Invest
What are mid cap stocks?
Investors who want to minimise risk in their share market portfolio usually allocate a significant portion to blue chip shares; however, this type of strategy often sacrifices diversification and potential returns.

What are mid cap stocks?
Investors who want to minimise risk in their share market portfolio usually allocate a significant portion to blue chip shares; however, this type of strategy often sacrifices diversification and potential returns.

While the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) blue chips have demonstrated their ability to weather the volatile market, some financial experts recommend balancing shares portfolios by investing in the mid-cap sector.
This is because mid-cap stocks offer a certain degree of stability similar to blue chips, but since mid-cap companies often have more room for growth, it can result in potentially higher returns.
Here’s what mid-cap stocks are and how they can help investors achieve a more stable, diversified and growth-oriented portfolio.
How to find mid-cap stocks
Selecting mid-cap businesses to invest in from the thousands of listed companies in the ASX can be difficult, especially since there is a thin line separating mid from small-caps—the main reason some investors get confused.
There are several ways to identify mid-cap companies, and the list could change depending on which definition the investor applies. To simplify things, here are two of the most common ways to identify mid-cap stocks.
Mid-cap market capitalisation
The ‘cap’ in mid-cap actually refers to a company’s market capitalisation, which should range between that of small and large-cap businesses. However, the range can change depending on the financial manager.
Some estimate the capitalisation to range between $400 million and $1 billion, while others place it between $2 billion and $10 billion. Either way, a mid-cap company’s market capitalisation must fall between the small-cap maximum and large-cap minimum.
To compute for a company’s market capitalisation, simply multiply the share price with its number of outstanding shares.
For example, a listed company with 500 million outstanding shares that is currently trading at $5 has a market capitalisation of $2.5 billion.
The S&P Australian Index Committee (AIC) however, further simplifies the identification process through the ASX 100 index.
ASX indexes and rankings
Specific ASX indexes can help investors identify mid-cap companies.
The ‘S&P/ASX MidCap 50 index’ contains a pool of 50 eligible companies listed on the ASX. The S&P AIC carries out periodic assessments to determine whether the composition would remain or change.
MidCap 50 covers companies which are ranked numbers 51 to 100 in the S&P/ASX 100 index.
Other fund managers may deviate a bit from the ASX ranking depending on its required market capitalisation but their mid-cap portfolios usually overlap with ASX rankings.
Explore Nest Egg to learn more about investing.
About the author

About the author


Stock market
Is climate change the next big investment theme?
Investors looking to outperform the market are being urged to look at structural growth, with climate change likely to create the biggest investment opportunity since the internet, an industry expert ...Read more

Stock market
All Ords set for new record by February, analyst predicts
The Australian market is likely to reach a new record in the early months of the year, with a win on the health front likely to offset geopolitical issues, an analyst has stated. ...Read more

Stock market
Aussies flock to fixed interest and ETP products for stable returns
Investors seeking stability during the COVID-19 pandemic have turned to fixed interest and cash exchange-traded products, new research has revealed. ...Read more

Stock market
Emerging market equities gain traction in post-pandemic world
Emerging market equities are making a comeback as technology-savvy consumers flock to capitalise on new opportunities that the 2020 pandemic may have made too attractive to ignore. ...Read more

Stock market
Is it too late to start investing in market index ETFs?
With the Australian market recovering its losses since the pandemic began, nestegg asked an industry expert if it was too late for investors to begin their investing journey. ...Read more

Stock market
Is it time to buy reopening stocks?
Investors are being advised to look into stocks that could benefit from markets reopening, an analyst has stated. ...Read more

Stock market
Stocks to watch in 2021
Easing political uncertainty, new vaccine hopes, central bank’s willingness to do all it takes and more, and new stimulus packages are likely to act as tailwinds for investors, an analyst has said. ...Read more

Stock market
Australia’s October stock picks revealed
Australian retail investors piled predominantly into high-growth industries such as electric vehicles stocks, cloud computing and recent third quarter IPOs during the month of October, new research ha...Read more

Stock market
Is climate change the next big investment theme?
Investors looking to outperform the market are being urged to look at structural growth, with climate change likely to create the biggest investment opportunity since the internet, an industry expert ...Read more

Stock market
All Ords set for new record by February, analyst predicts
The Australian market is likely to reach a new record in the early months of the year, with a win on the health front likely to offset geopolitical issues, an analyst has stated. ...Read more

Stock market
Aussies flock to fixed interest and ETP products for stable returns
Investors seeking stability during the COVID-19 pandemic have turned to fixed interest and cash exchange-traded products, new research has revealed. ...Read more

Stock market
Emerging market equities gain traction in post-pandemic world
Emerging market equities are making a comeback as technology-savvy consumers flock to capitalise on new opportunities that the 2020 pandemic may have made too attractive to ignore. ...Read more

Stock market
Is it too late to start investing in market index ETFs?
With the Australian market recovering its losses since the pandemic began, nestegg asked an industry expert if it was too late for investors to begin their investing journey. ...Read more

Stock market
Is it time to buy reopening stocks?
Investors are being advised to look into stocks that could benefit from markets reopening, an analyst has stated. ...Read more

Stock market
Stocks to watch in 2021
Easing political uncertainty, new vaccine hopes, central bank’s willingness to do all it takes and more, and new stimulus packages are likely to act as tailwinds for investors, an analyst has said. ...Read more

Stock market
Australia’s October stock picks revealed
Australian retail investors piled predominantly into high-growth industries such as electric vehicles stocks, cloud computing and recent third quarter IPOs during the month of October, new research ha...Read more