The number
The median value fund returned -3.03% over the year to 9 October 2026. Fourteen of the 22 funds that have a full year of history were negative. Over three years the median is 11.27% a year, so the last twelve months are a dent in a decent record rather than a collapse.
All figures are for the Direct plan, Growth option, computed from daily NAVs to 9 October 2026 (8 October for DSP Value Fund). Returns of a year or more are compounded annual rates. Two more funds, Bank of India Value Fund and NJ Value Fund, launched in August and September 2026 and have no record yet.
Every fund with a year of history
| Fund | 1 year | 3 years a year | 5 years a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| LIC MF Value Fund | 17.7% | 16.6% | — |
| Quant Value Fund | 10.3% | 19.6% | — |
| Aditya Birla Sun Life Value Fund | 6.7% | 13.2% | 12.6% |
| Mahindra Manulife Value Fund | 4.7% | — | — |
| Axis Value Fund | 4.1% | 17.2% | 14.9% |
| HDFC Value Fund | 2.6% | 14.9% | 12.5% |
| DSP Value Fund | 1.3% | 14.9% | 11.7% |
| HSBC Value Fund | -0.7% | 14.6% | — |
| ITI Value Fund | -1.6% | 11.3% | 10.5% |
| Groww Value Fund | -2.1% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| Union Value Fund | -3.0% | 11.0% | 10.9% |
| JM Value Fund | -3.1% | 11.2% | 13.3% |
| Tata Value Fund | -3.2% | 12.4% | 12.0% |
| Bandhan Value Fund | -3.3% | 9.8% | 11.4% |
| Baroda BNP Paribas Value Fund | -5.0% | 8.1% | — |
| Canara Robeco Value Fund | -5.3% | 9.9% | 12.2% |
| UTI Value Fund | -7.6% | 10.9% | 9.7% |
| Nippon India Value Fund | -7.6% | 12.3% | 11.6% |
| Templeton India Value Fund | -7.7% | 8.5% | 11.4% |
| ICICI Prudential Value Fund | -8.0% | 10.9% | 12.4% |
| Sundaram Value Fund | -8.8% | 5.6% | 6.5% |
| Quantum Value Fund | -9.9% | 8.8% | 8.4% |
A dash means the fund is too young for that period.
Who led, who lagged
LIC MF Value Fund led the year at 17.7%, and Quant Value Fund was next at 10.3% after the best three-year record in the group, 19.6% a year. Axis Value Fund is the one with strong numbers across all three periods: 4.1%, 17.2% and 14.9%.
At the other end, six funds lost more than 7% in the year. Several of them are among the oldest in the category, with records back to 2013, including the ICICI Prudential, Nippon India and UTI schemes. The gap between first and last place over a single year is 27.6 percentage points, a wide spread for funds that share a label.
Against the indices
NSE publishes a Nifty500 Value 50 index, which picks 50 stocks on value measures. Its price return to 9 October 2026 was 1.64% over a year and 18.76% a year over three, ahead of the funds' median at both ends. At the same date it traded at a P/E of 9.68 and paid a dividend yield of 3.17%, against 21.56 and 1.31% for the Nifty 500.
| Price index | 1 year | 3 years a year |
|---|---|---|
| Nifty500 Value 50 | 1.64% | 18.76% |
| Nifty 500 | -5.92% | 8.48% |
| Nifty 50 | -10.57% | 4.90% |
Value funds sat between the value index and the broad market. Over a year their median of -3.03% beat the Nifty 500 by about 2.9 percentage points. Over three years their 11.27% median was about 2.8 points ahead of it.
Over ten years, twelve funds have a record. Their median is 13.1% a year, against 11.25% a year for the Nifty 500 price index. The index figure leaves out dividends, which would add roughly a point to it, and a ten-year list contains only the funds that survived to be counted.
What the dispersion says
Value is a loose label. Some of these funds hold cyclicals and public-sector companies, others hold quality businesses that look cheap against their own history. That is why the same year produced +17.7% and -9.9%. Checking holdings matters more here than in most categories; our holdings pages show what each fund owns, and the value funds compared post sets four of them side by side.
For another style-based category see dividend yield fund returns, and for the rest of the diversified equity range, mid-cap fund returns.
Frequently asked questions
How have value funds performed over the last year?
The median value fund (Direct plan, Growth option) returned -3.03% in the year to 9 October 2026, across 22 funds with a full year of history. Fourteen were negative. The range ran from -9.89% (Quantum Value Fund) to 17.71% (LIC MF Value Fund).
What is the three-year return of value funds?
The median was 11.27% a year across 21 funds, from 5.59% to 19.62% (Quant Value Fund). Over five years the median was 11.59% a year across 17 funds.
Did value funds beat the market?
Over one year, yes: the Nifty 500 price index fell 5.92% and the Nifty 50 fell 10.57%, against a median of -3.03% for value funds. Over ten years the median of the 12 funds with a record was 13.1% a year, against 11.25% for the Nifty 500 price index.
This is commentary on published data, not investment advice. WealthTicker is not a SEBI-registered adviser or distributor. Figures are WealthTicker’s own calculations from public data — AMFI’s fund NAVs and disclosures, NSE’s index and FII/DII files, and the fund houses’ monthly portfolios (how we calculate). They are as of the dates stated and can be revised by their source.
Keep reading
Value and contra funds vs flexi caps: the 5-year edge
Over five years to 30 September 2026 the median value fund returned 12.29% a year and the median flexi-cap 10.11%. Over one year the order flipped.
Value and contra funds in June 2026: ahead of flexi caps
Over five years to 15 June 2026 the median value fund returned 15.11% a year and the median flexi-cap fund 12.33%. Over one year they were level, near 1.5%.
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The median corporate bond fund returned 4.47% in the year to 9 October 2026, short of the median liquid fund's 6.50%. The range ran from 3.53% to 5.94%.