Apollo Pipes, Marathon Nextgen Realty Among Top 7 Unique Stocks Held by Mutual Funds in August

What Are Unique Stocks in Mutual Fund Portfolios?

Some stocks appear in the portfolios of only one mutual fund house during a particular month. These are referred to as "unique stocks" in the ETMutualFunds analysis.

In August 2026, there were around 194 such unique stocks. ETMutualFunds filtered the list to include stocks with a market value of more than Rs 100 crore. This produced a list of seven stocks, including Apollo Pipes and Marathon Nextgen Realty. The data was sourced from ACE MF.

Importantly, a stock being held by only one fund house does not necessarily mean that it is a better investment. It simply indicates that the stock had limited representation across mutual fund portfolios during the period analysed.

Top 7 Unique Stocks Held by Mutual Funds in August 2026

StockMutual Fund Holding ItShares HeldMarket ValueMarathon Nextgen RealtyQuant Small Cap Fund66.99 lakhRs 276 croreVindhya TelelinksNippon India Small Cap Fund9.74 lakhRs 247 croreShankara BuildproFranklin India Small Cap Fund11.30 lakhRs 141 croreHirectTata Small Cap Fund10.86 lakhRs 132 crorePennar IndustriesBandhan Small Cap Fund78.23 lakhRs 129 croreApollo PipesFranklin India Small Cap Fund20.23 lakhRs 126 croreNIITNippon India Small Cap Fund1.11 croreRs 112 crore

The holdings and market values are based on mutual fund portfolios as of August 2026.

Marathon Nextgen Realty

Marathon Nextgen Realty had the highest market value among the seven unique stocks identified in the August analysis.

Only Quant Small Cap Fund held the stock in its portfolio as of August 2026. The fund held 66.99 lakh shares, with the holding valued at approximately Rs 276 crore.

The stock's presence as a unique holding means that, among the fund houses covered in the analysis, it was not held by other mutual fund houses at the time.

Vindhya Telelinks

Vindhya Telelinks was another stock with a significant mutual fund holding.

Only Nippon India Small Cap Fund held the stock in its portfolio as of August 2026. The fund owned approximately 9.74 lakh shares, with the market value of the holding standing at around Rs 247 crore.

The stock's inclusion shows that some fund managers were taking exposure to relatively less widely held companies within the small-cap universe.

Shankara Buildpro

Shankara Buildpro was held exclusively by Franklin India Small Cap Fund among the mutual fund houses in the August analysis.

The fund held approximately 11.30 lakh shares, with the holding valued at around Rs 141 crore.

The stock was therefore another example of a company that had meaningful mutual fund exposure but from only one fund house.

Hirect

Hirect was held only by Tata Small Cap Fund as of August 2026.

The fund held around 10.86 lakh shares, which were valued at approximately Rs 132 crore.

Hirect's inclusion in the list highlights the presence of smaller and less widely owned companies in mutual fund portfolios.

Pennar Industries

Pennar Industries was held exclusively by Bandhan Small Cap Fund in the August portfolio data.

The fund held around 78.23 lakh shares, with the market value of its holding estimated at approximately Rs 129 crore.

Although the number of shares was higher than some of the other stocks in the list, its market value was slightly below that of Hirect and Shankara Buildpro.

Apollo Pipes

Apollo Pipes was another notable unique holding in August.

Only Franklin India Small Cap Fund held Apollo Pipes in its portfolio. The fund held approximately 20.23 lakh shares, with a market value of around Rs 126 crore.

Apollo Pipes had also appeared in the previous month's unique-stock analysis, when Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund was the only fund house holding the company, with its holding valued at approximately Rs 104 crore in July.

The August data therefore indicates that the stock remained a unique mutual fund holding while its reported holding value increased.

NIIT

NIIT was the seventh stock in the August list.

Only Nippon India Small Cap Fund held NIIT in its portfolio. The fund had approximately 1.11 crore shares, with the market value of the holding at around Rs 112 crore.

NIIT was also present in the July unique-stock list, when Nippon India Mutual Fund held approximately 1.11 crore shares valued at about Rs 106 crore.

Small-Cap Funds Dominate the List

A notable feature of the August list is the dominance of small-cap funds.

All seven unique stocks were held through small-cap schemes: Quant Small Cap Fund, Nippon India Small Cap Fund, Franklin India Small Cap Fund, Tata Small Cap Fund and Bandhan Small Cap Fund.

This indicates that the small-cap segment continued to be an important hunting ground for fund managers looking for less widely owned companies.

However, the fact that these stocks were selected by small-cap funds does not mean they are necessarily suitable for every investor. Small-cap investments can carry substantial volatility and liquidity risks.

Why Do Mutual Funds Hold Unique Stocks?

Fund managers may hold stocks that are not widely present across other mutual fund portfolios for several reasons.

These can include expectations of future earnings growth, attractive valuations, turnaround opportunities, niche business models or a fund manager's conviction in a particular company's long-term prospects.

Different mutual fund schemes also follow different investment strategies. A small-cap fund manager may therefore identify opportunities that do not appear in the portfolios of large-cap or diversified funds.

Does a Unique Mutual Fund Holding Mean a Stock Is a Buy?

Not necessarily.

A unique holding indicates that only one fund house held the stock in the particular dataset and period. It does not represent a buy recommendation or confirmation that the stock will outperform.

Investors should independently evaluate financial performance, valuation, debt, cash flows, business prospects, management quality and industry conditions before making an investment decision.

It is also important to remember that mutual fund portfolios change regularly. A stock that is unique in one month may be bought by other fund houses later or completely exited by the existing fund.

What Should Investors Watch?

Investors tracking mutual fund portfolios can use unique-stock data as a starting point for further research.

The more important questions include:

• Why did the fund manager buy the stock?

• Has the fund increased or reduced its holding?

• Is the company's earnings growth sustainable?

• Is the current valuation reasonable?

• How liquid is the stock?

• What are the company's debt and cash-flow positions?

• Does the stock fit the investor's overall portfolio?

These factors are more important than simply following a fund manager's latest portfolio disclosure.

Bottom Line

Apollo Pipes, Marathon Nextgen Realty, Vindhya Telelinks, Shankara Buildpro, Hirect, Pennar Industries and NIIT were the seven unique stocks with market values above Rs 100 crore identified in the August 2026 mutual fund portfolio analysis.

Marathon Nextgen Realty had the largest holding value at around Rs 276 crore, followed by Vindhya Telelinks at Rs 247 crore. Apollo Pipes was held by Franklin India Small Cap Fund, while Marathon Nextgen Realty was held by Quant Small Cap Fund.

The data provides an interesting look at stocks that have attracted the attention of individual mutual fund houses. However, investors should not treat unique mutual fund ownership as a standalone investment signal. Fundamental analysis, valuation, risk and individual financial goals should remain central to any investment decision.