Small investors cut direct stakes in 52% of India Inc in Q3, but mutual funds cushion the blow
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Retail investors turned significantly more cautious in the December 2025 quarter, marking the sharpest pullback in direct equity participation in over a year. Even as domestic mutual funds continued to provide a cushion, individuals steadily reduced their exposure across a widening set of listed companies, while foreign investors remained net sellers across large parts of the market.
A Mint analysis of shareholding data for 3,497 BSE-listed companies showed that retail investors—individuals holding shares worth up to ₹2 lakh—cut their stakes in 52% of firms in the December quarter. In the previous quarter, they trimmed their holdings in 46% of these firms, a trend that has been building through the year. In December 2024, individuals pruned their stakes in 41.3% of companies while for March 2025 this figure stood at 48.8%.
Consequently, buying momentum is fading. Retail investors increased their holdings in only 40% of companies during the December quarter, a notable decline from 46% in the September quarter and 50% in the December quarter of 2024. For the remaining firms, retail shareholdings remained unchanged quarter-on-quarter in Q3FY26.
Their pullback was most pronounced in large-cap stocks. During the December quarter, retail ownership rose in only 33% of large caps and declined in 65%, signalling a clear exit from frontline names. While mid- and small-cap stocks showed slightly more resilience, selling still dominated the narrative.
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