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

HDFC Balanced Advantage Fund Direct Growth Plan closed at ₹565.84 as of 08 Sep 2026. The scheme’s AUM stands at ₹1,07,765 Cr, and its 1-year, 3-year and 5-year returns are 2.33%, 11.79% and 15.07%, respectively. The fund is tagged High Risk, so our view is that it suits investors who can stay invested through uneven phases.

Its long-term return profile is stronger than the benchmark, but the recent one-year outcome is much softer than the 3-year and 5-year record. With a large asset base and a diversified multi-holding portfolio, this fund may appeal more to investors who want a hybrid allocation that has shown resilience over longer periods rather than a smooth near-term ride.

Quick facts

Particular	Details
NAV	₹565.84 as of 08 Sep 2026
AUM	₹1,07,765 Cr
Expense Ratio	0.73%
Launch Date	01 Jan 2013
Min SIP	₹100
Risk Category	High Risk
Benchmark	Nifty 50
Fund Category	Hybrid
Exit Load	Nil upto 15% of Units, For excess Units 1% on or before 1Y and Nil after 1Y
Fund Managers	Gopal Agrawal, Srinivasan Ramamurthy, Arun Agarwal, Nandita Menezes

The fund is managed by Gopal Agrawal, Srinivasan Ramamurthy, Arun Agarwal and Nandita Menezes.

Source data date: as of 08 Sep 2026

Performance

Period	Fund return	Benchmark return
1M	-1.93%	-3.86%
3M	2.93%	1.69%
1Y	2.33%	-5.72%
3Y	11.79%	6.3%
5Y	15.07%	6.05%

The recent pattern is mixed. Over 1 month, the fund was down less than the benchmark, which suggests it held up better in a soft patch. Over 3 months, it recovered more strongly than the benchmark, which is a useful sign for investors who are watching how quickly the portfolio can rebuild after short-term volatility.

The 1-year return is modest at 2.33%, and that is clearly below the fund’s own 3-year and 5-year pace. This gap tells us the last year was a weaker stretch than the broader cycle. Even so, the fund still remained ahead of the benchmark over 1 year, 3 years and 5 years, which supports the idea that the strategy has added value over longer holding periods.

The longer-term path looks more constructive than the near-term picture. The 3-year return of 11.79% and the 5-year return of 15.07% both point to steady compounding, while the benchmark lagged over the same windows. Our read is that this is not a fund that moves in a straight line, but the longer record shows a better outcome than the index across the measured horizons.

For investors, the key point is that the fund’s recent behaviour has been more subdued than its medium- and long-term record. That combination usually matters in hybrid strategies: the journey can be uneven, but the longer holding period gives the portfolio more room to show its allocation approach. The fund’s trend since launch suggests it has generally converted that patience into better compounding than the benchmark.

Source data date: as of 08 Sep 2026

Should you BUY or HOLD HDFC 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
HDFC Balanced Advantage Fund Direct Growth Plan	2.33%	11.79%	15.07%
Baroda BNP Paribas Balanced Advantage Fund Direct Growth Plan	8.84%	12.19%	11.36%
Unifi Dynamic Asset Allocation Fund Direct Growth Plan	8.73%	Data not available	Data not available
Aditya Birla SL Balanced Advantage Fund Direct Growth Plan	8.59%	12.07%	10.61%
Edelweiss Balanced Advantage Fund Direct Growth Plan	6.89%	10.81%	9.7%
360 ONE Balanced Hybrid Fund Direct Growth Plan	6.5%	Data not available	Data not available

This assessment is prepared by Uniapps Investment Adviser Pvt. Ltd. under SEBI Registered Investment Adviser registration INA000017639. The fund’s 1-year return trails the stronger peer readings in this set, where several schemes are close to or above 8%. That said, the 3-year and 5-year figures remain respectable and compare more favourably with peers that have longer history, especially because the fund has held above 11% on 3 years and above 15% on 5 years.

Our view is that the short-term and longer-term stories are different. In the latest year, the fund has been more restrained than several peers, but over 3 years and 5 years it shows a better compounding pattern than most of the peer values disclosed here. That split suggests the fund may be more interesting for investors who care about the full cycle rather than the most recent year alone.

Source data date: as of 08 Sep 2026

Portfolio: where your money goes

Holding	Sector	Weight
ICICI Bank Ltd.	Bank	5.23%
HDFC Bank Ltd.£	Bank	4.34%
Reliance Industries Ltd.	Crude Oil	3.81%
State Bank of India	Bank	3.34%
Bharti Airtel Ltd.	Telecom	3.17%
Axis Bank Ltd.	Bank	2.52%
Larsen and Toubro Ltd.	Infrastructure	2.51%
NTPC Limited	Power	2.05%
7.18% GOI Mat 140833	Government Securities	1.99%
Coal India Ltd.	Mining	1.64%

The top 10 holdings account for approximately 30.6% of the portfolio.

To see all holdings, visit the HDFC Balanced Advantage Fund Direct Growth Plan page

The largest holding is ICICI Bank Ltd. at 5.23%, which is meaningful but not overwhelming on its own. The second and third positions are also sizable, yet the weights step down fairly quickly after the first few names, and the tenth holding is down to 1.64%. That pattern suggests the portfolio is not dominated by one single security.

The displayed positions are spread across banks, telecom, infrastructure, power, government securities and mining, so the fund may get its behaviour from a mix of equity and debt-linked exposures rather than one narrow theme. With 45 disclosed holdings and the top 10 accounting for 30.6%, the portfolio appears to have a reasonably long tail beyond the largest names. Our view is that this should help reduce dependence on any one holding, even though the biggest positions are still large enough to matter.

Source data date: as of 08 Sep 2026

Who should invest

This fund is better suited to investors who are comfortable with High Risk and who can stay invested for at least a medium to long horizon. The 1-year return has been subdued, but the 3-year and 5-year figures are much stronger, so patience has mattered here.

It may appeal to investors who want a hybrid strategy that has stayed ahead of the benchmark across the measured horizons, while still accepting that shorter periods can be choppy. The main trade-off is that the journey can be uneven in the near term even when the longer record looks steadier.

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: Nil up to 15% of units sold on or before 1 year; for excess units, 1% if sold on or before 1 year, and nil after 1 year.

Source data date: as of 08 Sep 2026

Frequently asked questions

What is the current NAV of HDFC Balanced Advantage Fund Direct Growth Plan?
The current NAV is ₹565.84 as of 08 Sep 2026.

What are the fund’s 1-year, 3-year and 5-year returns?
The fund’s returns are 2.33% over 1 year, 11.79% over 3 years and 15.07% over 5 years.

How has it performed versus the benchmark?
It has outpaced the Nifty 50 benchmark across 1 year, 3 years and 5 years. The gap is especially clear over the longer windows.

How does it compare with peer funds on the available return data?
Its 1-year return is lower than several peers in this comparison, but its 3-year and 5-year returns remain competitive among the peer figures shown.

What is the risk category and portfolio style?
It is tagged High Risk and holds a mix of large bank names, infrastructure, telecom, power and government securities among its top positions.

Who manages the fund and what is the exit load?
The fund is managed by Gopal Agrawal, Srinivasan Ramamurthy, Arun Agarwal and Nandita Menezes. The exit load is nil up to 15% of units sold on or before 1 year; for excess units, it is 1% if sold on or before 1 year, and nil after 1 year.

Bottom line

HDFC Balanced Advantage Fund Direct Growth Plan has a weaker latest-year showing than its medium- and long-term history, but the 3-year and 5-year numbers still point to solid compounding. Against the benchmark, it stays ahead across the measured windows, and the peer set shows a similar split between softer short-term results and better longer-term outcomes. The portfolio is not overly dependent on a single holding, though the largest names are still influential. Our view is that this fund fits investors who can tolerate High Risk and prefer a longer holding period.

Published on 9 September 2026 at 4:07 PM 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.