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

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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?

For a long time now, the ETF industry has been flooded with products based on market capitalization weighted indexes, which are designed to represent the broader market or a particular market segment.

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

But, there are some investors who would rather invest in smart beta funds; these funds track non-cap weighted strategies, and are a strong option for those who prefer choosing great stocks in order to beat the market.

This kind of index follows this same mindset, as it attempts to pick stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance; non-cap weighted strategies base selection on certain fundamental characteristics, or a mix of such characteristics.

The smart beta space gives investors many different choices, from equal-weighting, one of the simplest strategies, to more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting. However, not all of these methodologies have been able to deliver remarkable returns.

Fund Sponsor & Index

Managed by John Hancock, JHMM has amassed assets over $5.73 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

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.

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

The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.86%.

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.

For JHMM, it has heaviest allocation in the Industrials sector --about 20% of the portfolio --while Information Technology and Financials round out the top three.

When you look at individual holdings, Keysight Technologies In (KEYS) accounts for about 0.53% of the fund's total assets, followed by Targa Resources Corp (TRGP) and Ciena Corp (CIEN).

JHMM's top 10 holdings account for about 4.91% of its total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

So far this year, JHMM has gained about 13.93%, and it's up approximately 26.92% in the last one year (as of 06/16/2026). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $59.36 and $74.60.

The ETF has a beta of 0.99 and standard deviation of 16.08% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 669 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 Index Fund ETF Shares (VO) tracks CRSP US Mid Cap Index and the iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF (IJH) tracks S&P MidCap 400 Index. Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund ETF Shares has $105.58 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF has $122.26 billion. VO has an expense ratio of 0.03% and IJH changes 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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