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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?

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.

Because market cap weighted indexes provide a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, they work well for investors who believe in market efficiency.

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.

Even though this space provides many choices to investors--think one of the simplest methodologies like equal-weighting and more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting--not all have been able to deliver first-rate results.

Fund Sponsor & Index

Because the fund has amassed over $2.90 billion, this makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Mid Cap Blend. JHMM is managed by John Hancock. Before fees and expenses, JHMM 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

When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor. And, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins in the long term if all other factors remain equal.

With on par with most peer products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.41%.

JHMM's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 1.10%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

Representing 16.20% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Industrials sector; Information Technology and Financials round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Occidental Petroleum Corp (OXY - Free Report) accounts for about 0.65% of total assets, followed by Dollar Tree Inc (DLTR - Free Report) and Republic Services Inc (RSG - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 4.54% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has added roughly 5.37% and is down about -9.31% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 01/13/2023), respectively. JHMM has traded between $42.60 and $54.07 during this last 52-week period.

The ETF has a beta of 1.07 and standard deviation of 27.76% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 665 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 MidCap ETF (VO - Free Report) tracks CRSP US Mid Cap Index and the iShares Core S&P MidCap ETF (IJH - Free Report) tracks S&P MidCap 400 Index. Vanguard MidCap ETF has $52.13 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P MidCap ETF has $67.23 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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