6 stocks that every top-rated multi-cap fund owns. Do you?

Summary: When five of India’s highest-rated multi-cap funds end up buying the same six stocks, there’s a high chance those companies are up to something constructive. We just didn’t stop there. We also looked at some of the interesting mid-cap and small-cap names that were found in at least four of the five top funds.

You know that warm, fuzzy feeling when you find out you own the same stock as all the top fund managers? It’s a bit like discovering you’ve been humming the same tune as A. R. Rahman. It’s purely by accident, but you’ll take the bragging rights anyway.

Because surely, they can’t all be wrong.

Well, theoretically, they can, but you’d still sleep better knowing your portfolio shares DNA with the country’s top-rated multi-cap funds.

But first, what exactly are multi-cap funds?

Think of them as the buffet of the mutual fund world. They don’t discriminate between large, mid or small companies. By mandate, multi-cap funds must invest at least 25 per cent each in large-, mid- and small-cap stocks. That mix makes them a strong candidate for the core of a long-term portfolio.

Meet the top-rated multi-cap funds

Now that we know what multi-cap funds are, let’s look at the top-rated funds, as per Value Research Ratings (as of September 30, 2025, direct plans):

• Nippon India Multi Cap Fund: ★★★★★ (the highest-rated in the category)
• Axis Multicap Fund: ★★★★
• HDFC Multi Cap Fund: ★★★★
• ICICI Prudential Multicap Fund: ★★★★
• Kotak Mahindra Multicap Fund: ★★★★

For those unaware, Value Research Ratings are based on long-term, risk-adjusted performance. They’re not fortune cookies, just a solid starting point to help you separate the serious performers from the hype.

Interestingly, or rather expectedly, these five funds are among the top six performers of the last three years. (We are only looking at their three-year performance because this is a new category of mutual funds.)

The top five performers line up like this:

(As an aside, Mahindra Manulife Multicap Fund sits at the fifth spot, but we’ll save that story for another day. Let’s now get back to the main reason you are here for.)

Which stocks do all these top-rated funds agree on?

Now comes the fun bit. We looked at the portfolios of these five top multi-cap funds and found six common holdings. These are the elite club of stocks that every fund manager in this category seems to admire.

Incidentally, despite multi-cap funds having the freedom to roam across market segments, the six common picks are all large-cap stalwarts.

But what about the common mid- and small-cap companies?

After all, the real action in a multi-cap fund often happens beneath the surface, in the middle and small-cap universes where fund managers quietly place their big bets.

So, we dug deeper to identify the mid and small-cap stocks that show up in at least four out of these five portfolios. We found five such names. They are:

It’s not every day that the best fund managers agree on the same stocks, especially in the mid- and small-cap space, where over 400 names compete for attention. But when they do, it’s worth taking a second look. Not as gospel, but as a guidepost.

Now, the million-rupee question: How many of these do you own?

If your answer is “some”, you’re in fine company. If your answer is “none,” it might be time for a portfolio check-up.

Head over to Value Research Stock Ratings, where every stock is dissected across four dimensions:

• Quality
• Growth
• Valuation
• Momentum

Our multi-dimensional stock rating system lets you look at these Quality, Growth, Valuation and Momentum scores to suit your investing DNA. In fact, you can even go with our composite rating if you prefer an all-in-one verdict.

Also read: 20 stocks held by both Parag Parikh & HDFC's flexi-cap funds