JHBSX
Bond Fund
John Hancock Sovereign Bond Fund
Expense ratio1
0.35%
Net assets2
$27.53B
Holdings2
1142
Category
Allocation
2025 return3
7.78%

Investment objective & strategy

As of Sept. 25, 2025 · prospectus

Objective. To seek a high level of current income consistent with prudent investment risk.

Strategy. Under normal market conditions, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in a diversified portfolio of bonds. These may include, but are not limited to, corporate bonds and debentures, mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, and U.S. government and agency securities. Most of these securities are investment-grade, although the fund may invest up to 25% of its net assets in below-investment-grade debt securities (junk bonds) rated as low as CC by S&P Global Ratings (S&P) and Fitch Ratings, Inc. (Fitch Ratings) and Ca by Moodys Investors Service, Inc. (Moodys), or comparable rating by any nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO), or their unrated equivalents. The fund contemplates that at least 75% of its … Under normal market conditions, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in a diversified portfolio of bonds. These may include, but are not limited to, corporate bonds and debentures, mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, and U.S. government and agency securities. Most of these securities are investment-grade, although the fund may invest up to 25% of its net assets in below-investment-grade debt securities (junk bonds) rated as low as CC by S&P Global Ratings (S&P) and Fitch Ratings, Inc. (Fitch Ratings) and Ca by Moodys Investors Service, Inc. (Moodys), or comparable rating by any nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO), or their unrated equivalents. The fund contemplates that at least 75% of its net assets will be in investment-grade debt securities and cash and cash equivalents. The funds investment policies are based on credit ratings at the time of purchase. There is no limit on average maturity. The manager focuses on sector allocation, industry allocation, and security selection in making investment decisions. When making sector and industry allocations, the manager uses top-down analysis to try to anticipate shifts in the business cycle. The manager uses bottom-up research to find individual securities that appear comparatively undervalued. The fund may invest in securities of foreign governments and corporations. The fund will not invest more than 10% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies. Under normal market conditions, the fund does not anticipate investing more than 25% of its total assets in U.S. dollar-denominated foreign securities (excluding U.S. dollar denominated Canadian securities). The manager considers environmental, social, and/or governance (ESG) factors, alongside other relevant factors, as part of its investment process. ESG factors may include, but are not limited to, matters regarding board diversity, climate change policies, and supply chain and human rights policies. The ESG characteristics utilized in the funds investment process may change over time and one or more characteristics may not be relevant with respect to all issuers that are eligible fund investments. Because ESG factors are considered alongside other relevant factors, the manager may determine that an investment is appropriate notwithstanding its relative ESG characteristics. The fund intends to keep its interest-rate exposure generally in line with its peers. The fund may engage in derivative transactions. Derivatives may be used to reduce risk, obtain efficient market exposure, and/or enhance investment returns, and may include futures contracts on securities and indexes; options on futures contracts, securities, and indexes; interest-rate, foreign currency, and credit default swaps; and foreign currency forward contracts. The funds investments in U.S. government and agency securities may or may not be supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. Under normal circumstances, the fund may not invest more than 10% of its net assets in cash or cash equivalents. The fund may trade securities actively.

Top holdings

As of Feb. 28, 2026 · N-PORT
SecurityTickerValue% of fund
US TREASURY N/B $485.65M 1.76%
JH COLLATERAL $478.87M 1.74%
US TREASURY N/B $465.74M 1.69%
US TREASURY N/B $457.55M 1.66%
US TREASURY N/B $432.85M 1.57%
US TREASURY N/B $416.19M 1.51%
US TREASURY N/B $384.80M 1.40%
US TREASURY N/B $326.08M 1.18%
US TREASURY N/B $294.71M 1.07%
US TREASURY N/B $271.54M 0.99%
View all holdings →

Allocation by sector

As of February 28, 2026 · N-PORT
View portfolio breakdown →

Portfolio moves

Nov 30, 2025 → Feb 28, 2026
Opened
140
Exited
170
Increased
36
Decreased
485
Unchanged
481

How many positions this fund opened, exited, grew, trimmed, or left unchanged between its two most recent N-PORT snapshots — net changes between point-in-time reports, not a trade log.

View portfolio moves →

Similar funds

Funds whose portfolios most overlap this one, by weight
FundOverlapNet exp.
Active Bond Trust · JAHDX, JAHFX, JAHEX 70% 0.65%
Investment Grade Bond Fund · TAUSX, TCUSX, TIUSX, JIGBX, JIGMX, JIGEX 63% 0.38%
John Hancock Core Bond ETF · JHCR 52% 0.29%
View all similar funds →

Advisers

As of May 31, 2025 · N-CEN
FirmRole
John Hancock Investment Management LLC Adviser
Manulife Investment Management (US) LLC Sub-adviser

Footnotes

  1. Expense ratio as of September 25, 2025, from the fund's prospectus.
  2. Net assets and holdings count as of February 28, 2026, from the fund's N-PORT filing.
  3. Total return for calendar year 2025, before tax and after fund expenses. Computed by compounding the twelve monthly total returns the fund reported in its SEC N-PORT filings for 2025 (the latest prospectus does not yet chart this year).

Machine-readable: JSON · Markdown. Programmatic access via the agent surface.