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Is John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF (JHMM) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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Designed to provide broad exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Blend category of the market, the John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF (JHMM - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 09/28/2015.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

The ETF industry has long been dominated by products based on market cap weighted indexes, a strategy created to reflect the market or a particular market segment.

A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.

If you're the kind of investor who would rather try and beat the market through good stock selection, then smart beta funds are your best choice; this fund class is known for tracking non-cap weighted strategies.

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.

Methodologies like equal-weighting, one of the simplest options out there, fundamental weighting, and volatility/momentum based weighting are all choices offered to investors in this space, but not all of them can deliver superior returns.

Fund Sponsor & Index

Because the fund has amassed over $4.08 billion, this makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Mid Cap Blend. JHMM is managed by John Hancock. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the John Hancock Dimensional Mid Cap Index.

The John Hancock Dimensional Mid Cap Index comprises of a subset of securities in the U.S. Universe issued by companies whose market capitalizations are between the 200th and 951st 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.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.42%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.01%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

ETFs offer diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk, but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

Representing 19.40% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Industrials sector; Financials and Information Technology round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Vistra Corp (VST - Free Report) accounts for about 0.67% of total assets, followed by United Rentals Inc (URI - Free Report) and Ameriprise Financial Inc (AMP - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 5.07% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF return is roughly 0.92% so far this year and it's up approximately 12.65% in the last one year (as of 02/27/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $53.47 and $64.80.

The ETF has a beta of 1.10 and standard deviation of 18.34% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 662 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Mid Cap Blend segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

Vanguard Mid-Cap ETF (VO - Free Report) tracks CRSP US Mid Cap Index and the iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF (IJH - Free Report) tracks S&P MidCap 400 Index. Vanguard Mid-Cap ETF has $74.56 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF has $94.88 billion. VO has an expense ratio of 0.04% and IJH charges 0.05%.

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 - Mid 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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