Mid-cap stocks offer investors a middle path in terms of risk and reward: less dramatic growth, but less volatility and uncertainty.Mid-cap stocks are companies that have a market capitalization value between $2 billion and $10 billion.Since mid-cap stocks often offer both dividends and price appreciation, they can balance investment portfolios between income and growth. Mid-cap stocks in the market are a bit like the middle children in a family. They're often overlooked.
While research analysts, money managers, and stock-picking pundits publish up-to-the-minute data on the performance of both giant corporations and small, up-and-coming companies, you often have to go digging for information about the mid-cap enterprises. But this category of companies is actually made up of many reputable businesses and they tend to perform quite well. In fact, the
, which tracks 400 middle capitalization companies, has outperformed both the S&P 500 and the Russell 2,000 over the past 10, 15, and 20 years. ? From market cap valuation to risk assessment, here's what you should know about mid-caps. They tend to be substantially sized companies with a solid business model and an established foothold in their respective market. Where
are often huge, with a global presence, mid-caps are often national companies or more niche companies that are looking to expand. Dunkin' Brands Group, the parent company of Dunkin' DonutsTempur Sealy International, the mattress manufacturerA mid-cap stock of today could well be a large-cap stock of tomorrow. It's often a company in its growth phase trying to take the world by storm.