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Nippon India Small Cap Fund Vs HDFC Small Cap Fund: A Comparative Study

Updated on September 28, 2026 , 8863 views

Nippon India Small Cap Fund (Formerly know as Reliance Small Cap Fund) and HDFC Small Cap Fund both of them belong to the small cap category offered by different fund houses. Though both the schemes belong to the same category of Small cap funds under equity category yet, there are differences between both of them. So, let us understand the differences between both the schemes through this article.

Nippon India/Reliance Small Cap Fund

This scheme of Nippon India was launched on April 03, 2008. The scheme’s main objective is to attain long-term capital appreciation by Investing in equity and equity-related instruments of small-cap companies.

The top 10 holdings of Nippon India Small Cap Fund (as on January 31, 2018) include VIP Industries Limited, RBL Bank Limited, Navin Fluorine International Limited, Zydus Wellness Limited, etc.

Important Information

From October 2019, Reliance Mutual Fund has been renamed as Nippon India Mutual Fund. Nippon Life has acquired majority (75%) stakes in Reliance Nippon Asset Management (RNAM). The company will continue to run its operations without any change in structure and management.

HDFC Small Cap Fund

HDFC Small Cap Fund is a part of HDFC Mutual Fund and was incepted on April 03, 2008. The primary aim of the scheme is to achieve capital growth in the long-term by investing a major portion of its corpus in shares of small cap companies.

As on January 31, 2018, the top 10 holdings of HDFC Small Cap Fund’s Portfolio include Sonata Software Limited, TV Today Network Limited, KEC International Limited, Oriental Carbon & Chemicals Limited, etc.

Detailed Comparison of Nippon India/Reliance Small Cap Vs HDFC Small Cap

Basic Parameters

In this section, the parameters compared are current NAV, Fincash Rating, AUM, their category, expense ratio, exit load and so on. To begin with, the category of these schemes, they both belong to equity category. With respect to the current NAV, both the schemes have different NAV though the difference is not much.

Fincash Ratings for both the Nippon India/Reliance Small Cap Fund and HDFC Small Cap Fund are 4-Star

To summarize, the basic parameters are compared below as follows.

Parameters
BasicsNAV
Net Assets (Cr)
Launch Date
Rating
Category
Sub Cat.
Category Rank
Risk
Expense Ratio
Sharpe Ratio
Information Ratio
Alpha Ratio
Benchmark
Exit Load
Nippon India Small Cap Fund
Growth
Fund Details
₹180.979 ↑ 0.21   (0.11 %)
₹82,580 on 31 Aug 26
16 Sep 10
☆☆☆☆
Equity
Small Cap
6
Moderately High
1.44
0.44
-0.15
1.64
Not Available
0-1 Years (1%),1 Years and above(NIL)
HDFC Small Cap Fund
Growth
Fund Details
₹136.079 ↑ 0.28   (0.20 %)
₹41,891 on 31 Aug 26
3 Apr 08
☆☆☆☆
Equity
Small Cap
9
Moderately High
1.56
-0.18
-0.58
-7.96
Not Available
0-1 Years (1%),1 Years and above(NIL)

Performance

After looking at the basic parameters let us now look at the performance aspects of both the funds. With respect to performance aspects, there is not much difference in the areas of 1 Month Returns, 3 Month Returns, 6 Month Returns, and 1 Year returns. However, with respect to 3 Year Returns, 5 Year Returns, and Returns Since Inception, there seems a good difference between both of them. In these parameters, the returns of Reliance Small Cap Fund is higher as compared to HDFC Small Cap Fund. Therefore, though HDFC Small Cap Scheme was launched earlier than Reliance’s scheme yet; its performance is better. The table given below shows the performance of both the schemes.

Parameters
Performance1 Month
3 Month
6 Month
1 Year
3 Year
5 Year
Since launch
Nippon India Small Cap Fund
Growth
Fund Details
-2.9%
0.4%
23.4%
9.2%
13.8%
17.4%
19.8%
HDFC Small Cap Fund
Growth
Fund Details
-3%
-0.6%
15%
-2.6%
9%
13.1%
15.2%

Yearly Performance

After looking at the 1Y, 3Y, 5Y Performance let us now look at the absolute yearly performance aspects of both the funds in last 5 years. over here Nippon India Small Cap Fund is generating marginally better returns every year in comparison to HDFC Small cap fund.

Parameters
Yearly Performance2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
Nippon India Small Cap Fund
Growth
Fund Details
-4.7%
26.1%
48.9%
6.5%
74.3%
HDFC Small Cap Fund
Growth
Fund Details
-0.6%
20.4%
44.8%
4.6%
64.9%

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Other Details

In this section of other details, some of the parameters compared are Minimum SIP and lumpsum investment. Though the lumpsum investment in case of both the schemes is same, that is, INR 5,000, nevertheless, in case of SIP, the minimum amount of Reliance is lower as compared to HDFC.

Nippon India/Reliance Small Cap Fund is managed by Mr. Samir Rachh

HDFC Small Cap Fund is managed by Mr. Chirag Setalvad

Parameters
Other DetailsMin SIP Investment
Min Investment
Fund Manager
Nippon India Small Cap Fund
Growth
Fund Details
₹100
₹5,000
Samir Rachh - 9.67 Yr.
HDFC Small Cap Fund
Growth
Fund Details
₹300
₹5,000
Chirag Setalvad - 12.19 Yr.

Growth of 10k Investments over the years

Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.
Nippon India Small Cap Fund
Growth
Fund Details
DateValue
30 Sep 21₹10,000
30 Sep 22₹11,169
30 Sep 23₹15,121
30 Sep 24₹22,454
30 Sep 25₹20,439
Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.
HDFC Small Cap Fund
Growth
Fund Details
DateValue
30 Sep 21₹10,000
30 Sep 22₹10,354
30 Sep 23₹14,282
30 Sep 24₹19,310
30 Sep 25₹19,008

Detailed portfolio Comparison

Asset Allocation
Nippon India Small Cap Fund
Growth
Fund Details
Asset ClassValue
Cash2.73%
Equity97.27%
Equity Sector Allocation
SectorValue
Industrials23.06%
Financial Services16.23%
Consumer Cyclical15.15%
Basic Materials10.92%
Health Care9.29%
Consumer Defensive8.8%
Technology7.61%
Utility3.4%
Communication Services1.13%
Energy0.86%
Real Estate0.82%
Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
NameHoldingValueQuantity
Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 30 Sep 22 | 500103
2%₹1,528 Cr34,508,595
TD Power Systems Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 31 Dec 15 | TDPOWERSYS
2%₹1,500 Cr19,307,704
Apar Industries Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 31 Mar 17 | APARINDS
2%₹1,431 Cr808,204
↓ -32,551
HDFC Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 30 Apr 22 | HDFCBANK
2%₹1,415 Cr19,954,929
Karur Vysya Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 28 Feb 17 | 590003
1%₹1,109 Cr31,907,252
State Bank of India (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Oct 19 | SBIN
1%₹1,060 Cr10,000,000
Sundaram Fasteners Ltd (Consumer Cyclical)
Equity, Since 30 Apr 24 | SUNDRMFAST
1%₹1,026 Cr8,522,020
↑ 288,665
ACME Solar Holdings Ltd (Utilities)
Equity, Since 30 Nov 24 | ACMESOLAR
1%₹984 Cr24,487,415
Sai Life Sciences Ltd (Healthcare)
Equity, Since 31 Dec 24 | SAILIFE
1%₹958 Cr6,563,832
Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 28 Feb 21 | MCX
1%₹952 Cr2,800,000
Asset Allocation
HDFC Small Cap Fund
Growth
Fund Details
Asset ClassValue
Cash10.3%
Equity89.7%
Equity Sector Allocation
SectorValue
Consumer Cyclical22.13%
Industrials20.12%
Financial Services12.36%
Health Care11.29%
Technology10.95%
Basic Materials7.32%
Consumer Defensive3.64%
Communication Services1.89%
Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
NameHoldingValueQuantity
Firstsource Solutions Ltd (Technology)
Equity, Since 31 Mar 18 | FSL
4%₹1,555 Cr58,722,189
↑ 200,000
Aster DM Quality Care Ltd Ordinary Shares (Healthcare)
Equity, Since 30 Jun 19 | ASTERDM
4%₹1,492 Cr19,740,031
Gabriel India Ltd (Consumer Cyclical)
Equity, Since 31 Oct 18 | GABRIEL
3%₹1,363 Cr9,481,123
↓ -174,186
eClerx Services Ltd (Technology)
Equity, Since 31 Mar 18 | ECLERX
3%₹1,294 Cr6,547,683
↑ 100,027
Bank of Baroda (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Mar 19 | 532134
3%₹1,117 Cr46,828,792
Indian Bank (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Jul 16 | 532814
2%₹871 Cr9,688,128
Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences Ltd (Healthcare)
Equity, Since 31 Jul 23 | KIMS
2%₹841 Cr11,133,566
Eris Lifesciences Ltd Registered Shs (Healthcare)
Equity, Since 31 Jul 23 | ERIS
2%₹839 Cr6,464,629
Apar Industries Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 30 Sep 16 | APARINDS
2%₹797 Cr450,044
↓ -20,000
Pearl Global Industries Ltd (Consumer Cyclical)
Equity, Since 31 Jul 24 | PGIL
2%₹741 Cr3,008,356
↑ 137,500

Thus, from the above comparisons, we can find that both the schemes are different in certain parameters while same in certain parameters. However, it is always advised to people that they understand the modalities of a scheme completely and check whether it matches their investment objectives before investing. In addition, they can even consult a financial advisor to ensure that the selected fund is in-line with their objectives and they attain it on time.

Disclaimer:
All efforts have been made to ensure the information provided here is accurate. However, no guarantees are made regarding correctness of data. Please verify with scheme information document before making any investment.
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