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Is John Hancock Multifactor Large Cap ETF (JHML) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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A smart beta exchange traded fund, the John Hancock Multifactor Large Cap ETF (JHML - Free Report) 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?
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.
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.
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
The fund is managed by John Hancock. JHML has been able to amass assets over $1.13 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Blend. Before fees and expenses, JHML 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
For ETF investors, expense ratios are an important factor when considering a fund's return; in the long-term, cheaper funds actually have the ability to outperform their more expensive cousins if all other things remain the same.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.29% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.97%.
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.
For JHML, it has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector --about 29% of the portfolio --while Financials and Industrials round out the top three.
Taking into account individual holdings, Apple Inc (AAPL) accounts for about 4.02% of the fund's total assets, followed by Nvidia Corp (NVDA) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT).
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 22.63% of JHML's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF return is roughly 8.65% so far this year and is up about 25.08% in the last one year (as of 05/13/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $69.26 and $86.93
The fund has a beta of 0.97 and standard deviation of 13.99% for the trailing three-year period, which makes JHML a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 782 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 Vanguard 500 Index Fund ETF Shares (VOO) tracks S&P 500 Index. iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $821.96 billion in assets, Vanguard 500 Index Fund ETF Shares has $952.1 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and VOO changes 0.03%.
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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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 - Free Report) 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?
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.
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.
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
The fund is managed by John Hancock. JHML has been able to amass assets over $1.13 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Blend. Before fees and expenses, JHML 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
For ETF investors, expense ratios are an important factor when considering a fund's return; in the long-term, cheaper funds actually have the ability to outperform their more expensive cousins if all other things remain the same.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.29% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.97%.
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.
For JHML, it has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector --about 29% of the portfolio --while Financials and Industrials round out the top three.
Taking into account individual holdings, Apple Inc (AAPL) accounts for about 4.02% of the fund's total assets, followed by Nvidia Corp (NVDA) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT).
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 22.63% of JHML's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF return is roughly 8.65% so far this year and is up about 25.08% in the last one year (as of 05/13/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $69.26 and $86.93
The fund has a beta of 0.97 and standard deviation of 13.99% for the trailing three-year period, which makes JHML a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 782 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 Vanguard 500 Index Fund ETF Shares (VOO) tracks S&P 500 Index. iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $821.96 billion in assets, Vanguard 500 Index Fund ETF Shares has $952.1 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and VOO changes 0.03%.
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.