Quant Mutual Fund has pledged full cooperation with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for the ongoing investigation. The fund house assured that it would provide SEBI with all necessary data and maintain transparency throughout the process. SEBI’s investigation centers around a suspected beneficial ownership connection involving Quant Mutual Fund.
This has led to search and seizure operations at Quant Mutual Fund’s Mumbai headquarters and also in Hyderabad facility. The operation, directed by SEBI, is scrutinizing the fund’s beneficial ownership under the leadership of Sandeep Tandon.
The investigation has also included questioning Quant dealers and affiliates, with alleged profits from the purported activities estimated at Rs 20 crore.
| Name Of The Stock | % Weightage in Portfolio | Intra-day Returns | YTD- Returns |
| Reliance Industries | 10.50% | -0.99% | 11.18% |
| Adani Power | 5.31% | 0.57% | 41% |
| Jio Financial Services | 5.59% | -1.40% | 51.72% |
| HDFC Bank | 2.93% | 0.31% | -1.60% |
| Auro Pharma | 3.91% | -1.60% | 13.07% |
| Tata Power | 3.09% | -0.73% | 31.76% |
| SAIL | 2.86% | -3.50% | 20.29% |
| LIC | 2.60% | -0.87% | 18.20% |
| Samvardhan Motherson | 3.09% | 0.80% | 77.47% |
| Britannia | 2.38% | -0.72% | -1% |
| JSPL | 2.31 | -0.32% | 44.21% |
| Container Corp | 1.86% | 3.85% | 21.71% |
| IRB Infra | 1.76% | 1.16% | 58.52% |
| HUDCO | 1.74% | -1.83% | 113.79% |
| Aegis Logistics | 1.80% | -0.32% | 130.10% |
| TCS | 1.54% | 0.36% | 0.35% |
Quant Mutual Fund manages Rs 84,000 crore in assets across 79 lakh folios and has experienced significant growth since its inception in 2019. The fund specializes predominantly in equities, which constitute 97% of its total assets under management (AUM), and has strategically positioned itself across various sectors to optimize risk-adjusted returns.
In response to the investigation, Quant Mutual Fund issued a statement emphasizing its commitment to full cooperation with SEBI and maintaining transparency throughout the investigation process. The fund reassured its investors about its dedication to regulatory compliance and ethical practices.
Commenting on the same Amit Goel, Co-Founder & Chief Global Strategist, Pace 360 said that Front-running essentially involves buying stocks before the fund itself does, driving the price up. This means the fund buys at a higher price, potentially impacting returns for investors. Front-running erodes investor trust in the fund house, which can lead to redemptions, affecting the fund’s Net Asset Value (NAV). The investigation itself can create uncertainty, causing investors to hold off on further investments or even redeem existing ones until the situation is resolved.
Goel also added that in most cases, investor money in mutual funds is held securely. Even if the fund house is penalized, investor money is typically not directly at risk. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is the regulator, and their primary focus is protecting investor interests.
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