Is John Hancock Multifactor Large Cap ETF (JHML) a Strong ETF Right Now?

Making its debut on 09/28/2015, smart beta exchange traded fund John Hancock Multifactor Large Cap ETF (JHML) provides investors broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend category of the market.What Are Smart Beta ETFs?The ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on market capitalization weighted indexes that are designed to represent the market or a particular segment of the market.A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer 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.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 & IndexBecause the fund has amassed over $964.65 million, this makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Blend. JHML is managed by John Hancock. 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 ExpensesExpense 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.Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.29% for JHML, making it on par with most peer products in the space.It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.14%.Sector Exposure and Top HoldingsEven 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 24% of the portfolio --while Financials and Industrials round out the top three.Looking at individual holdings, Apple Inc (AAPL) accounts for about 3.86% of total assets, followed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT) and Amazon.com Inc (AMZN).Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 21.96% of JHML's total assets under management.Performance and RiskThe ETF return is roughly 1.85% so far this year and is up about 15.46% in the last one year (as of 02/26/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $61.15 and $73.44.The fund has a beta of 1.01 and standard deviation of 16.30% for the trailing three-year period, which makes JHML a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 773 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.AlternativesJohn 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.Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) tracks S&P 500 Index and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) tracks S&P 500 Index. Vanguard S&P 500 ETF has $613.76 billion in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $618.83 billion. VOO has an expense ratio of 0.03% and SPY charges 0.09%.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 LineTo 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.Want key ETF info delivered straight to your inbox?Zacks’ free Fund Newsletter will brief you on top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, each week.Get it free >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report John Hancock Multifactor Large Cap ETF (JHML): ETF Research Reports Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN): Free Stock Analysis Report Apple Inc. (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report Microsoft Corporation (MSFT): Free Stock Analysis Report SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY): ETF Research Reports Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO): ETF Research ReportsThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks