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Mutual Funds Vs Stocks

Updated on October 6, 2025 , 15643 views

Mutual Funds or stock markets directly – where to invest, is one of the oldest debates when it comes to personal Wealth Management. Mutual funds allow you to invest a certain amount in a fund where the fund managers use their expertise to invest a client’s money in a variety of stocks to achieve the highest rate of return. Investing in stock markets gives you greater control over the investment on shares is made by the user. However, it makes them more prone to risks as they have to directly deal with the markets.

Difference: Mutual Funds Vs Stocks/Shares

1. Understanding Mutual Funds and Stocks

When compared on a risk Factor, stocks happen to be far riskier than mutual funds. The risk in mutual funds is spread across and hence reduced with the pooling in of diverse stocks. With stock,s one has to extensive research before investing, especially if you are a novice investor. Visit fincash for more details on the various areas of investments. In the case of mutual funds, the research is done, and the fund is managed by a mutual fund manager.

Stocks Vs Mutual Funds

This service though is not free and comes with an annual Management Fee that is charged by the fund house under Total Expense Ration (TER).

2. When investing as a beginner

If you are a new investor with little or no experience in the financial markets, it is advisable to start with mutual funds as not only the risk is comparatively lesser but also because the decisions are made by an expert. These professionals have the insight to analyze and interpret financial data to gauge the outlook of a prospective investment.

3. Associated Costs

Though you have to pay a fee to mutual fund managers unlike in the case of stocks that you buy individually, the Economies of Scale also come into play. It is true that active management of funds is an affair that does not come free of cost. But the truth is that due to their large size, mutual funds pay only a small fraction of the brokerage charges that an individual shareholder pays for brokerage. Individual investors also have to pay the charges for DEMAT which is not needed in the case of mutual funds.

4. Risk and Return

It is already established that mutual funds have the advantage of reducing the risk by diversifying a Portfolio.

MF-vs-Stocks

Stocks on the other hand are vulnerable to the Market conditions and the performance of one stock can’t compensate for the other.

5. Short Term Capital Gain

Remember when investing in stocks, you will be liable to pay 15 percent tax on your short term Capital gains (STCG) if you sell your stocks within a span of one year. On the other hand, there is no tax on capital gains on the stocks that are sold by the fund. This can mean substantial benefits for you. The tax saved is also available for you to invest it further thus making way for further Income generation through investment. But you will have to hold on to your equity for more than a year in order to avoid paying that short-term capital gains tax.

6. Long Term Capital Gain

Long Term Capital Gain (LTCG) is taxed at 10% for gains exceeding 1 Lakh gain (As announced in Budget of 2018). which means one has to pay tax on gains incurred in period over an year (Long term) if amount exceeds 1 Lakhs in a year at a Flat rate of 10%.

7. Control on your investment

In the case of mutual funds, the decision pertaining to the choice of stocks and their trading is solely in the hands of the funds manager. You do not have control over which stock is to be picked and for what duration. As an investor, if you invest in Mutual Funds you do not have the option to exit from some stocks that are in your portfolio. The decisions pertaining to the fate of the stocks rest in the hands of the fund manager. This way, an individual investing in stocks has more control over their investment than an investor who invests in mutual funds.

8. Diversification

A well-diversified portfolio should include at least 25 to 30 stocks but that would be a huge ask for a small investor. With mutual funds, investors with small funds can also get a diversified portfolio. Buying units of a fund allows you to invest in multiple stocks without having to invest a huge corpus.

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9. Time and Research

When you invest directly, you will need to invest a lot more time and research into your stock while in the case of mutual funds you can be passive. The fund manager is the one who invests his time to manage your portfolio.

10. Investment Tracking

With an investment in mutual funds, you have the benefit of a fund manager who has extensive expertise and experience in the field. Whether it is picking the stocks or monitoring them and making allocations, you do not have to worry about any of it. This service is not available in the case of stock investments. You are responsible for picking and tracking your investment.

11. Investment Horizon

When investing in mutual funds, remember that you will have to give the funds at least 8-10 years to generate good returns as these have a longer-term growth trajectory. In the case of stocks, you can get quick and good returns if you choose the right stocks and sell them at the right time.

Despite all of this if the stock market and its intricacies are something that an individual is familiar with, they can invest directly. They must be ready to play a long term game where a stock doesn’t provide immediate returns and must also have an increased appetite for risk. Unlike investors in mutual funds, they do not have the expertise on Smart investment which fund managers can provide. Even in the best of times, investment in stocks is a risk. In comparatively tougher times, it is better to invest in mutual funds due to the advantage of portfolio diversification, professional management and constant monitoring.

The choice between mutual funds or stocks generally boils down to personal factors like trust and an individual’s ability to take risks. It is a decision to be taken with the utmost of thought with all the options carefully weighed down. However what is important for an individual is the decision to plunge into personal wealth management and attempt to make their savings useful through either mutual funds or stocks, rather than simply sitting on it.

Top Equity MF investments FY 25 - 26

FundNAVNet Assets (Cr)3 MO (%)6 MO (%)1 YR (%)3 YR (%)5 YR (%)2024 (%)
ICICI Prudential Infrastructure Fund Growth ₹195.43
↓ -0.96
₹7,645-2.114.6028.237.127.4
HDFC Infrastructure Fund Growth ₹47.761
↓ -0.23
₹2,483-1.113.2-1.327.934.523
Franklin Build India Fund Growth ₹141.649
↓ -0.83
₹2,884-1.514.2-0.727.633.227.8
Note: Returns up to 1 year are on absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR basis. as on 8 Oct 25

Research Highlights & Commentary of 3 Funds showcased

CommentaryICICI Prudential Infrastructure FundHDFC Infrastructure FundFranklin Build India Fund
Point 1Highest AUM (₹7,645 Cr).Bottom quartile AUM (₹2,483 Cr).Lower mid AUM (₹2,884 Cr).
Point 2Oldest track record among peers (20 yrs).Established history (17+ yrs).Established history (16+ yrs).
Point 3Rating: 3★ (lower mid).Rating: 3★ (bottom quartile).Top rated.
Point 4Risk profile: High.Risk profile: High.Risk profile: High.
Point 55Y return: 37.12% (upper mid).5Y return: 34.54% (lower mid).5Y return: 33.23% (bottom quartile).
Point 63Y return: 28.20% (upper mid).3Y return: 27.88% (lower mid).3Y return: 27.58% (bottom quartile).
Point 71Y return: -0.03% (upper mid).1Y return: -1.27% (bottom quartile).1Y return: -0.68% (lower mid).
Point 8Alpha: 0.00 (upper mid).Alpha: 0.00 (lower mid).Alpha: 0.00 (bottom quartile).
Point 9Sharpe: -0.48 (upper mid).Sharpe: -0.64 (lower mid).Sharpe: -0.64 (bottom quartile).
Point 10Information ratio: 0.00 (upper mid).Information ratio: 0.00 (lower mid).Information ratio: 0.00 (bottom quartile).

ICICI Prudential Infrastructure Fund

  • Highest AUM (₹7,645 Cr).
  • Oldest track record among peers (20 yrs).
  • Rating: 3★ (lower mid).
  • Risk profile: High.
  • 5Y return: 37.12% (upper mid).
  • 3Y return: 28.20% (upper mid).
  • 1Y return: -0.03% (upper mid).
  • Alpha: 0.00 (upper mid).
  • Sharpe: -0.48 (upper mid).
  • Information ratio: 0.00 (upper mid).

HDFC Infrastructure Fund

  • Bottom quartile AUM (₹2,483 Cr).
  • Established history (17+ yrs).
  • Rating: 3★ (bottom quartile).
  • Risk profile: High.
  • 5Y return: 34.54% (lower mid).
  • 3Y return: 27.88% (lower mid).
  • 1Y return: -1.27% (bottom quartile).
  • Alpha: 0.00 (lower mid).
  • Sharpe: -0.64 (lower mid).
  • Information ratio: 0.00 (lower mid).

Franklin Build India Fund

  • Lower mid AUM (₹2,884 Cr).
  • Established history (16+ yrs).
  • Top rated.
  • Risk profile: High.
  • 5Y return: 33.23% (bottom quartile).
  • 3Y return: 27.58% (bottom quartile).
  • 1Y return: -0.68% (lower mid).
  • Alpha: 0.00 (bottom quartile).
  • Sharpe: -0.64 (bottom quartile).
  • Information ratio: 0.00 (bottom quartile).

*Below is the list of best mutual funds based on 5 year CAGR/Annualized and AUM > 100 Crore.

1. ICICI Prudential Infrastructure Fund

To generate capital appreciation and income distribution to unit holders by investing predominantly in equity/equity related securities of the companies belonging to the infrastructure development and balance in debt securities and money market instruments.

Research Highlights for ICICI Prudential Infrastructure Fund

  • Highest AUM (₹7,645 Cr).
  • Oldest track record among peers (20 yrs).
  • Rating: 3★ (lower mid).
  • Risk profile: High.
  • 5Y return: 37.12% (upper mid).
  • 3Y return: 28.20% (upper mid).
  • 1Y return: -0.03% (upper mid).
  • Alpha: 0.00 (upper mid).
  • Sharpe: -0.48 (upper mid).
  • Information ratio: 0.00 (upper mid).
  • Top sector: Industrials.
  • Top bond sector: Cash Equivalent.
  • Equity-heavy allocation (~95%).
  • High-quality debt (AAA/AA ~100%).
  • Largest holding Larsen & Toubro Ltd (~9.4%).

Below is the key information for ICICI Prudential Infrastructure Fund

ICICI Prudential Infrastructure Fund
Growth
Launch Date 31 Aug 05
NAV (08 Oct 25) ₹195.43 ↓ -0.96   (-0.49 %)
Net Assets (Cr) ₹7,645 on 31 Aug 25
Category Equity - Sectoral
AMC ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company Limited
Rating
Risk High
Expense Ratio 1.89
Sharpe Ratio -0.48
Information Ratio 0
Alpha Ratio 0
Min Investment 5,000
Min SIP Investment 100
Exit Load 0-1 Years (1%),1 Years and above(NIL)

Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.

DateValue
30 Sep 20₹10,000
30 Sep 21₹20,062
30 Sep 22₹22,524
30 Sep 23₹31,255
30 Sep 24₹50,301
30 Sep 25₹48,047

ICICI Prudential Infrastructure Fund SIP Returns

   
My Monthly Investment:
Investment Tenure:
Years
Expected Annual Returns:
%
Total investment amount is ₹300,000
expected amount after 5 Years is ₹756,118.
Net Profit of ₹456,118
Invest Now

Returns for ICICI Prudential Infrastructure Fund

Returns up to 1 year are on absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 8 Oct 25

DurationReturns
1 Month 1.7%
3 Month -2.1%
6 Month 14.6%
1 Year 0%
3 Year 28.2%
5 Year 37.1%
10 Year
15 Year
Since launch 15.9%
Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
YearReturns
2024 27.4%
2023 44.6%
2022 28.8%
2021 50.1%
2020 3.6%
2019 2.6%
2018 -14%
2017 40.8%
2016 2%
2015 -3.4%
Fund Manager information for ICICI Prudential Infrastructure Fund
NameSinceTenure
Ihab Dalwai3 Jun 178.25 Yr.
Sharmila D’mello30 Jun 223.17 Yr.

Data below for ICICI Prudential Infrastructure Fund as on 31 Aug 25

Equity Sector Allocation
SectorValue
Industrials38.63%
Basic Materials15.71%
Financial Services15.25%
Utility10.39%
Energy8.23%
Real Estate2.98%
Consumer Cyclical1.94%
Communication Services1.71%
Asset Allocation
Asset ClassValue
Cash5.16%
Equity94.84%
Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
NameHoldingValueQuantity
Larsen & Toubro Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 30 Nov 09 | LT
9%₹720 Cr1,998,954
NTPC Ltd (Utilities)
Equity, Since 29 Feb 16 | NTPC
5%₹363 Cr11,079,473
Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 31 May 24 | ADANIPORTS
4%₹298 Cr2,268,659
Reliance Industries Ltd (Energy)
Equity, Since 31 Jul 23 | RELIANCE
4%₹275 Cr2,029,725
NCC Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 31 Aug 21 | NCC
3%₹267 Cr13,053,905
↑ 531,900
Vedanta Ltd (Basic Materials)
Equity, Since 31 Jul 24 | VEDL
3%₹264 Cr6,279,591
Kalpataru Projects International Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 30 Sep 06 | KPIL
3%₹225 Cr1,803,566
Axis Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Dec 20 | AXISBANK
3%₹209 Cr1,996,057
↑ 100,000
AIA Engineering Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 28 Feb 21 | AIAENG
3%₹202 Cr660,770
CESC Ltd (Utilities)
Equity, Since 30 Jun 23 | CESC
2%₹178 Cr11,700,502

2. HDFC Infrastructure Fund

To seek long-term capital appreciation by investing predominantly in equity and equity related securities of companies engaged in or expected to benefit from growth and development of infrastructure.

Research Highlights for HDFC Infrastructure Fund

  • Bottom quartile AUM (₹2,483 Cr).
  • Established history (17+ yrs).
  • Rating: 3★ (bottom quartile).
  • Risk profile: High.
  • 5Y return: 34.54% (lower mid).
  • 3Y return: 27.88% (lower mid).
  • 1Y return: -1.27% (bottom quartile).
  • Alpha: 0.00 (lower mid).
  • Sharpe: -0.64 (lower mid).
  • Information ratio: 0.00 (lower mid).
  • Top sector: Industrials.
  • Top bond sector: Cash Equivalent.
  • Equity-heavy allocation (~92%).
  • Largest holding ICICI Bank Ltd (~7.3%).

Below is the key information for HDFC Infrastructure Fund

HDFC Infrastructure Fund
Growth
Launch Date 10 Mar 08
NAV (08 Oct 25) ₹47.761 ↓ -0.23   (-0.48 %)
Net Assets (Cr) ₹2,483 on 31 Aug 25
Category Equity - Sectoral
AMC HDFC Asset Management Company Limited
Rating
Risk High
Expense Ratio 2.06
Sharpe Ratio -0.64
Information Ratio 0
Alpha Ratio 0
Min Investment 5,000
Min SIP Investment 300
Exit Load 0-1 Years (1%),1 Years and above(NIL)

Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.

DateValue
30 Sep 20₹10,000
30 Sep 21₹18,908
30 Sep 22₹20,652
30 Sep 23₹29,739
30 Sep 24₹46,335
30 Sep 25₹43,823

HDFC Infrastructure Fund SIP Returns

   
My Monthly Investment:
Investment Tenure:
Years
Expected Annual Returns:
%
Total investment amount is ₹300,000
expected amount after 5 Years is ₹705,310.
Net Profit of ₹405,310
Invest Now

Returns for HDFC Infrastructure Fund

Returns up to 1 year are on absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 8 Oct 25

DurationReturns
1 Month 1.5%
3 Month -1.1%
6 Month 13.2%
1 Year -1.3%
3 Year 27.9%
5 Year 34.5%
10 Year
15 Year
Since launch
Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
YearReturns
2024 23%
2023 55.4%
2022 19.3%
2021 43.2%
2020 -7.5%
2019 -3.4%
2018 -29%
2017 43.3%
2016 -1.9%
2015 -2.5%
Fund Manager information for HDFC Infrastructure Fund
NameSinceTenure
Srinivasan Ramamurthy12 Jan 241.64 Yr.
Dhruv Muchhal22 Jun 232.2 Yr.

Data below for HDFC Infrastructure Fund as on 31 Aug 25

Equity Sector Allocation
SectorValue
Industrials38.25%
Financial Services20.27%
Basic Materials10.14%
Utility6.94%
Energy6.33%
Communication Services3.68%
Real Estate2.29%
Health Care1.84%
Technology1.62%
Consumer Cyclical0.47%
Asset Allocation
Asset ClassValue
Cash8.17%
Equity91.83%
Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
NameHoldingValueQuantity
ICICI Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Oct 09 | ICICIBANK
7%₹182 Cr1,300,000
Larsen & Toubro Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 30 Jun 12 | LT
6%₹137 Cr380,000
HDFC Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Aug 23 | HDFCBANK
5%₹133 Cr1,400,000
Kalpataru Projects International Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 31 Jan 23 | KPIL
4%₹95 Cr758,285
J Kumar Infraprojects Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 31 Oct 15 | JKIL
3%₹86 Cr1,400,000
InterGlobe Aviation Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 31 Dec 21 | INDIGO
3%₹85 Cr150,000
NTPC Ltd (Utilities)
Equity, Since 31 Dec 17 | NTPC
3%₹72 Cr2,200,000
Reliance Industries Ltd (Energy)
Equity, Since 31 May 24 | RELIANCE
3%₹68 Cr500,000
Bharti Airtel Ltd (Communication Services)
Equity, Since 30 Sep 20 | BHARTIARTL
3%₹66 Cr350,000
G R Infraprojects Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 31 Jul 21 | 543317
2%₹59 Cr470,000

3. Franklin Build India Fund

The Scheme seeks to achieve capital appreciation by investing in companies engaged directly or indirectly in infrastructure related activities.

Research Highlights for Franklin Build India Fund

  • Lower mid AUM (₹2,884 Cr).
  • Established history (16+ yrs).
  • Top rated.
  • Risk profile: High.
  • 5Y return: 33.23% (bottom quartile).
  • 3Y return: 27.58% (bottom quartile).
  • 1Y return: -0.68% (lower mid).
  • Alpha: 0.00 (bottom quartile).
  • Sharpe: -0.64 (bottom quartile).
  • Information ratio: 0.00 (bottom quartile).
  • Top sector: Industrials.
  • Top bond sector: Cash Equivalent.
  • Equity-heavy allocation (~96%).
  • Largest holding Larsen & Toubro Ltd (~8.3%).

Below is the key information for Franklin Build India Fund

Franklin Build India Fund
Growth
Launch Date 4 Sep 09
NAV (08 Oct 25) ₹141.649 ↓ -0.83   (-0.58 %)
Net Assets (Cr) ₹2,884 on 31 Aug 25
Category Equity - Sectoral
AMC Franklin Templeton Asst Mgmt(IND)Pvt Ltd
Rating
Risk High
Expense Ratio 2.01
Sharpe Ratio -0.64
Information Ratio 0
Alpha Ratio 0
Min Investment 5,000
Min SIP Investment 500
Exit Load 0-1 Years (1%),1 Years and above(NIL)

Growth of 10,000 investment over the years.

DateValue
30 Sep 20₹10,000
30 Sep 21₹19,616
30 Sep 22₹20,506
30 Sep 23₹28,515
30 Sep 24₹45,123
30 Sep 25₹42,883

Franklin Build India Fund SIP Returns

   
My Monthly Investment:
Investment Tenure:
Years
Expected Annual Returns:
%
Total investment amount is ₹300,000
expected amount after 5 Years is ₹689,048.
Net Profit of ₹389,048
Invest Now

Returns for Franklin Build India Fund

Returns up to 1 year are on absolute basis & more than 1 year are on CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) basis. as on 8 Oct 25

DurationReturns
1 Month 1.2%
3 Month -1.5%
6 Month 14.2%
1 Year -0.7%
3 Year 27.6%
5 Year 33.2%
10 Year
15 Year
Since launch 17.9%
Historical performance (Yearly) on absolute basis
YearReturns
2024 27.8%
2023 51.1%
2022 11.2%
2021 45.9%
2020 5.4%
2019 6%
2018 -10.7%
2017 43.3%
2016 8.4%
2015 2.1%
Fund Manager information for Franklin Build India Fund
NameSinceTenure
Ajay Argal18 Oct 213.87 Yr.
Kiran Sebastian7 Feb 223.57 Yr.
Sandeep Manam18 Oct 213.87 Yr.

Data below for Franklin Build India Fund as on 31 Aug 25

Equity Sector Allocation
SectorValue
Industrials35.76%
Utility13.85%
Energy12.84%
Financial Services12.22%
Communication Services7.94%
Basic Materials4.92%
Real Estate3.03%
Consumer Cyclical2.89%
Technology2.35%
Asset Allocation
Asset ClassValue
Cash4.2%
Equity95.8%
Top Securities Holdings / Portfolio
NameHoldingValueQuantity
Larsen & Toubro Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 29 Feb 20 | LT
8%₹239 Cr665,000
InterGlobe Aviation Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 29 Feb 20 | INDIGO
6%₹169 Cr300,000
ICICI Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Mar 12 | ICICIBANK
6%₹168 Cr1,200,000
Reliance Industries Ltd (Energy)
Equity, Since 31 Oct 21 | RELIANCE
6%₹163 Cr1,200,000
Oil & Natural Gas Corp Ltd (Energy)
Equity, Since 30 Jun 19 | ONGC
6%₹160 Cr6,825,000
↑ 425,000
NTPC Ltd (Utilities)
Equity, Since 30 Nov 16 | NTPC
5%₹142 Cr4,350,000
↑ 225,000
Bharti Airtel Ltd (Communication Services)
Equity, Since 30 Sep 09 | BHARTIARTL
5%₹134 Cr710,000
Axis Bank Ltd (Financial Services)
Equity, Since 31 Mar 12 | AXISBANK
4%₹105 Cr1,000,000
Power Grid Corp Of India Ltd (Utilities)
Equity, Since 28 Feb 21 | POWERGRID
3%₹99 Cr3,600,000
Delhivery Ltd (Industrials)
Equity, Since 31 Mar 24 | 543529
3%₹84 Cr1,800,000

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Disclaimer:
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GAURAV, posted on 3 Dec 18 5:08 AM

Clarified my doubts

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