Back to top

Image: Bigstock

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

Read MoreHide Full Article

Making its debut on 09/28/2015, smart beta exchange traded fund John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF (JHMM - Free Report) provides investors broad exposure to the Style Box - Mid 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.

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

The fund is sponsored by John Hancock. It has amassed assets over $3.57 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Mid Cap Blend. 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.

Annual operating expenses for JHMM are 0.42%, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.

The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.17%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Industrials sector - about 20.20% of the portfolio. Financials and Information Technology round out the top three.

Taking into account individual holdings, On Semiconductor (ON - Free Report) accounts for about 0.74% of the fund's total assets, followed by Builders Firstsource Inc (BLDR - Free Report) and Dr Horton Inc (DHI - Free Report) .

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 5.42% of JHMM's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has gained about 0% so far this year and was up about 3.07% in the last one year (as of 02/05/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $44.18 and $52.99.

The ETF has a beta of 1.09 and standard deviation of 19.17% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 656 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 $59.27 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF has $76.53 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.

Published in