ICICI Prudential Value Discovery Fund: Consistent strong performance makes it a great midcap value fund

ICICI Prudential Value Discovery Fund has given 25.5% returns since inception. The fund scores above most of its peers in the small and midcap category in terms of consistency of performance. CRISIL has ranked the fund high (CRISIL Rank 2) as a consistent performer among all equity funds. The fund has outperformed the small and midcap category in terms of long term trailing returns over 3, 5 and 10 year time horizons. The chart below shows the trailing 3, 5 and 10 years returns of ICICI Prudential Value Discovery Fund and the small/midcap funds category.

Even in terms of point to point annual returns the ICICI Prudential Value discovery fund has outperformed the small/midcap funds category as well as the benchmark CNX Midcap index. The chart shows the annual returns of ICICI Prudential Value Discovery fund, small/midcap funds category and the benchmark CNX Midcap index from 2005 to YTD 2014.

We can see that the fund has done well both in terms of trailing returns and point to point returns over a long time horizon. The fund has outperformed the category and the benchmark during both bull and bear market cycles.

Fund Overview

The ICICI Prudential Value Discovery fund was launched in July 2004. The fund has around र 8,000 crores of average assets under management. The expense ratio of the fund is 2.26%. The manager of this fund is Mrinal Singh since 2011. Mrinal has a strong track record as fund manager. The minimum investment for this fund is र 5,000. The fund is suitable for investors looking for long term investment objectives, like retirement planning, children’s education etc. Morningstar has a five star rating for this fund.

Portfolio Composition

While the fund has midcap and small cap bias, the fund also has significant allocation to large cap companies. The fund manager identifies stocks trading at significant discount to fair value with substantial upside potential. The portfolio is overweight on cyclical sectors, with sectors like BFSI, Automobile & Auto Ancillaries, Engineering, Oil and Gas accounting for nearly 80% of the portfolio value. With cyclical sectors poised to do well with the revival in economic growth and capex cycle, the ICICI Prudential Value Discovery fund is positioned strongly to do well over the medium to long term. In terms of company concentration, the top 5 companies, ICICI Bank, Reliance, Sadbhav Engineering, Amara Raja and Wipro accounts for only 21% of the portfolio value. Even the top 10 companies account for only around 32% of the portfolio holdings.

Risk and Return

While the ICICI Prudential Value Discovery fund has consistently outperformed the small and midcap funds category in terms of returns, the fund has also has done well in terms of risk measures. The annualized standard deviation of monthly returns of the ICICI Prudential Value Discovery fund at 18.4% is lower than the annualized standard deviation of monthly returns of the category. On a risk adjusted returns basis, as measured by Sharpe Ratio, the fund has outperformed the small and midcap funds category. Sharpe ratio is defined as the ratio of excess return (i.e. difference of return of the fund and risk free return from Government securities) and annualized standard deviation of returns. Higher the Sharpe ratio better is the risk adjusted performance of the fund. The Sharpe ratio of the ICICI Prudential Value Discovery fund is 1.4, while that of the diversified equity fund category is 1.19.

Dividend Payout Track Record

ICICI Prudential Value Discovery fund, dividend option, has a strong dividend payment track record. The fund has paid dividends every year since inception. The table below shows the dividend history of the fund’s dividend option.

Lump Sum and SIP Returns

र 1 lac lump sum investment in the fund NFO (growth option) would be at a value of र 10.5 lacs as on Dec 28 2014. The chart below shows the growth of र 1 lac investment in the ICICI Prudential Value Discovery fund (Growth Option).

The chart below shows the returns since inception of र 3000 monthly SIP in the ICICI Prudential Value Discovery fund (growth option). The SIP date has been assumed to first working day of the month. The chart below shows the SIP returns of the fund. NAVs as on Dec 28 2014.

The chart above shows that a monthly SIP of र 3,000 started at inception of the ICICI Prudential Value Discovery fund (Growth Option) would have grown to nearly र 13.7 lacs by Dec 28 2014, while the investor would have invested in total only र 3.75 lacs. The SIP return is nearly 24% since inception.

Conclusion

The ICICI Prudential Value Discovery fund has just completed 10 years of solid performance. This fund is suitable for investors with a long time horizon. Investors, who are looking for long term capital appreciation, can consider investing in the scheme through the systematic investment plan (SIP) or lump sum route. Investors who prefer dividend payout can also invest in this fund. Investors should consult with their financial advisors if ICICI Prudential Value Discovery fund is suitable for their investment objectives.