Is John Hancock Multifactor Small Cap ETF (JHSC) a Strong ETF Right Now?

Core Insights - The John Hancock Multifactor Small Cap ETF (JHSC) offers investors exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Blend category, having debuted on November 8, 2017 [1] - Smart beta ETFs, like JHSC, aim to outperform traditional market cap weighted indexes by selecting stocks based on specific fundamental characteristics [3][4] - JHSC is managed by John Hancock and has accumulated over $566.07 million in assets, positioning it as an average-sized ETF in its category [5] Fund Details - JHSC seeks to match the performance of the JOHN HANCOCK DIMENSIONAL SMALL CAP INDEX, which includes U.S. companies with market capitalizations smaller than the 750th largest, excluding the smallest 4% [6] - The fund has an annual operating expense ratio of 0.42% and a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.06% [7] - The fund's largest sector allocation is in Industrials at approximately 22.8%, followed by Financials and Consumer Discretionary [8] Holdings and Performance - JHSC's top holdings include Nextracker Inc Cl A (0.55% of total assets), Commvault Systems Inc, and Planet Fitness Inc Cl A, with the top 10 holdings accounting for about 5.11% of total assets [9] - As of August 11, 2025, JHSC has experienced a year-to-date loss of -0.01% and a one-year gain of 6.96%, with a trading range between $32.47 and $43.65 over the past 52 weeks [11] Alternatives - Other ETFs in the small-cap space include Vanguard Small-Cap ETF (VB) and iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR), which have significantly larger assets and lower expense ratios of 0.05% and 0.06%, respectively [13]