Why did Edelweiss Flexi Cap Fund raise banking exposure and trim IT allocation in H1 2026?

Edelweiss Flexi Cap Fund has reshaped its portfolio over the first six months of 2026 by increasing exposure to banks, electrical equipment, pharmaceuticals and infrastructure-linked sectors, while trimming its allocation to information technology and financial services. The changes come as the fund continues to outperform the Nifty 500 TRI over longer investment horizons.

Between January and June 2026, the fund increased its stock count from 81 to 91 holdings, reflecting a broader diversification strategy. During the six-month period, the fund made 21 new purchases, exited 12 stocks completely, and maintained a relatively moderate portfolio turnover of 19%, indicating that while the manager has been active in portfolio construction, it has avoided excessive churn.

Edelweiss Flexi Cap Fund: Six-month portfolio changes (January–June 2026)

Banking emerges as the biggest conviction

The most notable shift during the period was a higher allocation to banking stocks. The sector's portfolio weight increased from 22.7% in January to 24.3% in June, making it the largest sectoral exposure in the fund.

MUST READ: Multi-cap mutual funds attract over ₹18,000 cr in H1 2026

Among individual stocks, ICICI Bank emerged as the fund's biggest conviction. Its portfolio weight rose from 4.9% to 6.0%, making it the largest holding by June. HDFC Bank also remained a top position with a weight of 5.7%, while Larsen & Toubro, Reliance Industries and NTPC continued to feature among the fund's largest investments.

The fund also increased exposure to Axis Bank, whose weight nearly doubled during the six months.

Sector allocation changes

Capital expenditure theme gains prominence

Beyond financials, the portfolio reflects a clear tilt towards India's capital expenditure and manufacturing story.

Electrical Equipment recorded the sharpest increase in sector allocation, rising 2.9 percentage points over the six months. Construction gained 1.1 percentage points, while Power increased by 1 percentage point, suggesting greater exposure to companies expected to benefit from infrastructure spending, power demand and industrial investment.

ALSO READ: Why the first Rs 50 lakh takes the longest in SIP investing; here's why wealth creation speeds up later

Healthcare was another area of focus. Allocation to Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology increased by 1.2 percentage points, indicating a renewed preference for defensive sectors alongside cyclical growth themes.

IT sees the biggest reduction

The biggest reduction came in IT-Software, whose portfolio weight declined by 4.3 percentage points during the review period.

The fund also reduced its allocation to the broader Finance sector by 2.1 percentage points, signalling a shift away from select non-bank financial names while simultaneously increasing exposure to commercial banks.

At the stock level, Infosys witnessed the sharpest reduction in portfolio weight, declining by 2 percentage points, making it the biggest weight loser during the period.

Active yet disciplined portfolio management

Portfolio activity remained measured despite multiple changes. The fund recorded 21 total buys against 12 complete exits, while the number of holdings expanded by ten stocks.

MUST READ: Large-cap stocks may be set for a comeback: Here's why Axis Mutual Fund is bullish

Among notable additions across the six months were companies such as Ashok Leyland, Larsen & Toubro, Torrent Pharma, Axis Bank and ICICI Bank, while positions in stocks including Infosys, Oil India, Muthoot Finance and Trent were trimmed or exited over different months.

Top holdings: Biggest changes

Long-term performance

The portfolio adjustments have coincided with consistent medium- and long-term outperformance.

According to the data, the Edelweiss Flexi Cap Fund generated a one-year CAGR of 6.1%, compared with 3.4% for the Nifty 500 TRI, delivering an alpha of 2.7 percentage points. Over three years, the fund outperformed the benchmark by 3.4 percentage points, while over five years, it generated 2 percentage points of excess returns.

For SIP investors, the fund has also maintained superior XIRR across longer time frames, suggesting that its stock selection and sector rotation strategy has translated into sustained wealth creation rather than short-term gains alone.

With larger allocations to banks and infrastructure-linked sectors and reduced exposure to IT, the fund's recent portfolio changes reflect a positioning aligned with domestic growth and capital expenditure themes that continue to dominate the broader market outlook.

ALSO READ: Will commercial real estate investing get easier with India's first REIT-focused index fund?