Axis Small Cap Fund
Direct · GrowthAI Summary
Axis Small Cap Fund has delivered strong SIP XIRR across horizons, with 21.04% over 3Y and 22.32% over 10Y, outperforming the NIFTY SmallCap 250 benchmark on a lump-sum basis with alpha of 3.33% (3Y) rising to 7.95% (10Y). Against category average SIP XIRR, the fund trails slightly at 3Y (21.04% vs 22.67%) and 5Y (21.57% vs 22.02%), but leads at 10Y (22.32% vs 20.91%) and 12Y (19.87% vs 19.35%). The 12Y lump-sum CAGR of 19.88% versus the benchmark's 14.04% underscores long-term outperformance.
The fund exhibits a defensive risk profile for a small cap fund, with beta of 0.70-0.84 across horizons and downside capture of just 64-82%, meaning it falls materially less than the benchmark in weak markets. It has experienced 7 drawdown events exceeding 10%, with a maximum drawdown of -34.64% and a lengthy 234-day recovery, reflecting the inherent volatility of the small cap segment. Calmar ratios of roughly 0.61-0.66 across horizons indicate consistent risk-adjusted returns relative to drawdown risk.
The portfolio is well diversified across 129 holdings, with the top position (Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences at 2.76%) kept deliberately small, limiting single-stock risk. Sector allocation is balanced, with the top five sectors — Industrial Products (7.0%), Chemicals (6.9%), Auto Components (6.8%), Pharma (6.5%), and Finance (6.5%) — each under 7.5%, avoiding concentration in any single theme. Exposure spans healthcare, financials, consumer, and industrials, providing breadth typical of a diversified small cap strategy.
The fund's SIP XIRR lags category averages over 3Y and 5Y but outperforms over 10Y and 12Y, suggesting a long-term oriented approach that may underperform in shorter, momentum-driven phases. Its consistently positive alpha versus the benchmark across all measured periods (3.33% to 8.09%) demonstrates durable stock-selection skill. Calendar year returns show strong upside years (85.97% in 2014, 59.66% in 2021) but also negative years (-7.6% in 2018, -1.6% in 2025), typical of small cap cyclicality.
This fund suits investors with high risk tolerance and a horizon of at least 7-10 years, as small cap returns are volatile over shorter periods and the fund's edge is most evident over the long term. SIP investors seeking wealth compounding with lower downside capture than the benchmark will find the risk profile attractive. It should form a satellite allocation within a broader diversified portfolio rather than a core holding, given small cap concentration risk.
- Consistent alpha versus NIFTY SmallCap 250 across all horizons, reaching 8.09% over 12Y
- Low downside capture (64-82%) and beta below 0.85, offering better downside protection than the benchmark
- Highly diversified portfolio of 129 holdings with no single stock above 2.76% of NAV
- SIP XIRR trails category averages over 3Y (21.04% vs 22.67%) and 5Y (21.57% vs 22.02%)
- Maximum drawdown of -34.64% with a 234-day recovery and 7 drawdown events above 10% highlight significant small cap volatility
Generated on 02-09-2026, 2:49 AM. Verify before investing.
Gives more importance to longer time periods (10Y, 20Y) than shorter ones (1Y, 3Y). This balances out recent outperformance and gives a more realistic picture of what long-term returns might look like.
The largest peak-to-trough decline in the fund's NAV. Shows the worst-case loss an investor would have experienced at any point in the fund's history.
If you invested ₹1,00,000 every month via SIP, here's how this fund has historically performed across different time horizons.
| Duration | Invested | Median Value | XIRR | Min XIRR | Max XIRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Year | ₹12.00 L | ₹12.98 L | 23.0% | -42.1% | 105.3% |
| 3 Years | ₹36.00 L | ₹47.10 L | 21.0% | -10.1% | 49.9% |
| 5 Years | ₹60.00 L | ₹1.05 Cr | 21.6% | -0.3% | 34.9% |
| 7 Years | ₹84.00 L | ₹1.93 Cr | 23.6% | 14.3% | 30.4% |
| 10 Years | ₹1.20 Cr | ₹3.86 Cr | 22.3% | 18.0% | 25.6% |
| 12 Years | ₹1.44 Cr | ₹5.13 Cr | 19.9% | 17.9% | 21.6% |
SIP returns vs benchmark & category
Annualised SIP return (XIRR) over each rolling horizon — like-for-like, not lump-sum.
| Duration | Fund SIP XIRR | NIFTY SMALLCAP 250 | Category avg | Fund edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Year | 23.0% | 22.0% | 21.6% | +1.1% |
| 3 Years | 21.0% | 15.3% | 22.7% | +5.8% |
| 5 Years | 21.6% | 14.3% | 22.0% | +7.3% |
| 7 Years | 23.6% | 14.3% | 21.8% | +9.3% |
| 10 Years | 22.3% | 14.0% | 20.9% | +8.3% |
| 12 Years | 19.9% | 13.5% | 19.4% | +6.4% |
| Duration | Mean | Median | Min | Max | Sharpe | Sortino | % Positive | Cat. Mean | Cat. Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Year | 23.0% | 16.7% | -14.6% | 100.7% | 0.68 | 4.19 | 89% | — | — |
| 3 Years | 21.4% | 19.8% | -0.0% | 41.3% | 1.68 | 24.83 | 100% | — | — |
| 5 Years | 21.5% | 21.5% | 4.8% | 35.1% | 2.38 | 175.89 | 100% | — | — |
| 10 Years | 21.1% | 20.2% | 17.8% | 26.3% | 6.92 | — | 100% | — | — |
Calmar Ratio by Duration
Compared against NIFTY SMALLCAP 250
| Duration | Alpha | Beta | Upside Capture | Downside Capture | Fund CAGR | Bench CAGR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Year | +3.68 | 0.84 | 86.8% | 82.2% | 12.0% | 8.7% |
| 3 Years | +3.33 | 0.75 | 78.5% | 74.9% | 18.0% | 17.4% |
| 5 Years | +4.34 | 0.73 | 76.4% | 71.4% | 17.8% | 16.0% |
| 7 Years | +5.81 | 0.75 | 77.1% | 71.1% | 24.1% | 22.1% |
| 10 Years | +7.95 | 0.70 | 72.3% | 64.2% | 19.9% | 14.3% |
| 12 Years | +8.09 | 0.70 | 72.9% | 64.6% | 19.9% | 14.0% |
| 15 Years | +6.83 | 0.70 | 72.5% | 63.9% | 19.1% | 14.8% |
| # | Stock | % of NAV |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Krishna Institute Of Medical Sciences Limited | 2.76% |
| 2 | CCL Products (India) Limited | 2.55% |
| 3 | JB Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Limited | 2.32% |
| 4 | Multi Commodity Exchange of India Limited | 1.89% |
| 5 | City Union Bank Limited | 1.81% |
| 6 | Cholamandalam Financial Holdings Limited | 1.57% |
| 7 | Sai Life Sciences Limited | 1.57% |
| 8 | Craftsman Automation Limited | 1.46% |
| 9 | Brigade Enterprises Limited | 1.44% |
| 10 | Blue Star Limited | 1.41% |