497K 1 jhesgief-html6022_497k.htm JOHN HANCOCK ESG INTERNATIONAL EQUITY FUND - 497K

March 1, 2023

Summary prospectus

John Hancock ESG International Equity Fund

Before you invest, you may want to review the fund’s prospectus, which contains more information about the fund and its risks. You can find the fund’s prospectus and other information about the fund, including the Statement of Additional Information and most recent reports, online at www.jhinvestments.com/prospectuses. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 800-225-5291 (Class A) or 888-972-8696 (Class I and Class R6) or by sending an email request to info@jhinvestments.com. The fund’s prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, both dated March 1, 2023, as may be supplemented, and most recent financial highlights information included in the shareholder report, dated October 31, 2022, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus.

Tickers


A: JTQAX

I: JTQIX

R6: JTQRX

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Investment objective


To seek long-term capital appreciation.

Fees and expenses


This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts on Class A shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the John Hancock family of funds. Intermediaries may have different policies and procedures regarding the availability of front-end sales charge waivers or contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) waivers (See Appendix 1 - Intermediary sales charge waivers, which includes information about specific sales charge waivers applicable to the intermediaries identified therein). More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and on pages 17 to 19 of the prospectus under “Sales charge reductions and waivers” or pages 123 to 127 of the fund’s Statement of Additional Information under “Sales Charges on Class A and Class C Shares.”

Shareholder fees (%) (fees paid directly from your investment)

A

I

R6

Maximum front-end sales charge (load) on purchases, as a % of purchase price

5.00

None

None

Maximum deferred sales charge (load) as a % of purchase or sale price, whichever is less

1.00
(on certain purchases, including those of $1 million or more)

None

None

Small account fee (for fund account balances under $1,000) ($)

20

None

None

Annual fund operating expenses (%) (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

A
I
R6

Management fee

0.85
0.85
0.85

Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees

0.25
0.00
0.00

Other expenses

0.33
0.33
0.22

Total annual fund operating expenses

1.43
1.18
1.07

Contractual expense reimbursement1

–0.21
–0.21
–0.21

Total annual fund operating expenses after expense reimbursements

1.22
0.97
0.86
1 The advisor contractually agrees to reduce its management fee or, if necessary, make payment to the fund in an amount equal to the amount by which expenses of the fund exceed 0.85% of average daily net assets of the fund. For purposes of this agreement, “expenses of the fund” means all fund expenses, excluding (a) taxes, (b) brokerage commissions, (c) interest expense, (d) litigation and indemnification expenses and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the fund’s business, (e) class-specific expenses, (f) borrowing costs, (g) prime brokerage fees, (h) acquired fund fees and expenses paid indirectly, and (i) short dividend expense. This agreement expires on February 28, 2024, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the advisor and the fund based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time. The advisor also contractually agrees to waive a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse expenses for the fund and certain other John Hancock funds according to an asset level breakpoint schedule that is based on the aggregate net assets of all the funds participating in the waiver or reimbursement, including the fund (the participating portfolios). This waiver equals, on an annualized basis, 0.0100% of that portion of the aggregate net assets of all the participating portfolios that exceeds $75 billion but is less than or equal to $125 billion; 0.0125% of that portion of the aggregate net assets of all the participating portfolios that exceeds $125 billion but is less than or equal to $150 billion; 0.0150% of that portion of the aggregate net assets of all the participating portfolios that exceeds $150 billion but is less than or equal to $175 billion; 0.0175% of that portion of the aggregate net assets of all the participating portfolios that exceeds $175 billion but is less than or equal to $200 billion; 0.0200% of that portion of the aggregate net assets of all the participating portfolios

 


 

John Hancock ESG International Equity Fund 

  that exceeds $200 billion but is less than or equal to $225 billion; and 0.0225% of that portion of the aggregate net assets of all the participating portfolios that exceeds $225 billion. The amount of the reimbursement is calculated daily and allocated among all the participating portfolios in proportion to the daily net assets of each participating portfolio. During its most recent fiscal year, the fund’s reimbursement amounted to 0.01% of the fund’s average daily net assets. This agreement expires on July 31, 2024, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the fund and the advisor based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time.

Expense example


This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. Please see below a hypothetical example showing the expenses of a $10,000 investment for the time periods indicated and then assuming you sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example assumes a 5% average annual return and that fund expenses will not change over the periods. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

Expenses($)

A

I

R6

1 year

618

99

88

3 years

910

354

319

5 years

1,224

629

570

10 years

2,110

1,413

1,287

Portfolio turnover


The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund’s performance. During its most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 27% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal investment strategies


Under normal market conditions, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in stocks of foreign companies having a market capitalization of $2 billion or more at the time of purchase that meet the manager’s sustainability criteria. The manager seeks companies meeting its sustainability criteria with high-quality characteristics, including strong or improving environmental, social, and governance (ESG) records.

The fund primarily invests in a diversified portfolio of equity securities of foreign companies in a number of developed and emerging markets outside of the United States. The fund defines foreign companies as companies: (i) that are organized under the laws of a country outside the United States; or (ii) that have a minimum of 50% of their assets, or that derive a minimum of 50% of their revenue or profits, from businesses, investments, or sales outside of the United States.

The manager seeks to preserve and build capital over the long term through investing in a diversified portfolio of international-developed and emerging-market stocks of companies it believes are high quality and under-valued. The manager looks for companies with sound governance and a history of responsible financial management that, in its opinion, are capable of consistent profitability over a long time horizon. The manager seeks to fully integrate ESG criteria into the stock selection and portfolio construction process and expresses a preference for best-in-class firms with innovative approaches to the environmental and social challenges their industries, society, and the world face. “Best-in-class” refers to firms that the manager views as having better records on ESG criteria than other firms in the same industry or sector.

The manager seeks to identify companies with a demonstrated overall high level of accountability to all stakeholders, including providing safe, desirable, high-quality products or services and marketing them in responsible ways. ESG criteria reflect a variety of key sustainability issues that can influence company risks and opportunities and span a range of metrics including board diversity, climate change policies, water management policies, and supply chain and human rights policies. The fund may focus its investments in a particular sector or sectors of the economy. The fund will avoid investments that in the judgment of the manager have material direct revenues from production of nuclear power, tobacco, and/or weapons/firearms.

The manager selects stocks through bottom-up, fundamental research, while maintaining a disciplined approach to valuation and risk control. The manager may sell a security when its price reaches a set target, if it believes that other investments are more attractive, when in its opinion ESG performance significantly deteriorates, or for other reasons it may determine.

The manager employs active shareowner engagement to raise environmental, social, and governance issues with the management of select portfolio companies. Through this effort, the manager seeks to encourage company managements toward greater transparency, accountability, disclosure, and commitment to ESG issues.

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John Hancock ESG International Equity Fund 

Principal risks


An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Many factors affect performance, and fund shares will fluctuate in price, meaning you could lose money. The fund’s investment strategy may not produce the intended results.

The fund’s main risks are listed below in alphabetical order, not in order of importance. Before investing, be sure to read the additional descriptions of these risks beginning on page 6 of the prospectus.

Economic and market events risk. Events in the U.S. and global financial markets, including actions taken by the U.S. Federal Reserve or foreign central banks to stimulate or stabilize economic growth, may at times result in unusually high market volatility, which could negatively impact performance. Reduced liquidity in credit and fixed-income markets could adversely affect issuers worldwide. Banks and financial services companies could suffer losses if interest rates rise or economic conditions deteriorate.

Equity securities risk. The price of equity securities may decline due to changes in a company’s financial condition or overall market conditions. Growth company securities may fluctuate more in price than other securities because of the greater emphasis on earnings expectations. Securities the manager believes are undervalued may never realize their full potential value, and in certain markets value stocks may underperform the market as a whole.

ESG investing risk. Incorporating ESG criteria and investing primarily in instruments that have certain ESG characteristics, as determined by the manager, carries the risk that the fund may perform differently, including underperforming, funds that do not utilize an ESG investment strategy, or funds that utilize different ESG criteria.

Foreign securities risk. Less information may be publicly available regarding foreign issuers, including foreign government issuers. Foreign securities may be subject to foreign taxes and may be more volatile than U.S. securities. Currency fluctuations and political and economic developments may adversely impact the value of foreign securities. The risks of investing in foreign securities are magnified in emerging markets. If applicable, depositary receipts are subject to most of the risks associated with investing in foreign securities directly because the value of a depositary receipt is dependent upon the market price of the underlying foreign equity security. Depositary receipts are also subject to liquidity risk.

Large company risk. Larger companies may grow more slowly than smaller companies or be slower to respond to business developments. Large-capitalization securities may underperform the market as a whole.

Liquidity risk. The extent (if at all) to which a security may be sold without negatively impacting its market value may be impaired by reduced market activity or participation, legal restrictions, or other economic and market impediments.

Operational and cybersecurity risk. Cybersecurity breaches may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to fund assets, customer data, or proprietary information, or cause a fund or its service providers to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality. Similar incidents affecting issuers of a fund’s securities may negatively impact performance. Operational risk may arise from human error, error by third parties, communication errors, or technology failures, among other causes.

Sector risk. When a fund focuses its investments in certain sectors of the economy, its performance may be driven largely by sector performance and could fluctuate more widely than if the fund were invested more evenly across sectors. To the extent that a fund invests in securities of companies in the financial services sector, the fund may be significantly affected by economic, market, and business developments, borrowing costs, interest-rate fluctuations, competition, and government regulation, among other factors, impacting that sector.

Small and mid-sized company risk. Small and mid-sized companies are generally less established and may be more volatile than larger companies. Small and/or mid-capitalization securities may underperform the market as a whole.

Past performance


The following information illustrates the variability of the fund’s returns and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund by showing changes in the fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the fund’s average annual returns compared with a broad-based market index. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate future results. All figures assume dividend reinvestment. Performance information is updated daily, monthly, and quarterly and may be obtained at our website, jhinvestments.com, or by calling 800-225-5291 (Class A), Monday to Thursday, 8:00 A.M.—7:00 P.M., and Friday, 8:00 A.M.—6:00 P.M., Eastern time, or 888-972-8696 (Class I and Class R6) between 8:30 A.M. and 5:00 P.M., Eastern time, on most business days.

Please note that after-tax returns (shown for Class A shares only) reflect the highest individual federal marginal income-tax rate in effect as of the date provided and do not reflect any state or local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns may be different. After-tax returns are not relevant to shares held in an IRA, 401(k), or other tax-advantaged investment plan. After-tax returns for other share classes would vary.

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John Hancock ESG International Equity Fund 

Calendar year total returns (%)—Class A (sales charges are not reflected in the bar chart and returns would have been lower if they were)

Best quarter: 2020, Q2, 20.11%
Worst quarter: 2020, Q1, –20.81%

Average annual total returns (%)—as of 12/31/22

1 year
5 years

Since inception
(12/14/16)

Class A (before tax)

–23.12
0.30
4.78

after tax on distributions

–23.15
–0.11
4.40

after tax on distributions, with sale

–13.46
0.34
3.85

Class I

–18.84
1.58
5.95

Class R6

–18.80
1.68
6.05

MSCI ACWI ex USA Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes, except foreign withholding taxes on dividends)

–16.00
0.88
4.63

Investment management


Investment advisor John Hancock Investment Management LLC
Subadvisor Boston Common Asset Management, LLC

Portfolio management


The following individuals are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the fund’s portfolio.

Praveen Abichandani, CFA
Co-Portfolio Manager
Managed the fund since 2016

Corné Biemans
Co-Portfolio Manager
Managed the fund since 2016

Matthew Zalosh, CFA
Co-Portfolio Manager
Managed the fund since 2016

Purchase and sale of fund shares


The minimum initial investment requirement for Class A shares is $1,000 ($250 for group investments), except that there is no minimum for certain group retirement plans, certain fee-based or wrap accounts, or certain other eligible investment product platforms. The minimum initial investment requirement for Class I shares is $250,000, except that the fund may waive the minimum for any category of investors at the fund’s sole discretion. The minimum initial investment requirement for Class R6 shares is $1 million, except that there is no minimum for: qualified and nonqualified plan investors; certain eligible qualifying investment product platforms; Trustees, employees of the advisor or its affiliates, employees of the subadvisor, members of the fund’s portfolio management team and the spouses and children (under age 21) of the aforementioned. There are no subsequent minimum investment requirements.

Class A, Class I, and Class R6 shares may be redeemed on any business day by mail: John Hancock Signature Services, Inc., P.O. Box 219909, Kansas City, MO 64121-9909; or for most account types through our website: jhinvestments.com; or by telephone: 800-225-5291 (Class A); 888-972-8696 (Class I and Class R6). 

Taxes


The fund’s distributions are taxable, and will be taxed as ordinary income and/or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account. Withdrawals from such tax-deferred arrangements may be subject to tax at a later date.

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John Hancock ESG International Equity Fund 

Payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries


If you purchase the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank, registered investment advisor, financial planner, or retirement plan administrator), the fund and its related companies may pay the broker-dealer or other intermediary for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the fund over another investment. These payments are not applicable to Class R6 shares. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

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© 2023 John Hancock Investment Management Distributors LLC, Member FINRA, SIPC
200 Berkeley Street Boston, MA 02116
800-225-5291, jhinvestments.com
 
Manulife, Manulife Investment Management, Stylized M Design, and Manulife Investment Management & Stylized M Design are trademarks of The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company and are used by its affiliates under license.

SEC file number: 811-00560
4690SP 3/1/23