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

Motilal Oswal Balanced Advantage Fund Direct Growth Plan currently has a NAV of ₹21.9237 as of 10 Sep 2026 and an AUM of ₹743 Cr. Its 1-year, 3-year and 5-year returns are -3.24%, 2.21% and 5.89%, and it sits in the High Risk category.

Our view is that this is a fund for investors who can accept equity-led swings in a hybrid structure and are comfortable with uneven shorter-term outcomes. The five-year result is modest, but the portfolio’s mix of equities, debt and cash-like positions suggests a strategy that can behave differently from a plain equity fund.

Quick facts

Particular	Details
NAV	₹21.9237 as of 10 Sep 2026
AUM	₹743 Cr
Expense Ratio	0.99%
Launch Date	27 Sep 2016
Min SIP	₹500
Risk Category	High Risk
Benchmark	Nifty 50
Fund Category	Hybrid
Exit Load	1% on or before 365D, Nil after 365D
Fund Managers	Sandeep Jain, Ankit Agarwal, Varun Sharma, Rakesh Shetty

The fund is managed by Sandeep Jain, Ankit Agarwal, Varun Sharma and Rakesh Shetty.

Source data date: as of 10 Sep 2026

Performance

Period	Fund return	Benchmark return
1M	-0.76%	-4.06%
3M	9.27%	1.37%
1Y	-3.24%	-7.31%
3Y	2.21%	6.07%
5Y	5.89%	5.91%

The short-term picture is mixed, but the fund has recently been more resilient than the benchmark over one month and one year. The one-month fall was smaller than the benchmark’s decline, while the three-month move was much stronger, which points to a sharper recovery in the latest stretch.

The longer view is less convincing. Over three years, the fund trails the benchmark by a wide margin, and the five-year outcome is almost in line with it, which means the fund has not created a lasting edge over the full cycle. That pattern matters because balanced advantage funds are often used to smooth equity swings rather than to chase fast upside.

The time pattern also suggests uneven compounding. There was a stronger phase in the middle of the three-year window, but the path was not steady, and the one-year stretch turned negative. In our view, that makes the fund suitable for investors who can tolerate periods when returns lag even if the strategy later recovers.

Against the benchmark, the fund looks better in the very recent window and weaker across the intermediate horizon. That split tells us the strategy can respond well to changing market conditions, but the benefit has not yet translated into clear multi-year outperformance.

Source data date: as of 10 Sep 2026

Should you BUY or HOLD Motilal Oswal 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
Motilal Oswal Balanced Advantage Fund Direct Growth Plan	-3.24%	2.21%	5.89%
Unifi Dynamic Asset Allocation Fund Direct Growth Plan	8.79%	Data not available	Data not available
Baroda BNP Paribas Balanced Advantage Fund Direct Growth Plan	7.3%	12%	11.22%
Aditya Birla SL Balanced Advantage Fund Direct Growth Plan	6.99%	11.7%	10.43%
Edelweiss Balanced Advantage Fund Direct Growth Plan	5.88%	10.64%	9.58%
360 ONE Balanced Hybrid Fund Direct Growth Plan	5.64%	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 most recent horizon, the fund is below the stronger peer outcomes listed here, even though its one-month and one-year numbers are less weak than its benchmark. The three-year and five-year figures also sit behind the peers with available data, so the short-term rebound has not yet changed the broader picture. That leaves us seeing a fund that has shown some recent recovery, but not yet a return pattern that clearly matches the better multi-year peer results.

Source data date: as of 10 Sep 2026

Portfolio: where your money goes

Holding	Sector	Weight
Triparty Repo	Cash & Cash Equivalents and Net Assets	7.4%
Net Receivables / (Payables)	Cash & Cash Equivalents and Net Assets	5.99%
Coforge Limited	IT	5.31%
Torrent Pharmaceuticals Limited	Healthcare	4.32%
Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited	Healthcare	4.07%
Indusind Bank Limited	Bank	3.98%
Bharti Airtel Limited	Telecom	3.77%
Shriram Finance Limited	Finance	3.44%
7.3763% Bajaj Finance Limited 2028 **	Corporate Debt	3.38%
7.4091% HDB Financial Services Limited 2028 **	Corporate Debt	3.38%

The top 10 holdings account for approximately 45.04% of the portfolio.

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

The largest disclosed holding is Triparty Repo at 7.4%, which gives the fund a meaningful cash-like buffer among the visible positions. The next positions step down fairly gradually into receivables, IT, healthcare, banking, telecom and financial debt, so the weight does not collapse sharply after the first line.

That said, the visible book is not evenly spread. The top 10 disclosed positions together make up 45.04% of the portfolio, and the fund has 31 total disclosed holding rows, so there is still a long tail beyond the largest names shown here. In our view, that mix may reduce single-stock dependence relative to a tightly concentrated equity fund, while still leaving the portfolio sensitive to the more important positions listed above.

The blend of cash equivalents, equity names and corporate debt also suggests a strategy that may shift emphasis across market conditions. For investors, that means the fund could behave with less pure equity intensity than a conventional stock-heavy product, but its High Risk label still signals that returns can move materially from one period to the next.

Source data date: as of 10 Sep 2026

Who should invest

This fund suits investors who can tolerate a High Risk hybrid strategy and who are comfortable with return swings over shorter periods. The one-year result is negative, while the three-year and five-year numbers are positive but modest, so it fits better as a medium- to long-term allocation than as a quick-return vehicle.

The main trade-off is that the fund may not keep pace with stronger peers in every cycle even though it can hold up better than the benchmark in some recent periods. Investors who want a smoother path than a pure equity fund may find the mix useful, but they need to accept that the payoff has been inconsistent across time windows.

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

1% if units are sold on or before 365 days; no exit load after 365 days.

Source data date: as of 10 Sep 2026

Frequently asked questions

What is the current NAV of Motilal Oswal Balanced Advantage Fund Direct Growth Plan?

The current NAV is ₹21.9237 as of 10 Sep 2026.

What are the fund’s 1-year, 3-year and 5-year returns?

The fund’s returns are -3.24% for 1 year, 2.21% for 3 years and 5.89% for 5 years.

How has the fund performed versus the benchmark?

It has done better than the benchmark over 1 month and 1 year, but it trails the benchmark over 3 years and is almost in line over 5 years. That makes the recent picture better than the medium-term one.

How does it compare with the peer funds shown here?

Its 1-year return is below the stronger peer figures shown here, and its 3-year and 5-year returns are also lower than the peers with available multi-year data. The recent rebound has not yet changed the broader multi-year comparison.

Is there a minimum SIP amount?

The minimum SIP amount is ₹500.

What are the risk, managers and exit-load details?

The fund is in the High Risk category and is managed by Sandeep Jain, Ankit Agarwal, Varun Sharma and Rakesh Shetty. The exit load is 1% if units are sold on or before 365 days, and nil after 365 days.

Bottom line

The fund has shown a better very short-term recovery than its benchmark, but the three-year and five-year results point to a more ordinary long-term record. Compared with the peer returns shown here, it trails on the available multi-year figures, even though it has recently looked less weak than the benchmark. The portfolio is spread across equities, debt and cash-like positions, which may soften pure equity exposure, but the High Risk label still matters. For investors who want a hybrid allocation with some flexibility, it is a fund to assess on patience rather than on short bursts of performance.

Published on 11 September 2026 at 6:28 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.