Aditya Birla SL Balanced Advantage Fund Direct Growth Review 2026: NAV, Returns, Portfolio & Should You Invest?

Aditya Birla SL Balanced Advantage Fund Direct Growth Plan has a NAV of ₹129.89 as of 09 Sep 2026 and manages ₹10,125 Cr. Its 1-year, 3-year and 5-year returns are 8.42%, 11.92% and 10.57%, respectively, and it sits in the High Risk category. Our view is that the fund has delivered a steadier long-term profile than the benchmark, while recent softness suggests investors need to be comfortable with swings even in a hybrid allocation.

The fund may suit investors who want an actively managed balanced-advantage style allocation with a long enough horizon to absorb short-term variation. The portfolio is led by large bank and financial names, so it may be more exposed to market leadership in that part of the market than a more evenly spread hybrid fund.

Quick facts

Particular	Details
NAV	₹129.89 as of 09 Sep 2026
AUM	₹10,125 Cr
Expense Ratio	0.67%
Launch Date	01 Jan 2013
Min SIP	₹100
Risk Category	High Risk
Benchmark	Nifty 50
Fund Category	Hybrid
Exit Load	0.25% on or before 7D, Nil after 7D
Fund Managers	Harish Krishnan, Lovelish Solanki, Mohit Sharma, Rohit Karan

The fund is managed by Harish Krishnan, Lovelish Solanki, Mohit Sharma and Rohit Karan.

Source data date: as of 09 Sep 2026

Performance

Period	Fund return	Benchmark return
1M	-1.57%	-4.69%
3M	4.83%	0.93%
1Y	8.42%	-7.16%
3Y	11.92%	6.00%
5Y	10.57%	5.87%

The recent 1-month result is still negative, but it is less weak than the benchmark over the same stretch. That tells us the fund has not been immune to short-term pressure, yet it has held up better than the index in the latest bout of weakness.

The 3-month return turns positive and clearly improves on the benchmark. That pattern matters because it shows the fund recovered faster than the index after a soft patch, rather than simply tracking the market down and up in lockstep.

Over 1 year, the gap is much wider: the fund stayed positive while the benchmark moved into negative territory. That is an important sign of relative resilience, although the path is not smooth enough for this to be read as low-volatility behaviour.

Over 3 years and 5 years, the fund remains ahead of the benchmark on the return numbers provided. The longer horizon suggests the strategy has compounded better than Nifty 50 in this period, even though the recent 1-month move reminds us that drawdowns and reversals can still appear in the short run.

Source data date: as of 09 Sep 2026

Should you BUY or HOLD Aditya Birla SL Balanced Advantage?

A fund's past returns alone don't tell you whether you should buy it today or continue holding it.

The right decision depends on factors such as your current allocation, purchase price, risk profile, investment horizon and the role this fund plays in your overall portfolio.

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Peer comparison

Fund	1Y return	3Y return	5Y return
Unifi Dynamic Asset Allocation Fund Direct Growth Plan	8.68%	Data not available	Data not available
Aditya Birla SL Balanced Advantage Fund Direct Growth Plan	8.42%	11.92%	10.57%
Baroda BNP Paribas Balanced Advantage Fund Direct Growth Plan	8.14%	12.06%	11.26%
Edelweiss Balanced Advantage Fund Direct Growth Plan	6.18%	10.63%	9.58%
360 ONE Balanced Hybrid Fund Direct Growth Plan	5.99%	Data not available	Data not available

This assessment is prepared by Uniapps Investment Adviser Pvt. Ltd. under SEBI Registered Investment Adviser registration INA000017639.

On the latest 1-year figures, the fund sits close to the stronger peer returns and edges ahead of several names with available history. The 3-year and 5-year numbers remain healthy, but Baroda BNP Paribas Balanced Advantage Fund Direct Growth Plan is ahead on both of those horizons among peers with available data. That creates a split picture: the fund looks competitive in the shorter window, while the longer-run peer comparison is solid but not the strongest in this set.

Source data date: as of 09 Sep 2026

Portfolio: where your money goes

Holding	Sector	Weight
ICICI Bank Ltd.	Bank	4.08%
Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd.	Bank	2.89%
HDFC Bank Ltd.	Bank	2.6%
TREPS	Cash & Cash Equivalents and Net Assets	2.24%
Indigrid Infrastructure Trust	Finance	2.2%
Reliance Industries Ltd.	Crude Oil	2.09%
State Bank of India	Bank	2.08%
Axis Bank Ltd.	Bank	1.73%
Tech Mahindra Ltd.	IT	1.68%
Infosys Ltd.	IT	1.65%

The top 10 holdings account for approximately 23.24% of the portfolio.

To see all holdings, visit the Aditya Birla SL Balanced Advantage Fund Direct Growth Plan page

The largest holding, ICICI Bank Ltd., stands at 4.08%, so no single name dominates the visible portfolio. The gap from the first holding to the tenth is fairly contained, with the tenth position still at 1.65%, which suggests the listed positions are spread across several medium-sized exposures rather than concentrated in one or two oversized bets.

Even so, the top 10 add up to 23.24% and the disclosed portfolio includes 77 holdings overall, so the fund may still rely on a long tail of smaller positions for balance. In our view, that mix points to moderate concentration in the leading names, but not an extreme dependence on the visible top holdings alone.

Source data date: as of 09 Sep 2026

Who should invest

This fund is better suited to investors who can tolerate High Risk behaviour and are comfortable with a hybrid strategy that may still move sharply over shorter periods. The return pattern suggests a better fit for a medium-to-long investment horizon rather than a quick parking place, because the 1-year, 3-year and 5-year numbers show improvement over time but not in a straight line.

The main trade-off is that the fund has generally held up better than the benchmark across the longer windows, but it has also shown short-term softness. Investors who want some diversification through a hybrid structure and can accept that returns may vary from month to month may find the profile more relevant than someone looking for very stable near-term outcomes.

Tax and exit load

Holding period	Tax rate	Description
Units held less than 1 year	20%	Short-term capital gains tax
Units held more than 1 year	12.5%	Long-term capital gains tax

Exit load: 0.25% on or before 7D, Nil after 7D.

Source data date: as of 09 Sep 2026

Frequently asked questions

What is the current NAV of Aditya Birla SL Balanced Advantage Fund Direct Growth Plan?
Its NAV is ₹129.89 as of 09 Sep 2026.

What are the fund’s 1-year, 3-year and 5-year returns?
The fund’s returns are 8.42% over 1 year, 11.92% over 3 years and 10.57% over 5 years.

How has it done versus Nifty 50?
It has outpaced Nifty 50 across the 1-year, 3-year and 5-year periods shown here, and it has also held up better over the recent 1-month and 3-month windows.

How does it compare with peer balanced funds?
Its 1-year return is close to the stronger peer figures in the comparison set, while its 3-year and 5-year returns are competitive but trail the best available peer numbers on those longer horizons.

What is the minimum SIP amount?
The minimum SIP amount is ₹100.

Who manages the fund and what is its exit load?
The fund is managed by Harish Krishnan, Lovelish Solanki, Mohit Sharma and Rohit Karan. The exit load is 0.25% on or before 7 days, and nil after 7 days.

Bottom line

The fund’s short-term path has been uneven, but its 3-year and 5-year returns remain comfortably ahead of the benchmark. Compared with peers, the latest 1-year result is competitive, while the longer-term figures are solid but not the strongest in the listed set. The risk label is High Risk, and the portfolio is led by bank and financial holdings with a long tail of other positions. That makes it more appropriate for investors who can accept variation in pursuit of better medium- to long-term compounding.

Published on 10 September 2026 at 10:57 AM IST

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RIA disclosure

Mutual fund investments are subject to market risks. Read all scheme-related documents carefully before investing. This review is prepared by Uniapps Investment Adviser Pvt. Ltd. (earlier known as Uniapps Global Research Pvt. Ltd.) under SEBI Registered Investment Adviser registration INA000017639 for general informational purposes and is not personalized investment advice.