John Hancock Multifactor Large Cap ETF

John Hancock Multifactor Large Cap ETF (JHML) tracks the John Hancock Dimensional Large Cap Index, built by Dimensional Fund Advisors, and held about 780 large and mid-size US stocks as of June 30, 2026. A plain S&P 500 fund weights stocks by company size alone. JHML tilts toward smaller, cheaper and more profitable companies. That approach costs more: its expense ratio is 0.29%, against 0.03% for funds such as VOO and IVV.

• Over the year to Oct 27, 2026, JHML returned +14.6%, 1st of 9 among similar funds.
• Its 5-year annualized return was +11.0% and its 10-year +14.3%.
• In the 2020 COVID crash it fell 36.1% and regained its old high 5.1 months after the low.
• Its worst full calendar year was 2022 (-15.9%); its best was 2019 (+30.9%).
• The deepest fall in its price history was 36.1% (Feb 19, 2020 to Mar 23, 2020), recovered by Aug 26, 2020.

As of Jun 30, 2026, the fund held 780 securities; the ten largest made up 23.04% of assets.

By sector

• Over the three months to Jun 30, 2026, investors added a net $13.3M (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
• Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +9.18%, +4.09%, +0.77%.

JHML aims to match the John Hancock Dimensional Large Cap Index, before fees. Dimensional Fund Advisors maintains the index using fixed rules. The starting pool is US companies listed on major exchanges that are larger than the 801st largest US company. The fund normally keeps at least 80% of its net assets in the index's stocks and generally owns them directly. As of June 30, 2026, it held no derivatives.

Each stock starts at its free-float market value, which counts only the shares available for public trading. The index then adjusts that weight using three traits. This is often called multifactor or "smart beta" investing. Smaller companies in the pool get the biggest boost, and the largest get the smallest. Within each sector, stocks with a lower relative price (value stocks) and higher profitability gain weight. Pricier and less profitable stocks lose weight. REITs (real estate investment trusts) generally end up with less weight. No single company can be more than 4% of the index when it is rebuilt.

The index is rebuilt and rebalanced twice a year, and trading is light: the prospectus lists portfolio turnover of 4%. The tilts are modest, so the largest holdings look familiar. As of June 30, 2026, NVIDIA and Apple were each about 4% of assets, followed by Amazon, Alphabet and Microsoft.

• JHML charges 0.29% a year, versus an average of 0.05% for the similar funds below (9th of 9, cheapest first).
• Of that, 0.26% is the management fee; the rest covers other fund expenses.
• The fee includes a 0.03% waiver from the adviser, which may end.
• Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $30 in the first year and $403 over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).

It holds about 780 US large and mid-size stocks, so it can serve as a broad stock holding with a mild tilt toward value and profitability.

JHML could anchor the US stock part of a portfolio, but the factor tilts have not protected it in sell-offs. It launched in 2015, so it has no record from the 2008 crisis. In the 2020 COVID crash it fell 36.1% between February 19 and March 23, 2020, and recovered by August 26, 2020, about five months later. In the 2022 bear market it dropped 23.5% and took 14.5 months to get back to its peak. Its worst calendar year was 2022, at -15.94%. Anyone forced to sell shares in a stretch like that would lock in losses. Income is small: the trailing yield was 0.95% as of October 27, 2026, paid twice a year. Its 0.29% cost is well above the 0.05% average of similar funds. Past results don't predict the future, and a plan should look at the whole portfolio, not one fund.

Matched by holdings overlap from the latest N-PORT reports.