ICICI Prudential Pharma Healthcare and DiagnosticsFund
Direct · GrowthAI Summary
ICICI Prudential Pharma Healthcare and Diagnostics Fund has delivered strong SIP XIRR across all periods, with 24.73% over 3Y and 24.32% over 5Y, well ahead of the category average SIP XIRR of 16.82% and 16.95% respectively. On a lump-sum basis, the fund's CAGR has beaten the NIFTY 50 across every window, with a 7Y CAGR of 25.47% versus the benchmark's 11.81%. Calendar year returns show strong bursts (72.86% in 2020, 48.69% in 2024) but also flat or negative years (2022: -7.42%, 2025: -0.3%), reflecting sector cyclicality.
The fund exhibits a low beta of 0.53-0.65 versus the NIFTY 50, with downside capture of only 44-58%, indicating it has historically fallen far less than the index during declines. Recent drawdown metrics are benign, with a maximum drawdown of just -0.21% recovered in 16 days, though 5 drawdown events exceeding 10% have occurred historically. Strong alphas of 7.82% to 16.15% across periods and Calmar ratios above 1.1 suggest solid risk-adjusted performance, though these metrics partly reflect the fund's defensive sector profile rather than low absolute risk.
The portfolio is highly concentrated in Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology at 74.9% of assets, with Healthcare Services adding another 12.2%, leaving minimal exposure to other sectors. Sun Pharma (12.69%) and Dr. Reddy's (8.45%) lead a top-10 list dominated by large pharmaceutical companies, with only 32 total holdings providing limited diversification. This focused approach amplifies both upside when the pharma cycle is favorable and downside when the sector underperforms.
The fund outperforms the sectoral/thematic category average SIP XIRR by roughly 7-8 percentage points across 1Y, 3Y, 5Y, and 7Y horizons, indicating consistent peer-leading execution. Its 7Y XIRR of 23.32% versus the category's 16.51% demonstrates that outperformance is not limited to a single favorable period. However, as a sector fund, its consistency depends heavily on the healthcare cycle, as seen in the flat 2025 return of -0.3%.
This fund is suitable for investors with high risk tolerance who already hold a diversified core portfolio and want a tactical healthcare sector allocation. A time horizon of at least 5-7 years is advisable to ride out sector cycles, as evidenced by the negative 2022 return and flat 2025. It should be treated as a satellite holding of modest portfolio size rather than a core investment, given its single-sector concentration.
- SIP XIRR of 24.73% (3Y) and 24.32% (5Y) significantly exceeds category averages of 16.82% and 16.95%
- Consistently high alpha versus NIFTY 50, including 15.99% over 3Y and 16.15% over 7Y, with low downside capture of 44-58%
- Experienced management of a focused healthcare thesis with quality large-cap anchors like Sun Pharma and Dr. Reddy's
- Extreme sector concentration, with 87.1% of the portfolio in pharma and healthcare, exposes investors to prolonged sector downturns
- Returns are highly cyclical, ranging from +72.86% in 2020 to -7.42% in 2022 and -0.3% in 2025, requiring patience through lean years
Generated on 06-09-2026, 7:50 PM. 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 | ₹12.87 L | 26.3% | -23.4% | 108.1% |
| 3 Years | ₹36.00 L | ₹51.36 L | 24.7% | 2.5% | 44.5% |
| 5 Years | ₹60.00 L | ₹1.06 Cr | 24.3% | 16.0% | 33.6% |
| 7 Years | ₹84.00 L | ₹1.89 Cr | 23.3% | 19.4% | 26.9% |
SIP returns vs benchmark & category
Annualised SIP return (XIRR) over each rolling horizon — like-for-like, not lump-sum.
| Duration | Fund SIP XIRR | NIFTY 50 | Category avg | Fund edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Year | 26.3% | 14.4% | 14.1% | +11.9% |
| 3 Years | 24.7% | 11.1% | 16.8% | +13.7% |
| 5 Years | 24.3% | 10.4% | 16.9% | +13.9% |
| 7 Years | 23.3% | 10.6% | 16.5% | +12.7% |
| Duration | Mean | Median | Min | Max | Sharpe | Sortino | % Positive | Cat. Mean | Cat. Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Year | 25.5% | 20.0% | -12.3% | 94.3% | 0.74 | 3.34 | 81% | — | — |
| 3 Years | 24.3% | 25.3% | 14.7% | 31.6% | 4.12 | — | 100% | — | — |
| 5 Years | 24.1% | 24.5% | 16.0% | 34.8% | 3.28 | — | 100% | — | — |
Calmar Ratio by Duration
Compared against NIFTY 50
| Duration | Alpha | Beta | Upside Capture | Downside Capture | Fund CAGR | Bench CAGR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Year | +7.82 | 0.65 | 71.3% | 58.3% | 8.2% | -2.9% |
| 3 Years | +15.99 | 0.63 | 78.8% | 56.6% | 23.3% | 7.8% |
| 5 Years | +9.31 | 0.59 | 66.5% | 52.2% | 16.6% | 7.8% |
| 7 Years | +16.15 | 0.53 | 63.1% | 44.4% | 25.5% | 11.8% |
| 10 Years | +9.47 | 0.53 | 61.1% | 45.0% | 16.9% | 8.2% |
| 12 Years | +7.22 | 0.53 | 61.1% | 45.0% | 13.9% | 6.8% |
| 15 Years | +5.03 | 0.53 | 61.1% | 45.0% | 10.9% | 5.4% |
| # | Stock | % of NAV |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. | 12.69% |
| 2 | Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. | 8.45% |
| 3 | Cipla Ltd. | 6.56% |
| 4 | Divi's Laboratories Ltd. | 6.03% |
| 5 | Mankind Pharma Ltd. | 5.47% |
| 6 | Alkem Laboratories Ltd. | 5.11% |
| 7 | Biocon Ltd. | 4.97% |
| 8 | Cohance Lifesciences Ltd. | 3.92% |
| 9 | Medplus Health Services Ltd | 3.80% |
| 10 | Syngene International Ltd. | 3.26% |