The John Hancock Multifactor Small Cap ETF (JHSC) made its debut on 11/08/2017, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides 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.
Investors who believe in market efficiency should consider market cap indexes, as they replicate market returns in a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way.
On the other hand, some investors who believe that it is possible to beat the market by superior stock selection opt to invest in another class of funds that track non-cap weighted strategies--popularly known as smart beta.
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.
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
The fund is managed by John Hancock, and has been able to amass over $399.13 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Small Cap Blend. Before fees and expenses, JHSC 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
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.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.42%, making it one of the more expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.17%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
JHSC's heaviest allocation is in the Industrials sector, which is about 18.10% of the portfolio. Its Financials and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Regal Rexnord Corp (RRX) accounts for about 0.69% of total assets, followed by Huntsman Corp (HUN) and Mattel Inc (MAT).
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 5.45% of JHSC's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has lost about -8.24% so far this year and is down about -4.16% in the last one year (as of 04/19/2022). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $32.02 and $37.86.
The ETF has a beta of 1.17 and standard deviation of 26.88% for the trailing three-year period. With about 466 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) tracks Russell 2000 Index and the iShares Core S&P SmallCap ETF (IJR) tracks S&P SmallCap 600 Index. IShares Russell 2000 ETF has $57.94 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P SmallCap ETF has $69.97 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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John Hancock Multifactor Small Cap ETF (JHSC): ETF Research Reports
Mattel, Inc. (MAT): Free Stock Analysis Report
Huntsman Corporation (HUN): Free Stock Analysis Report
iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM): ETF Research Reports
iShares Core S&P SmallCap ETF (IJR): ETF Research Reports
Regal Rexnord Corporation (RRX): Free Stock Analysis Report
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
