Mutual funds’ August 2026 portfolio moves: Top 5 stocks bought and sold across large-, mid- and small-caps
Mutual funds increased their exposure to several stocks across large-, mid-, and small-cap segments in August 2026, even as they reduced holdings in some other names. For investors, the changes offer a glimpse into where fund managers were increasing or cutting exposure across market-cap segments.
According to the latest Fund Folio: Indian Mutual Fund Tracker report by Motilal Oswal Financial Services, mutual funds were net buyers in 42% of Nifty 50 stocks in August, covering 21 large-cap stocks.
Buying was broader in the mid- and small-cap segments, with mutual funds net buyers in 55% of Nifty Midcap 100 stocks (55 stocks) and 64% of Nifty Smallcap 100 stocks (64 stocks).
Here are the top five stocks in each segment where mutual funds increased and reduced their holdings the most in August 2026.
Which large-cap stocks did mutual funds buy and sell the most in August 2026?
Among Nifty 50 stocks, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories saw the highest increase in shares held by mutual funds in August 2026, rising 11.4% from July 2026. As of August 2026, mutual funds held 11.86 crore shares of the large-cap stock.
| Large-cap stocks bought | Shares Aug-26 (crore) | Shares Change – MoM (%) | Large-cap stocks sold | Shares Aug-26 (crore) | Shares Change – MoM (%) |
| Dr Reddy’s Laboratories | 11.86 | 11.4 | Grasim Inds | 3.59 | -9.7 |
| Coal India | 70.03 | 9.9 | Bajaj Finserv | 11.68 | -5.8 |
| Tata Steel | 185.51 | 4.3 | Bajaj Auto | 1.50 | -5.4 |
| Max Healthcare Institute | 17.82 | 4.2 | Tech Mahindra | 17.61 | -4.7 |
| UltraTech Cement | 3.01 | 4.0 | Eternal | 269.27 | -4.6 |
*Source: Motilal Oswal Financial Services’ Fund Folio: Indian Mutual Fund Tracker – September 2026; MoM refers to month-on-month change, comparing August 2026 with July 2026; Nifty 50 considered
Coal India followed with a 9.9% increase, while Tata Steel and Max Healthcare saw increases of 4.3% and 4.2%, respectively. UltraTech Cement rounded out the top five with a 4% rise.
On the other hand, Grasim Industries recorded the sharpest decline in shares held by mutual funds, down 9.7% month-on-month. Bajaj Finserv, Bajaj Auto, Tech Mahindra and Eternal followed.
Which mid-cap stocks saw the most mutual fund buying and selling in August 2026?
Buying was more widespread in the mid-cap universe. Cochin Shipyard recorded the biggest increase in shares held by mutual funds, at 29.4%, followed by Patanjali Foods at 27.6%. ICICI AMC, Billionbrains, and One 97 also saw notable increases.
| Mid-cap stocks bought | Shares Aug-26 (crore) | Shares Change – MoM (%) | Mid-cap stocks sold | Shares Aug-26 (crore) | Shares Change – MoM (%) |
| Cochin Shipyard | 1.24 | 29.4 | Tata Elxsi | 0.05 | -22.9 |
| Patanjali Foods | 2.44 | 27.6 | H U D C O | 2.16 | -22.4 |
| ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co | 2.51 | 16.8 | Rail Vikas Nigam | 0.87 | -19.7 |
| Billionbrains Garage Ventures | 57.33 | 14.0 | Laurus Labs | 4.09 | -12.8 |
| One 97 Communications | 11.82 | 13.8 | UPL | 6.93 | -8.1 |
*Source: Motilal Oswal Financial Services’ Fund Folio: Indian Mutual Fund Tracker – September 2026; MoM refers to month-on-month change, comparing August 2026 with July 2026; Nifty Midcap 100 considered
On the selling side, Tata Elxsi saw shares held by mutual funds fall 22.9%, followed by HUDCO at 22.4% and Rail Vikas at 19.7%.
Which small-cap stocks saw the most mutual fund buying and selling in August 2026?
Small caps recorded the broadest buying, with mutual funds net buyers in 64% of Nifty Smallcap 100 stocks.
Tenneco Clean Air saw shares held by mutual funds rise 129.5% month-on-month in August 2026, followed by KFin Technologies at 41%.
| Small-cap stocks bought | Shares Aug-26 (crore) | Shares Change – MoM (%) | Small-cap stocks sold | Shares Aug-26 (crore) | Shares Change – MoM (%) |
| Tenneco Clean Air India | 5.82 | 129.5 | Himadri Speciality Chemical | 0.26 | -56.8 |
| Kfin Technologies | 4.51 | 41.0 | G M D C | 0.07 | -46.7 |
| Urban Company | 16.56 | 29.2 | IIFL Finance | 0.68 | -21.7 |
| Hindustan Copper | 0.72 | 28.7 | M R P L | 0.84 | -13.2 |
| Aster DM Quality | 17.10 | 27.7 | Sarda Energy | 0.14 | -11.8 |
*Source: Motilal Oswal Financial Services’ Fund Folio: Indian Mutual Fund Tracker – September 2026; MoM refers to month-on-month change, comparing August 2026 with July 2026; Nifty Smallcap 100 considered
However, the trend was not uniform. Himadri Specialty recorded the sharpest decline, with mutual fund-held shares falling 56.8%, followed by GMDC.
Disclaimer: This is purely for educational/informational purposes and should not be taken as any sort of investment advice. Always consult a SEBI-registered advisor before making any investment decisions.
