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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?

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.

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.

If you're the kind of investor who would rather try and beat the market through good stock selection, then smart beta funds are your best choice; this fund class is known for tracking non-cap weighted strategies.

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 $4.4 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Mid Cap Blend. This particular fund seeks to match the performance of the John Hancock Dimensional Mid Cap Index before fees and expenses.

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

Investors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain the same.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.42%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.

JHMM's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 0.99%.

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.

JHMM's heaviest allocation is in the Industrials sector, which is about 20.5% of the portfolio. Its Financials and Information Technology round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, United Rentals Inc (URI) accounts for about 0.73% of total assets, followed by Vistra Corp (VST) and Robinhood Markets Inc A (HOOD).

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 5.47% of JHMM's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has gained about 8.21% so far this year and is up roughly 8.35% in the last one year (as of 09/25/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $50.32 and $65.26

JHMM has a beta of 1.04 and standard deviation of 17.64% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund 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 ETF (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 ETF has $88.19 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF has $99.33 billion. VO has an expense ratio of 0.04% 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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