HDFC Small Cap Fund
Small Cap Fund · HDFC Asset Management Company Limited
Among the 142 similar small cap funds we track, most others have grown money faster than this one. ₹1 lakh invested 5 years ago would be about ₹2 lakh today. Investing ₹10,000 every month for the last 10 years would have put in ₹12.1 lakh and grown it to about ₹31.1 lakh. Be warned: in its worst stretch, ₹1 lakh briefly shrank to about ₹51,740. Funds like this reward patience and punish panic-selling.
New to fund research? Start with the 5-minute guide. The detailed numbers below back all of this up.HDFC Small Cap Fund is a small cap fund from HDFC Asset Management Company Limited. It has a track record of about 12.2 years. As of the latest data it carries an RS rating of 7/99 (its recent momentum versus category peers) and a King Score of 41/100 (a long-term quality composite). The current NAV is ₹158.02 (as of 2026-09-16).
Growth of ₹100 - last 5 years
HDFC Small Cap Fund returns: last 1, 3, 5 and 10 years
| Period | This fund | Category average |
|---|---|---|
| 1 month | -2.63% | -1.1% |
| 3 months | 1.76% | 6.19% |
| 6 months | 9.71% | 23.67% |
| 1 year | -3.03% | 11.06% |
| 3 years (CAGR) | 10.17% | 15.56% |
| 5 years (CAGR) | 14.43% | 16.16% |
| 10 years (CAGR) | 17.53% | 17.64% |
The last 10 years return of HDFC Small Cap Fund works out to 17.53% a year (CAGR) - ₹1 lakh invested 10 years ago would be about ₹5 lakh today. The last 5 years return is 14.43% a year (₹1 lakh → ₹2 lakh), and the last 3 years return is 10.17% - behind its category's 15.56% average by 5.4 points. Its trailing one-year return is -3.03%. Trailing returns flatter or disappoint depending on the end date you pick - the year-by-year and rolling-return sections below are a fairer read.
Year-by-year returns
| Year | HDFC Small Cap Fund | Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | -6.7% | n/a |
| 2019 | -8.5% | n/a |
| 2020 | +21.4% | +25.9% |
| 2021 | +66.5% | +61.2% |
| 2022 | +5.6% | -3.4% |
| 2023 | +46.2% | +48.3% |
| 2024 | +21.5% | +26.5% |
| 2025 | +0.3% | -5.6% |
| 2026 | +0.1% | +7.2% |
HDFC Small Cap Fund beat its benchmark in 3 of the last 7 calendar years. A below-par hit-rate versus its own index is worth weighing against its other strengths. Consistency against the benchmark matters more than any single great year.
Calendar-year returns show how bumpy the ride really was - an average hides the good years and the ugly ones.
What a monthly SIP in HDFC Small Cap Fund would have made
A ₹10,000-a-month SIP, using this fund's actual NAV history. SIP returns (XIRR) differ from lumpsum CAGR because your money goes in gradually, averaging your entry price.
| SIP duration | You invested | It became | XIRR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 years | ₹370,000 | ₹400,507 | 5.21% |
| 5 years | ₹610,000 | ₹847,792 | 13.11% |
| 10 years | ₹1,210,000 | ₹3,108,926 | 17.93% |
Over 10 years, ₹1,210,000 invested in monthly instalments would have grown to about ₹3,108,926 - an XIRR of 17.93%. Figures are pre-tax and assume you stayed invested throughout.
Risk & drawdowns
| Measure | This fund | Category average |
|---|---|---|
| Worst drawdown (lifetime) | -48.26% | -31.84% |
| Worst drawdown (3Y) | -22.61% | -23.78% |
| Volatility (1Y) | 18.8% | 20.34% |
| Sharpe (3Y) | 0.22 | 0.49 |
| Sortino (3Y) | 0.36 | 0.8 |
| Beta (3Y) | 0.83 | 0.85 |
| Alpha (3Y) | -2.22% | 3.36% |
| Up capture | 81.9% | 87.88% |
| Down capture | 84.0% | 80.49% |
| Bull-market return | 35.2% | 36.9% |
| Bear-market return | -35.7% | -24.3% |
Timing matters more than people admit: the best possible 1-year stretch in HDFC Small Cap Fund (starting 2020-05-27) gained 126.3%, while the worst (starting 2019-03-25) lost 43.2%. The worst peak-to-bottom fall HDFC Small Cap Fund has ever put investors through is -48.26% - the real test of whether you'd have stayed invested. In falling markets (Nifty below its 200-day average) it has returned about -35.7% annualised, versus 35.2% in rising markets. It has captured roughly 81.9% of its benchmark's up-moves and 84.0% of its down-moves.
How HDFC Small Cap Fund behaves when markets fall
When the market is falling (the Nifty below its 200-day average), HDFC Small Cap Fund has historically returned about -35.7% annualised, versus roughly 35.2% when the market is rising. Its deepest fall on record is -48.26%. Right now it sits about 4.73% below its all-time high (last hit 2025-09-19). The real question isn't the average year - it's whether you could hold on through the worst one.
How HDFC Small Cap Fund ranks in its category
Percentile versus its ~142 category peers - 100th is best-in-class, 50th is average. This is the fairest apples-to-apples read.
Consistency (rolling returns)
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median 3Y rolling CAGR | 21.22% |
| 3Y windows positive | 94.5% |
| Worst 3Y window | -8.23% |
| 3Y windows beating Nifty 500 | 79.5% |
| Median 5Y rolling CAGR | 18.64% |
| Median 10Y rolling CAGR | 19.55% |
Instead of one lucky start date, rolling returns test every start date. Across all 3-year windows in its history, HDFC Small Cap Fund returned a median of 21.22% a year, and 94.5% of those windows were positive.
What HDFC Small Cap Fund holds
Its latest monthly portfolio disclosure. This is what your money actually owns.
Top holdings
Sector allocation
The top 10 holdings make up 26.8% of the portfolio, across 83 stocks. A higher concentration means the fund's fortunes ride on fewer names.
Portfolio overlap with similar funds
HDFC Small Cap Fund shares BANK OF INDIA Small Cap Fund (6%), Invesco India Smallcap Fund (2%), Bandhan Small Cap Fund (2%) of its portfolio with these category peers (overlap = the slice of the two portfolios invested in the same stocks). The lower the overlap, the more genuinely different the portfolios are.
Who manages HDFC Small Cap Fund - and how good are they?
HDFC Small Cap Fund is managed by Chirag Setalvad and Dhruv Muchhal. Below is each manager's complete track record - every fund they currently run, judged on the same numbers as everything else on this page - so you can see whether this fund is in strong hands or is the outlier in a weak book.
Chirag Setalvad's full record
Chirag Setalvad currently runs 2 funds, across Mid Cap Fund, Small Cap Fund, with about ₹136,159 Cr under management. The book's average King Score is 58.0/100. Their strongest fund by King Score is HDFC Mid Cap Fund (75/100); HDFC Small Cap Fund ranks #2 of 2 in their book.
Tap any column heading to sort.
| # | Fund | RS | King | 3M | 6M | 1Y | 3Y CAGR | 5Y CAGR | 10Y CAGR | Sharpe | Roll 3Y | Worst fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HDFC Mid Cap Fund | 60 | 75 | 2.1% | 8.6% | 5.7% | 16.6% | 18.1% | 17.2% | 0.63 | 23.3% | -39.5% |
| 2 | HDFC Small Cap Fund (this page) | 7 | 41 | 1.8% | 9.7% | -3.0% | 10.2% | 14.4% | 17.5% | 0.22 | 21.2% | -48.3% |
Dhruv Muchhal's full record
Dhruv Muchhal currently runs 36 funds, across Aggressive Hybrid Fund, Banking and PSU Fund, Conservative Hybrid Fund, Credit Risk Fund and more, with about ₹541,304 Cr under management. The book's average King Score is 66.5/100. Their strongest fund by King Score is HDFC Transportation and Logistics Fund (89/100); HDFC Small Cap Fund ranks #29 of 36 in their book.
Tap any column heading to sort.
| # | Fund | RS | King | 3M | 6M | 1Y | 3Y CAGR | 5Y CAGR | 10Y CAGR | Sharpe | Roll 3Y | Worst fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HDFC Transportation and Logistics Fund | 82 | 89 | 8.3% | 16.7% | 7.7% | 24.1% | n/a | n/a | 0.98 | n/a | -23.5% |
| 2 | HDFC Medium Term Debt Fund | 84 | 87 | 1.7% | 3.5% | 6.7% | 7.8% | 6.7% | 7.5% | 1.06 | 8.2% | -3.5% |
| 3 | HDFC Liquid Fund | 88 | 86 | 1.6% | 3.4% | 6.6% | 7.0% | 6.3% | 6.1% | 1.22 | 6.8% | -0.2% |
| 4 | HDFC Value Fund | 86 | 84 | 2.6% | 9.0% | 5.5% | 14.8% | 13.5% | 14.3% | 0.57 | 17.2% | -43.9% |
| 5 | HDFC Defence Fund | 87 | 83 | 3.6% | 21.2% | 20.6% | 36.0% | n/a | n/a | 1.06 | n/a | -34.5% |
| 6 | HDFC Ultra Short Term Fund | 81 | 82 | 1.8% | 3.4% | 6.5% | 7.2% | 6.5% | n/a | 1.33 | 6.0% | -1.0% |
| 7 | HDFC Short Term Debt Fund | 78 | 80 | 1.2% | 2.8% | 5.7% | 7.5% | 6.5% | 7.4% | 0.94 | 7.9% | -2.7% |
| 8 | HDFC Income Fund | 77 | 79 | 1.2% | 2.4% | 4.2% | 6.7% | 5.7% | 5.9% | 0.09 | 6.8% | -10.6% |
| 9 | HDFC Credit Risk Debt Fund | 73 | 79 | 2.0% | 3.9% | 7.4% | 8.2% | 7.1% | 7.9% | 1.58 | 8.2% | -2.6% |
| 10 | HDFC Banking and PSU Debt Fund | 66 | 79 | 1.0% | 2.6% | 5.2% | 7.1% | 6.2% | 7.2% | 0.46 | 7.9% | -3.1% |
| 11 | HDFC Flexi Cap Fund | 45 | 79 | 1.8% | 4.6% | 0.3% | 14.5% | 16.5% | 15.7% | 0.62 | 17.8% | -41.8% |
| 12 | HDFC Focused Fund | 41 | 78 | 0.9% | 2.7% | -2.0% | 14.2% | 17.5% | 14.5% | 0.61 | 17.1% | -45.6% |
| 13 | HDFC Hybrid Debt Fund | 68 | 77 | 0.1% | 0.9% | 1.9% | 7.1% | 7.7% | 8.3% | 0.15 | 10.3% | -12.1% |
| 14 | HDFC Long Duration Debt Fund | 74 | 76 | 0.7% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 5.8% | n/a | n/a | -0.17 | 6.4% | -6.0% |
| 15 | HDFC Equity Savings Fund | 64 | 75 | 0.7% | 1.9% | 2.4% | 8.0% | 8.1% | 9.6% | 0.3 | 11.4% | -16.9% |
| 16 | HDFC Mid Cap Fund | 60 | 75 | 2.1% | 8.6% | 5.7% | 16.6% | 18.1% | 17.2% | 0.63 | 23.3% | -39.5% |
| 17 | HDFC Gilt Fund | 52 | 75 | 0.9% | 1.8% | 3.5% | 6.3% | 5.4% | 6.0% | -0.07 | 7.3% | -11.9% |
| 18 | HDFC Dynamic Debt Fund | 82 | 71 | 1.6% | 2.7% | 4.8% | 6.6% | 5.8% | 6.2% | 0.05 | 7.1% | -7.5% |
| 19 | HDFC ELSS Tax saver | 23 | 70 | -0.5% | 0.4% | -6.1% | 11.7% | 13.5% | 13.0% | 0.39 | 15.6% | -44.1% |
| 20 | HDFC Banking & Financial Services Fund | 45 | 67 | -1.1% | 3.7% | 5.5% | 11.2% | 11.6% | n/a | 0.28 | 17.2% | -21.7% |
| 21 | HDFC Business Cycle Fund | 71 | 65 | 4.8% | 13.4% | 2.1% | 10.6% | n/a | n/a | 0.29 | 13.7% | -18.0% |
| 22 | HDFC Large and Mid Cap Fund | 40 | 64 | 0.4% | 5.7% | -0.5% | 11.8% | 13.8% | 14.4% | 0.34 | 17.0% | -39.5% |
| 23 | HDFC Large Cap Fund | 58 | 60 | -0.5% | 0.8% | -3.5% | 8.0% | 10.5% | 12.2% | 0.11 | 15.0% | -40.8% |
| 24 | HDFC Infrastructure Fund | 16 | 56 | -3.1% | 2.8% | -3.3% | 13.7% | 18.7% | 11.4% | 0.41 | 12.9% | -63.1% |
| 25 | HDFC Multi Cap Fund | 20 | 46 | -0.1% | 4.4% | -3.2% | 10.7% | n/a | n/a | 0.27 | 21.6% | -20.2% |
| 26 | HDFC Multi-Asset Fund | 22 | 45 | 0.2% | 0.6% | 2.7% | 11.3% | 10.7% | 11.4% | 0.62 | 12.9% | -27.1% |
| 27 | HDFC Hybrid Equity Fund | 39 | 44 | 0.2% | 0.3% | -4.7% | 5.8% | 7.9% | 10.1% | -0.07 | 13.0% | -33.6% |
| 28 | HDFC Consumption Fund | 32 | 44 | 1.4% | 6.5% | -8.9% | 10.3% | n/a | n/a | 0.24 | n/a | -23.5% |
| 29 | HDFC Small Cap Fund (this page) | 7 | 41 | 1.8% | 9.7% | -3.0% | 10.2% | 14.4% | 17.5% | 0.22 | 21.2% | -48.3% |
| 30 | HDFC Housing Opportunities Fund | 7 | 37 | -3.9% | -0.4% | -6.7% | 8.4% | 10.8% | n/a | 0.11 | 18.1% | -42.2% |
| 31 | HDFC MNC Fund | 59 | 33 | 3.0% | 10.2% | 0.6% | 6.8% | n/a | n/a | 0.03 | 8.7% | -24.5% |
| 32 | HDFC Technology Fund | 43 | 21 | 7.3% | 4.7% | -13.7% | 5.5% | n/a | n/a | -0.04 | n/a | -29.7% |
| 33 | HDFC Pharma and Healthcare Fund | 97 | n/a | 10.1% | 25.4% | 24.4% | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.65 | n/a | -14.9% |
| 34 | HDFC Innovation Fund | 91 | n/a | 10.5% | 21.2% | 14.3% | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | -12.2% |
| 35 | HDFC Manufacturing fund | 66 | n/a | 2.7% | 10.9% | 5.1% | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0.04 | n/a | -21.5% |
| 36 | HDFC Diversified Equity All Cap Active FOF | n/a | n/a | 0.5% | 4.1% | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | -13.6% |
A caveat worth keeping: funds often have co-managers, and results belong to the whole team and process rather than one person. A manager's book tells you about their range and consistency, not a guarantee of skill.
Cost & fund basics
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Expense ratio (Direct) | 0.73% |
| Exit load | ≈1% if redeemed within 1 year (typical) |
| Minimum investment | ₹100 |
| Fund size (AUM) | ₹38,809 Cr |
| Age | 12.2 years |
| Plan / Option | Direct · Growth |
| Benchmark | SMALLCAP250 |
How HDFC Small Cap Fund compares to peers
| Fund | RS | King | 3Y CAGR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bandhan Small Cap Fund | 59 | 87 | 23.9% |
| Invesco India Smallcap Fund | 66 | 86 | 22.2% |
| BANK OF INDIA Small Cap Fund | 99 | 79 | 20.7% |
| PGIM India Small Cap Fund | 73 | 77 | 15.8% |
| ITI Small Cap Fund | 90 | 75 | 23.8% |
| DSP Small Cap Fund | 75 | 74 | 16.8% |
Overlap warning: funds in the same category often own many of the same stocks - holding several rarely adds the diversification people expect.
What these numbers mean
RS rating (1-99) ranks a fund's recent momentum against its category - higher is stronger right now. King Score (0-100) is a long-term quality composite (returns, consistency, drawdown, risk-adjusted return) versus peers. Max drawdown is the worst peak-to-bottom fall the fund has ever experienced. Rolling returns test every possible start date, so one lucky (or unlucky) entry point can't distort the picture. Every formula behind this page is public - see how we calculate every number.
HDFC Small Cap Fund review: the bottom line
Related
Frequently asked questions
Is HDFC Small Cap Fund a good mutual fund?
That depends on your goals and risk tolerance - this is descriptive research, not advice. On the numbers, HDFC Small Cap Fund scores 41/100 on our King Score and RS 7/99 within its category, has compounded 10.17% a year over three years, and its worst drawdown was -48.26%. Compare those against your needs and the peer table above.
What is the NAV of HDFC Small Cap Fund today?
The latest NAV is ₹158.02 (as of 2026-09-16). NAV (net asset value) is the per-unit price of the fund, published every business day by the AMC.
What is the last 10 years return of HDFC Small Cap Fund?
Over the last 10 years HDFC Small Cap Fund has returned about 17.53% a year (CAGR). In rupees: ₹1 lakh invested 10 years ago would be roughly ₹5 lakh today, before tax. See the year-by-year table above for how uneven the ride was.
What is the expense ratio of HDFC Small Cap Fund?
The Direct-plan expense ratio is 0.73% a year. The Direct plan is cheaper than the Regular plan because it carries no distributor commission - over decades that gap compounds meaningfully.
Who is the fund manager of HDFC Small Cap Fund?
HDFC Small Cap Fund is managed by Chirag Setalvad; Dhruv Muchhal.
Is HDFC Small Cap Fund safe? How risky is it?
No market-linked fund is 'safe' in the fixed-deposit sense - the honest question is how deep its falls get. Its worst historical drawdown was -48.26% - ₹1 lakh briefly becoming about ₹51,740. As a equity fund, its risk profile is typical of that category. Look at the drawdown, volatility and bear-market figures above and ask whether you could stay invested through the bad stretches.
Is HDFC Small Cap Fund good for SIP?
We can't tell you what to do, but here is what actually happened: a ₹10,000 monthly SIP over the last 10 years grew ₹12.1 lakh into about ₹31.1 lakh (XIRR 17.93%). SIPs average your entry price, which helps most in funds that swing hard - check the crash-behaviour section above to see how it treats investors in bad markets.
What are the SIP returns of HDFC Small Cap Fund?
A ₹10,000/month SIP over 10 years would have grown to about ₹3,108,926 (an XIRR of 17.93%) on ₹1,210,000 invested, using the fund's actual NAV history. See the SIP table above for other durations.
How does HDFC Small Cap Fund rank among similar funds?
On 3-year returns it sits around the 29th percentile of its category, and its consistency ranks 78th percentile. 100th is best-in-class, 50th is average. See the category-ranking section above.
Is HDFC Small Cap Fund tax-efficient / what about capital gains?
As a equity fund, gains follow the rules for its asset class - equity-oriented funds are taxed differently from debt. All returns on this page are pre-tax; your actual post-tax return depends on your holding period and slab. This is descriptive information, not tax advice.
Direct or Regular plan - which is shown here?
All figures on this page are for the Direct-Growth plan (no distributor commission, lower cost). Returns are pre-tax; capital-gains tax depends on your own holding period and slab.
See HDFC Small Cap Fund live in the MF Terminal
Everything above is a static snapshot. The terminal is where you actually research it:
- Interactive price chart with EMAs & RSI
- The RS line plotted against its benchmark
- Full holdings, sector mix & portfolio overlap
- Point-in-time backtester & portfolio doctor
- Compare it side-by-side with any peer
- Screen 1,600+ funds on the same metrics
Data: AMFI NAV history, NSE indices, BSE StAR and monthly disclosures. All figures are pre-tax. Descriptive research and education only - nothing here is investment advice or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any fund. Past performance does not guarantee future returns.