Though there is no clear methodology to arrive at a defined mid- and small-cap universe, it focuses on companies that have a higher return potential based on factors such as price discovery by market being not full, better growth prospects in a new segment, ability to gain market share due to new technology or better product service and room for P/E multiples to expand. Average allocation per stock is not high (3 per cent) which has resulted in a long and diversified portfolio of 67 stocks, higher than the category average of 47. Mid-caps garner a share of 58 per cent allocation while rest in small-caps.

Performance

The fund didn't crumble like a pack of cards in the market crash of 2008, though it lost some of its sheen in 2009 when it gave a marginal underperformance as compared to the category average. But it was back on its feet the very next year and outperformed the category average by over 10 per cent in the market crash of 2011.
When it comes to portfolio details, the fund has consistently held stocks for more than five years. These include mid caps like IPCA Laboratories, Solar Industries, Exide Industries, Crompton Greaves and Jagran Prakashan and small caps like Sundaram Fasteners, Grindwell Norton and Carborundum Universal.

Though its small-cap bets have gone wrong more often than one would like, it makes up for the loss by picking solid mid-caps.

The biggest winners for the fund are IPCA Labs, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, Lupin and Bata India.