JK Lakshmi Cements and Kajaria Ceramic, Consumer Durables such as Bata India, Technology stocks such as Infosys, and Telecom stocks such as Tata Communications.
