Fund Evaluator:
JHancock Bond R6 (JHBSX)
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Best Performing in Intermediate Core-Plus Bond Over the Last Year
| 4.1% | Diamond Hill Core Plus Bond Y (DHNYX) |
| 3.9% | Diamond Hill Core Plus Bond I (DHNIX) |
| 3.7% | Diamond Hill Core Plus Bond Investor (DHNAX) |
| 3.5% | Weitz Core Plus Income Investor (WCPNX) |
| 3.4% | Nuveen Core Plus Bond I (TCBHX) |
Fund Details
JHancock Bond R6 Overview
JHancock Bond R6 (JHBSX) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Intermediate Core-Plus Bond fund. John Hancock launched the fund in 2011.
The investment seeks a high level of current income consistent with prudent investment risk. The fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in a diversified portfolio of bonds. The advisor contemplates that at least 75% of its net assets will be in investment-grade debt securities and cash and cash equivalents. It will not invest more than 10% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies. Under normal market conditions, the advisor does not anticipate investing more than 25% of its total assets in U.S. dollar-denominated foreign securities.
About JHancock Bond R6 (JHBSX)
There are 5 members of the management team with an average tenure of 10.94 years: Pranay Sonalkar (2021), Connor Minnaar (2022), Spencer Godfrey (2025), Jeffrey Given (2006), Howard Greene (2002). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 1 primary benchmark: Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. JHancock Bond R6 has 1179 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 10.6% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
JHancock Bond R6 is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond fund group. JHancock Bond R6 has 8.8% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.1%. There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 1.4% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 97.6% (88.8% domestic bond, 8.8% foreign bond and 0.4% convertible bond). JHancock Bond R6 has 0.5% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $13 billion in total assets, which is above the $1 billion average for the Intermediate Core-Plus Bond category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
JHBSX Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The JHancock Bond R6 expense ratio is below average compared to funds in the Intermediate Core-Plus Bond category. JHancock Bond R6 has an expense ratio of 0.35%, which is 55% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a A. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. JHancock Bond R6 has a portfolio turnover rate of 100%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 181% for the Intermediate Core-Plus Bond category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, JHancock Bond R6 returned -1.4%, which earned it a grade of D, as the Intermediate Core-Plus Bond category had an average return of -1.3%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all funds in that category.
JHancock Bond R6 has a trailing yield of 4.82%, which is above the 4.36% category average. The fund normally distributes its income monthly and its capital gains annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
JHancock Bond R6 Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned -0.5%, 0.2 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of B. The fund has returned 3.2% over the past year (grade of B), 4.4% over the past three years (grade of B) and -0.1% per year over the past five years (grade of C) and 2.2% per year over the past 10 years (grade of B).
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JHBSX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| JHBSX Return (NAV) | -1.4% | -0.7% | 3.2% | 4.4% | -0.1% | 2.2% |
| JHBSX Grade | D | C | B | B | C | B |
| +/- Category | -0.1% | 0.0% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.4% |
| Intermediate Core-Plus Bond Avg | -1.3% | -0.7% | 2.7% | 4.2% | -0.2% | 1.8% |
| JHBSX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1.8% | 1.7% |
JHBSX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| JHBSX Return (NAV) | -0.5% | 7.8% | 2.5% | 6.7% | -14.4% | -0.1% | 9.2% | 10.5% | -0.8% | 5.3% | 5.0% |
| JHBSX Grade | B | B | B | B | D | B | B | A | C | B | B |
| +/- Category | 0.2% | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.5% | -1.0% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 1.4% | 0.1% | 0.8% | 0.6% |
| Intermediate Core-Plus Bond Avg | -0.6% | 7.3% | 2.3% | 6.1% | -13.4% | -0.6% | 8.6% | 9.1% | -0.9% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 6.0% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.49 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.08 - High |
| Category Risk Grade: | F (86% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.07 |
| R-Squared: | 99% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | na |
| Bond Investment Style: | High Quality Moderate Sensitivity |
| Yield: | 4.8% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Monthly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $26144 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $13,651 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Retirement |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 100% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 5 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 23.9 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 10.9 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Greene Howard (2002), Given Jeffrey (2006), Sonalkar Pranay (2021), Minnaar Connor (2022), Godfrey Spencer (2025) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 5/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 1179 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 10.6% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 8.8% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.1% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 1.4% |
| Domestic Bond: | 88.8% |
| Foreign Bond: | 8.8% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.4% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.5% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | John Hancock |
| Phone Number: | 800-225-5291 |
| Website: | www.jhfunds.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | August 31, 2011 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | Yes |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.00% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.35% ( Rating : Below Avg ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.78% |
| Share Class: | JHancock Bond A |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
