Franklin India Smaller Companies Fund Vs HDFC Small Cap Fund

Franklin India Smaller Companies Fund and HDFC Equity Fund both belong to the small-cap category of equity fund. These schemes invest their corpus in shares of companies having a market capitalization of less than INR 500 Crores. Small-cap companies are either start-ups or are in their early stages of development. These schemes form the bottom of the pyramid when Equity Funds are compared on the basis of market capitalization. In many situations, small-cap schemes have performed better as compared to others. Though Franklin India Smaller Companies Fund and HDFC Small Cap Fund belong to the same category of Small cap funds, yet they differ on account of numerous parameters such as performance, NAV, AUM, and so on. So, let’s understand the differences between both the schemes through this article.

Franklin India Smaller Companies Fund

Franklin India Smaller Companies Fund is managed and offered by Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund under the small-cap category. This scheme was launched in the month of January 2006. Franklin India Smaller Companies Fund uses Nifty Free Float Midcap 100 Index and Nifty 50 Index as its benchmark to construct the Portfolio. As on March 31, 2018, some of the top 10 holdings of Franklin India Smaller Companies Fund’s portfolio consisted of HDFC Bank Limited, Finolex Cables Limited, Voltas Limited, and Cyient Limited. The scheme is managed by Mr. Janakiraman, Mr. Hari Shyamsunder, and Mr. Shrikesh Nair. Franklin India Smaller Companies Fund is suitable for individuals seeking for long-term capital growth generated from a fund that primarily invests in small and mid-cap companies.

HDFC Small Cap Fund

HDFC Small Cap Fund is an open-ended small-cap scheme offered by HDFC Mutual Fund. This scheme was launched on April 3, 2008, and its objective is to achieve capital growth in the long-term by Investing mostly in small-cap and mid-cap companies. NIFTY Smallcap 100 Index is the primary benchmark and NIFTY 50 Index is the additional benchmark used by HDFC Small Cap Fund to construct its portfolio. Mr. Chirag Setalvad and Mr. Rakesh Vyas jointly manage the performance of HDFC Small Cap Fund. As on March 31, 2018, some of the top constituents of HDFC Small Cap Fund include Sonata Software Limited, SKF India Limited, Tata Metaliks Limited, and Aurobindo Pharma Limited. As per the Asset Allocation composition, the HDFC Small Cap Fund invests around 80-100% of its fund money in shares of small cap companies and the remaining in mid-cap companies.

Franklin India Smaller Companies Fund Vs HDFC Small Cap Fund

There are numerous differences between Franklin India Smaller Companies Fund and HDFC Small Cap Fund on account of various parameters. So, let us understand the differences between these schemes that are categorized in the following sections.

Basics Section

Being the first section, it compares elements such as current NAV, Fincash Rating, and scheme category. With respect to Fincash Rating, it can be said that both the schemes are rated as 4-Star schemes. The comparison of current NAV reveals that there is a difference between the NAV of both the schemes. The NAV of Franklin India Smaller Companies Fund was approximately INR 47 while of HDFC Small Cap Fund was around INR 61, as of April 24, 2018. Even the comparison of scheme category shows that both the schemes belong to the same category, that is, Equity Mid & Small-Cap. The table given below shows the comparison summary of the basics section.

Performance Section

It is the second section in the comparison which analyses the difference in the Compounded Annual Growth Rate or CAGR returns of both the scheme. These CAGR returns are compared at different time intervals such as 6 Month Return, 3 Year Return, 5 Year Return, and Return Since Inception. The comparison of the performance section reveals that in certain instances, HDFC Small Cap Fund leads the race while in others Franklin India Smaller Companies Fund leads the race. The summary comparison of the performance is as shown in the table given below.

Yearly Performance Section

Being the third section in the comparison, it analyzes the difference in the absolute returns generated by both the schemes for a particular year. In yearly performance section too, the comparison reveals that for certain years HDFC Small Cap Fund has performed better while for other Franklin India Smaller Companies Fund has done better. The table given below summarizes the comparison of yearly performance section.

Other Details Section

It is the last section in the comparison that includes elements such as AUM, minimum SIP and lumpsum investment, and others. With respect to minimum SIP and lumpsum investment, it can be said that both the schemes have the same amount. The minimum SIP amount for both the schemes is INR 500 and minimum lumpsum investment is INR 5,000. However, the comparison of AUM shows there is a drastic difference between the AUMs of the schemes. As on March 31, 2018, the AUM of HDFC Small Cap Fund is approximately INR 2,968 Crores while of Franklin India Smaller Companies Fund is approximately INR 7,007 Crores. The comparison summary of this section is tabulated as follows.

Growth of 10k Investments over the years