Adani Enterprises and Adani Ports have emerged among the biggest wealth creators in the Nifty this year, adding more than Rs 1.3 lakh crore to investor wealth despite a sharp correction in the broader market.The benchmark Nifty has fallen around 10% so far in 2026 amid persistent foreign investor selling, concerns around global growth, high oil prices and rising geopolitical tensions.But select Adani Group companies have sharply outperformed the market, driven by improving operational performance, stronger balance sheets and renewed investor confidence in the group. According to Ace Equity data, Adani Ports added around Rs 69,764 crore in market cap this year, while Adani Enterprises added another Rs 62,560 crore.Together, the two companies contributed nearly Rs 1.33 lakh crore in incremental investor wealth during a period when several Nifty heavyweights saw steep erosion in market value.Adani Ports emerged as one of the strongest performers in the index this year, with its market cap rising from around Rs 3.39 lakh crore at the end of December to over Rs 4.08 lakh crore. The stock has gained more than 20% so far in 2026.The rally has been supported by strong cargo growth, expanding logistics operations and continued investor confidence in India’s infrastructure spending cycle. The company has also benefited from improving sentiment around port, logistics and transport infrastructure businesses linked to domestic manufacturing and trade expansion.Brokerages have turned increasingly constructive on the stock after the company laid out its "Ambition 2031" roadmap targeting 1 billion tonnes of capacity and throughput by FY31.According to Elara Securities, Adani Ports March quarter results underscored its transition to an integrated transport platform, with cargo volumes rising around 13% year-on-year and logistics and marine businesses scaling up rapidly.Elara said core ports continue to deliver industry-leading margins of around 72%, while logistics and marine are improving the revenue mix. The brokerage expects logistics revenue to grow more than fourfold by FY31 and marine revenue to double, helping the company deliver sustained double-digit growth and around 20% return on capital employed.Emkay Global also said Adani Ports delivered a robust quarter despite headwinds from the ongoing Middle East crisis."APSEZ's diversified revenue base, business agility, and transition from a pure port operator to an integrated logistics platform shields the company from cyclicality linked to trade volumes," Emkay said.The brokerage added that the company’s strong operating cash flow generation should support its massive Rs 90,000-1,00,000 crore capex pipeline through FY31.Adani Enterprises, the flagship incubator company of the Adani Group, also rose more than 20% during the period despite broader market weakness. Its market cap increased from around Rs 2.9 lakh crore at the end of December to over Rs 3.5 lakh crore by May 20.According to Ventura Securities, Adani Enterprises’ consolidated revenue and EBITDA are expected to grow at a CAGR of 17.4% and 18.7% respectively over FY25-28.Ventura said growth in airports and Adani New Industries Ltd along with ramp-up in data centres and copper businesses is expected to drive stronger financial performance and EBITDA margin expansion in the coming years.The brokerage, however, noted that elevated capex and rising depreciation and interest costs could weigh on return ratios in the near term.The strong stock performance has also coincided with easing legal overhang around the group. Recently, the US Department of Justice dropped criminal charges against Gautam Adani and Sagar Adani in a securities and wire fraud case in New York.The decision marked a major reversal in a case that had clouded the group’s international expansion plans and fundraising ability over the past 19 months.Adani Enterprises had earlier reported that around 80% of its EBITDA now comes from infrastructure and utility businesses. The outperformance of Adani Group stocks comes even as broader market performance remains highly uneven in 2026.The outperformance of Adani Group stocks comes even as broader market performance remains highly uneven in 2026. Several heavyweight sectors including IT, financials and consumer stocks have faced sustained pressure this year because of slowing earnings growth and weak global cues. Foreign institutional investors have also continued to remain cautious on Indian equities after heavy selling over the past year.In contrast, investors have selectively preferred infrastructure-linked companies, utilities, ports, power and capital goods businesses that are seen benefiting from India’s domestic capex cycle.The sharp divergence between a falling benchmark index and select outperforming stocks highlights how concentrated market leadership has become in recent months.Adani Group stocks in particular have staged a strong recovery over the past year after facing intense volatility earlier following allegations raised by US-based short seller Hindenburg Research in 2023.Since then, the group has focused heavily on deleveraging, operational execution and improving investor communication. The return of large institutional investors such as GQG Partners into multiple Adani companies also helped improve market confidence.Data: Ritesh Presswala (Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of Economic Times)