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Is John Hancock Multifactor Small Cap ETF (JHSC) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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The John Hancock Multifactor Small Cap ETF (JHSC - Free Report) was launched on 11/08/2017, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Blend category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
Market cap weighted indexes were created to reflect the market, or a specific segment of the market, and the ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on this strategy.
Market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, and are a good option for investors who believe in market efficiency.
There are some investors, though, who think it's possible to beat the market with great stock selection; this group likely invests in another class of funds known as smart beta, which track 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
JHSC is managed by John Hancock, and this fund has amassed over $534.44 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Small Cap Blend. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the JOHN HANCOCK DIMENSIONAL SMALL CAP INDEX.
The John Hancock Dimensional Small Cap Index is designed to comprise a subset of securities in the U.S. Universe issued by companies whose market capitalizations are smaller than the 750th largest U.S. company but excluding the smallest 4% of U.S. companies at the time of reconstitution.
Cost & Other Expenses
Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long-term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins, other things remaining the same.
Annual operating expenses for JHSC are 0.42%, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 0.82%.
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 Industrials sector - about 21.20% of the portfolio. Financials and Information Technology round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Exelixis Inc (EXEL - Free Report) accounts for about 0.82% of total assets, followed by Revolution Medicines Inc (RVMD - Free Report) and Lumen Technologies Inc (LUMN - Free Report) .
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 7.08% of JHSC's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has added about 17.38% so far this year and was up about 26.74% in the last one year (as of 12/06/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $34.29 and $43.65.
The ETF has a beta of 1.12 and standard deviation of 20.54% for the trailing three-year period. With about 249 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
John Hancock Multifactor Small Cap ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Small Cap Blend segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
IShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM - Free Report) tracks Russell 2000 Index and the iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR - Free Report) tracks S&P SmallCap 600 Index. IShares Russell 2000 ETF has $81.89 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF has $93.89 billion. IWM has an expense ratio of 0.19% and IJR charges 0.06%.
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 - Small 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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Is John Hancock Multifactor Small Cap ETF (JHSC) a Strong ETF Right Now?
The John Hancock Multifactor Small Cap ETF (JHSC - Free Report) was launched on 11/08/2017, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Blend category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
Market cap weighted indexes were created to reflect the market, or a specific segment of the market, and the ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on this strategy.
Market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, and are a good option for investors who believe in market efficiency.
There are some investors, though, who think it's possible to beat the market with great stock selection; this group likely invests in another class of funds known as smart beta, which track 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
JHSC is managed by John Hancock, and this fund has amassed over $534.44 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Small Cap Blend. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the JOHN HANCOCK DIMENSIONAL SMALL CAP INDEX.
The John Hancock Dimensional Small Cap Index is designed to comprise a subset of securities in the U.S. Universe issued by companies whose market capitalizations are smaller than the 750th largest U.S. company but excluding the smallest 4% of U.S. companies at the time of reconstitution.
Cost & Other Expenses
Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long-term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins, other things remaining the same.
Annual operating expenses for JHSC are 0.42%, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 0.82%.
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 Industrials sector - about 21.20% of the portfolio. Financials and Information Technology round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Exelixis Inc (EXEL - Free Report) accounts for about 0.82% of total assets, followed by Revolution Medicines Inc (RVMD - Free Report) and Lumen Technologies Inc (LUMN - Free Report) .
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 7.08% of JHSC's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has added about 17.38% so far this year and was up about 26.74% in the last one year (as of 12/06/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $34.29 and $43.65.
The ETF has a beta of 1.12 and standard deviation of 20.54% for the trailing three-year period. With about 249 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
John Hancock Multifactor Small Cap ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Small Cap Blend segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
IShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM - Free Report) tracks Russell 2000 Index and the iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR - Free Report) tracks S&P SmallCap 600 Index. IShares Russell 2000 ETF has $81.89 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF has $93.89 billion. IWM has an expense ratio of 0.19% and IJR charges 0.06%.
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 - Small 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.