ICICI Prudential Equity and Debt Fund Vs ICICI Prudential Balanced Advantage Fund

ICICI Prudential Equity and Debt Fund and ICICI Prudential Balanced Advantage Fund both are part of hybrid funds-equity category. ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund is the fund house managing the schemes of both the fund house. Balanced Fund is the Mutual Fund scheme whose corpus is invested in a combination of both equity and fixed income instruments. The percentage of both equity and fixed income investments is pre-determined. It is suitable for individuals aiming for capital growth in the long-term along with earning regular income. Though both ICICI Prudential Balanced Fund and ICICI Prudential Balanced Advantage Fund belong to the same category yet; there exists a difference between them. So, let us understand the differences between both the schemes through this article.

ICICI Prudential Equity and Debt Fund (Erstwhile ICICI Prudential Balanced Fund)

ICICI Prudential Equity and Debt Fund is an open-ended balanced Mutual Fund scheme. It was launched in November 1999. The objective of this scheme is to aim for capital appreciation in the long-term along with providing current income from a diversified Portfolio consisting of equity and fixed income securities. One of the features of this scheme is to reduce the fluctuation in returns and reduce risk through diversification. As on March 31, 2018, some of the constituents of ICICI Prudential Equity and Debt Fund’s portfolio are Maruti Suzuki India Limited, ICICI Bank Limited, State Bank of India, Ambuja Cements Limited, and ITC Limited. ICICI Prudential Equity and Debt Fund is managed jointly by Mr. Sankaran Naren, Mr. Atul Patel, and Mr. Manish Banthia. Out of these, Mr. Manish Banthia manages the fixed income part, while remaining both of them manage the equity investment part.

Overview of ICICI Prudential Balanced Advantage Fund

ICICI Prudential Balanced Advantage Fund is also managed by ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund. This open-ended scheme was launched on December 30, 2006. ICICI Prudential Balanced Advantage Fund uses CRISIL Hybrid 35+65 – Aggressive Index as its benchmark to construct its portfolio. The scheme aims for growth along with safety by Investing in both equity and fixed income instruments. As on March 31, 2016, the portfolio of ICICI Prudential Balanced Advantage Fund consisted of numerous stocks like Eicher Motors Limited, Apollo Tyres Limited, HDFC Bank Limited, Godrej Properties Limited, Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited, and Ambuja Cements Limited. The fund managers managing ICICI Prudential Balanced Advantage Fund are Mr. Sankaran Naren, Mr. Rajat Chandak, Mr. Ihab Dalwai, and Mr. Manish Banthia.

ICICI Prudential Equity and Debt Fund Vs ICICI Prudential Balanced Advantage Fund

Though both the schemes belong to the same fund house, however, there exist numerous differences between them. So, let have a look at the differences between both the schemes with respect to various parameters such as Fincash Ratings, Current NAV, performance, minimum SIP investment, and so on, that are divided into four sections, namely, Basics Section, Performance section, Yearly Performance section, and Other Details section.

Basics Section

This is the first section in the comparison of both the schemes. The parameters that form part of this section include Scheme category, Fincash Ratings, and current NAV. To begin with the Fincash Ratings, it can be said that ICICI Prudential Equity and Debt Fund is a 4-Star Fund while; ICICI Prudential Balanced Advantage Fund is a 3-Star Fund. With respect to the scheme category, it can be said that both the schemes belong to the same category, Hybrid Balanced – Equity. The comparison of NAV reveals that there is a considerable difference between the NAV of both the schemes. As on April 5, 2018, the NAV of ICICI Prudential Balanced Fund was approximately INR 126 and of ICICI Prudential Balanced Advantage Fund was approximately INR 33. The table given below summarizes the comparison of basics section.

Performance Section

Performance section is the second section in the comparison of both schemes. This section compares the performance of both the schemes at different time periods. These time periods include 1 Month Return, 6 Month Return, 1 Year Return, and Return Since Inception. Though there is not much significance between the performance of both the schemes, yet; in many instances, ICICI Prudential Balanced Fund leads the race. The performance section is summarized with the help of table given below.

Yearly Performance Section

This section compares the performance of both the schemes for a particular year. Even in this section, the performance of ICICI Prudential Balanced Fund leads the rate at many of the instances. The yearly performance section is tabulated as follows.

Other Details Section

It is the last section in comparison of both the schemes. The elements forming part of this section are Minimum SIP and Lumpsum investment, AUM, and exit load. The minimum SIP investment in both the schemes is same, that is, INR 1,000. Similarly, the lumpsum investment for both the schemes is INR 5,000. With respect to AUM, there is a difference between both the schemes. As on February 28, 2018, the AUM of ICICI Prudential Balanced Advantage Fund is INR 25,663 crores and of ICICI Prudential Balanced Fund is INR 27,801 crores. Even the exit load is different in case of both schemes. For ICICI Prudential Equity and Debt Fund, the exit load is 1% if the redemption is within 1 year, and nil if the redemption is after a year. For ICICI Prudential Balanced Advantage fund, the exit load is 1% if redemption is done within 18 months from the date of purchase and Nil after 18 months. The comparison of other details section is tabulated as follows.

Growth of 10k Investments over the years