John Hancock Funds III

12/12/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/12/2024 15:43

Summary Prospectus by Investment Company (Form 497K)

John Hancock Funds III
 
August 1, 2024
(as revised December 12, 2024)
Summary prospectus
John Hancock Disciplined Value 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 and Class C) or 888-972-8696 (Class I, Class R2, Class R4, Class R5, and Class R6) or by sending an email request to [email protected]. The fund's prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, both dated August 1, 2024, as may be supplemented, and most recent financial highlights information included in the shareholder report, dated March 31, 2024, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus. 
Tickers
A: JVLAX
C: JVLCX
I: JVLIX
R2: JDVPX
R4: JDVFX
R5: JDVVX
R6: JDVWX
Investment objective
The fund seeks to provide long-term growth of capital primarily through investment in equity securities. Current income is a secondary objective.
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 beginning on page 19 of the prospectus under "Sales charge reductions and waivers" or page 101 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
C
I
R2
R4
R5
R6
Maximum front-end sales charge (load) on purchases, as a % of
purchase price
5.00
None
None
None
None
None
None
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) as a % of purchase or sale
price, whichever is less
1.00
1.00
None
None
None
None
None
(on certain
purchases,
including those of
$1 million or more)
Small account fee (for fund account balances under $1,000) ($)
20
20
None
None
None
None
None
 
Annual fund operating expenses (%) (expenses that you pay each year as a
percentage of the value of your investment)
A
C
I
R2
R4
R5
R6
Management fee1
0.57
0.57
0.57
0.57
0.57
0.57
0.57
Distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees
0.25
1.00
0.00
0.25
0.25
0.00
0.00
Other expenses
Service plan fee
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.25
0.10
0.05
0.00
Additional other expenses
0.17
0.17
0.17
0.05
0.05
0.05
0.05
Total other expenses
0.17
0.17
0.17
0.30
0.15
0.10
0.05
Total annual fund operating expenses
0.99
1.74
0.74
1.12
0.97
0.67
0.62
Contractual expense reimbursement
-0.01
2
-0.01
2
-0.01
2
0.00
-0.10
3
0.00
0.00
Total annual fund operating expenses after expense reimbursements
0.98
1.73
0.73
1.12
0.87
0.67
0.62
1
"Management fee" has been restated to reflect the contractual management fee schedule effective December 12, 2024.
2
The advisor 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 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
 
John Hancock Disciplined Value Fund
reimbursement amounted to 0.01% of the fund's average daily net assets. This agreement expires on July 31, 2026, 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.
3
The distributor contractually agrees to limit its Rule 12b-1 fees for Class R4 shares to 0.15%. This agreement expires on July 31, 2025, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the fund and the distributor 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 $10,000 investment for the time periods indicated and then, except as shown below, assuming you sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example assumes a 5% average annual return and that fund expenses will not change over the periods. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be: 
Shares Sold
Shares
Not Sold
Expenses ($)
A
C
I
R2
R4
R5
R6
C
1 year
595
276
75
114
89
68
63
176
3 years
799
547
236
356
299
214
199
547
5 years
1019
943
410
617
527
373
346
943
10 years
1,651
1,853
917
1,363
1,181
835
774
1,853
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 48% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal investment strategies
The fund pursues its objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets in a diversified portfolio consisting primarily of equity securities, such as common stocks, of issuers with a market capitalization of $1 billion or greater and identified by the manager as having value characteristics.
In seeking this investment objective, the manager examines various factors to determine the value characteristics of such issuers, including price-to-book ratios and price-to-earnings ratios. These value characteristics are examined in the context of the issuer's operating and financial fundamentals, such as return on equity, earnings growth, and cash flow. The manager selects securities for the fund based on a continuous study of trends in industries and companies, earnings power, growth and other investment criteria. The fund may focus its investments in a particular sector or sectors of the economy.
The fund may also invest up to 20% of its total assets in foreign currency-denominated securities.
The fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities, including securities that are illiquid by virtue of the absence of a readily available market or legal or contractual restrictions on resale.
The fund may participate as a purchaser in initial public offerings of securities (IPOs). An IPO is a company's first offering of stock to the public. The fund may trade securities actively.
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 5 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. 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.
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.
High portfolio turnover risk. Trading securities actively and frequently can increase transaction costs (thus lowering performance) and taxable distributions.
Illiquid and restricted securities risk. Illiquid and restricted securities may be difficult to value and may involve greater risks than liquid securities. Illiquidity may have an adverse impact on a particular security's market price and the fund's ability to sell the security.
2
John Hancock Disciplined Value Fund
Initial public offerings (IPOs) risk. IPO share prices are frequently volatile and may significantly impact fund performance.
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.
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.
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.
Value investment style risk. Value securities may underperform the market as a whole, which may cause value-oriented funds to underperform equity funds with other investment strategies. Securities the manager believes are undervalued may never perform as expected.
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 securities market index. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate future results. The Russell 1000 Value Index shows how the fund's performance compares against the returns of similar investments. 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 and Class C), 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, Class R2, Class R4, Class R5, 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.
Calendar year total returns (%)-Class A (sales charges are not reflected in the bar chart and returns would have been lower if they were)    
Year-to-date total return through:
Q2 2024
9.94%
Best quarter:
Q4 2020
18.78%
Worst quarter:
Q1 2020
-29.44%
 
Average annual total returns (%)-as of 12/31/2023
1 year
5 year
10 year
Class A (before tax)
7.89
10.61
7.79
after tax on distributions
6.28
8.94
6.37
after tax on distributions, with sale
5.81
8.26
6.04
Class C
11.72
10.92
7.53
Class I
13.83
12.04
8.62
Class R2
13.38
11.59
8.19
Class R4
13.67
11.87
8.46
Class R5
13.89
12.10
8.68
Class R6
13.95
12.15
8.73
Russell 1000 Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)1
26.53
15.52
11.80
Russell 1000 Value Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
11.46
10.91
8.40
1
The fund has designated the Russell 1000 Index as its new broad-based securities market index in accordance with the revised definition for such an index.
3
John Hancock Disciplined Value Fund
Investment management
Investment advisor John Hancock Investment Management LLC
Subadvisor Boston Partners Global Investors, Inc.
Portfolio management
The following individuals are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the fund's portfolio. 
David T. Cohen, CFA
Mark E. Donovan, CFA
Joshua White, CFA
Co-Portfolio Manager
Managed the fund since 2018
Co-Portfolio Manager
Managed the fund since 2008 and its
predecessor since 1997
Co-Portfolio Manager
Managed the fund since 2021
Purchase and sale of fund shares
The minimum initial investment requirement for Class A and Class C 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. There are no minimum initial investment requirements for Class R2, Class R4, or Class R5 shares. 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 C, 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 and Class C); 888-972-8696 (Class I and Class R6). Class R2, Class R4, and Class R5 shares may be redeemed on any business day by contacting your retirement plan administrator or recordkeeper.
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.
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.
  
© 2024 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: 811-21777
3400SP 8/1/24 (as revised 12/12/24)