Updated on: Mar 21st, 2024
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2 min read
Mid-cap mutual funds aim at generating benchmark beating returns by investing in equity and equity-linked securities of mid-cap companies. These funds have the potential to provide much higher returns than large-cap and debt funds.
Mid cap funds are a class of equity mutual funds that invest mostly in the equity-linked securities of companies whose market capitalisation lies in the range of Rs 5,000 crore and Rs 20,000 crore. Mid-cap funds have the potential to provide higher returns as compared to large-cap funds as the growth potential of the underlying companies is on the higher side.
The size of the company is a crucial factor to be considered while investing in equity-linked instruments. This is because the set of risks and opportunities predominantly depends on the size of the company. Mid cap companies have the potential to beat the benchmark and large-cap funds when the markets are bullish. This is possible as the underlying stocks will tap into the growth opportunities.
The following table shows the top mid-cap funds as per the past 3-year and 5-year returns:
Explore all other mid cap funds.
Now that you know about the best mid cap mutual funds, it is crucial for you to know who should invest in them:
The fund managers of mid cap mutual funds purchase stocks of mid-sized companies. They have the potential to generate higher profits in the long run.
These businesses lie between small cap and large cap firms. They have developed from the position of small cap corporations and aim to grow into large cap companies. Moreover, when the economy is in the growth phase, these businesses tend to grow at a faster rate than large cap corporations.
The category of these firms is based on their market value or market capitalisation. According to SEBI, the businesses that have their rankings between 101 to 250, depending on their market cap, will be categorised as mid cap companies.
Since mid cap funds are a class of equity funds, they are necessarily taxed like any other equity fund. The dividends are now taxed in the hands of investors at their respective income tax slab rates. This rule of taxation of dividends was introduced in Budget 2020. This is referred to as the classical way taxing dividends.
Short-term capital gains are realised on redeeming your mid cap units within a holding period of one year. These gains are taxed at a rate of 15% irrespective of the income tax slab of the investors. Long-term capital gains are realised on selling your mid-cap units after a holding period of one year. These gains of up to Rs 1 lakh a year are made tax-free. Any gains exceeding this limit attract a tax at the rate of 10%, and there is no benefit of indexation provided.
The mid cap funds carry the same set of risks that any other equity fund comes with. The fund is exposed to market risk and business risk. However, this fund is less risky than small cap and sector funds but riskier than large-cap or blue-chip funds. This risk can be mitigated to a great extent by staying invested for a long period.
Mid cap mutual funds have the following benefits:
Though mid cap funds perform very well in bull runs, their value may go down when the market sentiment is dropping. Mid-cap stocks can be affected by the liquidity constraints due to their smaller capital base, i.e. the number of shares offered by the company.