Is John Hancock Multifactor Large Cap ETF (JHML) a Strong ETF Right Now?
A smart beta exchange traded fund, the John Hancock Multifactor Large Cap ETF (JHML) debuted on 09/28/2015, and offers broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
Products that are based on market cap weighted indexes, which are strategies designed to reflect a specific market segment or the market as a whole, have traditionally dominated the ETF industry.
Investors who believe in market efficiency should consider market cap indexes, as they replicate market returns in a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way.
However, some investors believe in the possibility of beating the market through exceptional stock selection, and choose a different type of fund that tracks non-cap weighted strategies: smart beta.
Non-cap weighted indexes try to choose stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, which is based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a mix of other such characteristics.
The smart beta space gives investors many different choices, from equal-weighting, one of the simplest strategies, to more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting. However, not all of these methodologies have been able to deliver remarkable returns.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is managed by John Hancock. JHML has been able to amass assets over $905.98 million, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Blend. JHML, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the John Hancock Dimensional Large Cap Index.
The John Hancock Dimensional Large Cap Index comprises of a subset of securities in the U.S. Universe issued by companies whose market capitalizations are larger than that of the 801st largest U.S. company.
Cost & Other Expenses
Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins if all other fundamentals are the same.
With on par with most peer products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.29%.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.20%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector - about 24.30% of the portfolio. Financials and Industrials round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Apple Inc (AAPL) accounts for about 4.05% of total assets, followed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT) and Nvidia Corp (NVDA).
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 20.54% of JHML's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, JHML has gained about 14.52%, and was up about 25.35% in the last one year (as of 08/21/2024). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $50.68 and $67.74.
The fund has a beta of 1.01 and standard deviation of 16.88% for the trailing three-year period, which makes JHML a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 769 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
John Hancock Multifactor Large Cap ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Blend segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
IShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) tracks S&P 500 Index and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) tracks S&P 500 Index. IShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $514.04 billion in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $565.80 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and SPY charges 0.09%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Style Box - Large Cap Blend.
Bottom Line
To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.
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John Hancock Multifactor Large Cap ETF (JHML): ETF Research Reports
Apple Inc. (AAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report
NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) : Free Stock Analysis Report
SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY): ETF Research Reports
iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV): ETF Research Reports