Fund Evaluator:
JHancock High Yield A (JHHBX)
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Fund Details
JHancock High Yield A Overview
JHancock High Yield A (JHHBX) is an actively managed Taxable Bond High Yield Bond fund. John Hancock launched the fund in 1993.
The investment seeks high current income; capital appreciation is a secondary goal. Under normal market conditions, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in U.S. and foreign fixed-income securities rated BB/Ba or lower and their unrated equivalents. No more than 10% of the fund's total assets may be invested in securities that are rated in default by S&P, Fitch Ratings or Moody's. It may hold up to 20% of its total assets in the securities of companies in any one industry and up to 10% of its total assets in the securities of any individual issuer.
About JHancock High Yield A (JHHBX)
There are 4 members of the management team with an average tenure of 3.19 years: Caryn Rothman (2017), Darren Toner (2026), Jonas Grazulis (2022), Tim Jarombek (2026). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and ICE BofA US High Yield TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. JHancock High Yield A has 616 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 7.9% 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 High Yield A is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond fund group. JHancock High Yield A has 10.9% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.0%. There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 1.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 98.8% (87.9% domestic bond, 10.9% foreign bond and 0.2% convertible bond). JHancock High Yield A has 0.1% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $224 million in total assets, which is below the $545 million average for the High Yield 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.
JHHBX 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 High Yield A expense ratio is high compared to funds in the High Yield Bond category. JHancock High Yield A has an expense ratio of 0.91%, which is 1% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a C. 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 High Yield A has a portfolio turnover rate of 54%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 71% for the High Yield Bond category.
Recently, in the month of June 2026, JHancock High Yield A returned 0.2%, which earned it a grade of C, as the High Yield Bond category had an average return of 0.2%. 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 High Yield A has a trailing yield of 6.59%, which is above the 6.26% 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 High Yield A Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 2.1%, 0.1 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of B. The fund has returned 5.3% over the past year (grade of C), 7.5% over the past three years (grade of D) and 3.2% per year over the past five years (grade of D) and 4.8% per year over the past 10 years (grade of D).
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JHHBX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 6/30/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| JHHBX Return (NAV) | 0.2% | 2.8% | 5.3% | 7.5% | 3.2% | 4.8% |
| JHHBX Grade | C | B | C | D | D | D |
| +/- Category | 0.0% | 0.4% | -0.4% | -0.7% | -0.6% | -0.3% |
| High Yield Bond Avg | 0.2% | 2.4% | 5.7% | 8.1% | 3.8% | 5.1% |
| JHHBX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 2.6% | 2.5% | 2.4% | 2.3% |
JHHBX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 6/30/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| JHHBX Return (NAV) | 2.1% | 7.2% | 6.5% | 12.5% | -11.7% | 5.1% | 4.5% | 13.4% | -3.4% | 6.8% | 14.8% |
| JHHBX Grade | B | D | F | B | D | C | D | C | D | C | B |
| +/- Category | 0.1% | -0.7% | -1.1% | 0.6% | -1.7% | 0.0% | -0.7% | 0.4% | -0.8% | 0.1% | 1.4% |
| High Yield Bond Avg | 1.9% | 7.9% | 7.6% | 11.9% | -10.0% | 5.1% | 5.3% | 13.0% | -2.7% | 6.7% | 13.4% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 3.9% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.32 - Low |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.98 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | B (28% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.57 |
| R-Squared: | 67% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | na |
| Bond Investment Style: | High Quality Limited Sensitivity |
| Yield: | 6.6% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Monthly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $1971 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 224 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | A |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 54% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 4 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 8.8 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 3.2 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Rothman Caryn (2017), Grazulis Jonas (2022), Jarombek Tim (2026), Toner Darren (2026) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 4/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 616 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 7.9% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 10.9% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 1.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 87.9% |
| Foreign Bond: | 10.9% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.2% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.1% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | John Hancock |
| Phone Number: | 800-225-5291 |
| Website: | www.jhfunds.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | June 30, 1993 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | No |
| Front Load Maximum: | 4.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.25% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.91% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.92% |
| Share Class: | JHancock High Yield A |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
