John Hancock HPS: 3.82% net asset value return

Distributions totaled $42,457,287, including $9,749,781 of return of capital, with year-end credit-facility borrowings of $274,300,000.

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III (HPS) reported a 3.82% one-year total return at net asset value for the year ended July 31, 2026; its market-price return was 8.52%, compared with 4.14% for the ICE BofA U.S. All Capital Securities Index. The fund said preferred-security income offset much, but not all, of falling prices as expectations for interest-rate cuts receded. Bank of America convertible preferred securities and PG&E were among contributors; Strategy and FMC were among detractors.

Net investment income was $31,411,513, and net assets were $435,720,509 at year-end. Net assets increased by $17,711,543 from operations, compared with $38,932,549 in the prior year. Distributions totaled $42,457,287, including $9,749,781 classified as return of capital. Credit-facility borrowings were $274,300,000 at 4.38% as of July 31, 2026; the facility permits borrowing up to $309.5 million.

The Board approved a fiscal-year-end change from July 31 to October 31, effective August 1, 2026. Caryn Rothman and Jonas Grazulis ceased serving as portfolio managers effective October 30, 2025.

0 points · 0 major

NegativeiHow this balance works

How this balance works

Rhea-AI gives every point it takes from this document a weight. Minor counts 1, Moderate 3 and Major 9, so one Major point outweighs several Minor ones. The bar adds up the weights on each side, and when neither side holds more than 65% of the total the balance reads Mixed.

It reads the document as published, with the same rules for every company, and it does not look at what the market expected or at how the stock traded, so a point can be objectively good on a day the stock falls.

Rhea-AI Sentiment measures something else, the tone of the wording.

How the balance worksHow Sentiment works

0 major · 1 point

How the balance works

Positive

• None.

Negative

• Moderate pointOperations contribution fell to $17,711,543 from $38,932,549 year over year.

Key Figures

One-year total return at net asset value: 3.82% One-year total return at market price: 8.52% ICE BofA U.S. All Capital Securities Index return: 4.14% +5 more

8 metrics

One-year total return at net asset value 3.82% Year ended July 31, 2026

One-year total return at market price 8.52% Year ended July 31, 2026

ICE BofA U.S. All Capital Securities Index return 4.14% Year ended July 31, 2026

Net assets $435,720,509 As of July 31, 2026

Net investment income $31,411,513 Year ended July 31, 2026

Increase in net assets from operations $17,711,543 Year ended July 31, 2026; $38,932,549 for the year ended July 31, 2025

Credit facility borrowings $274,300,000 As of July 31, 2026; interest rate 4.38%

Total distributions $42,457,287 Year ended July 31, 2026

Key Terms

Net asset value (NAV), Return of capital, Asset coverage, Investment grade, +2 more

6 terms

Net asset value (NAV) financial

"net asset value (NAV)"

Net asset value (NAV) is the per-share value of an investment fund calculated by totaling the fund’s assets, subtracting its liabilities, and dividing the remainder by the number of outstanding shares. Think of it like a price tag on each share of a collective piggy bank: investors use NAV to see what each share is worth, to compare funds, and, for many funds, it’s the price at which shares are bought or redeemed.

Return of capital financial

"$9,749,781 classified as return of capital"

Return of capital is when an investor receives money from their investment that is not considered profit or earnings but rather a portion of the original amount they invested. It’s similar to getting back part of your initial savings rather than gains from it. This matters because it can affect how much money an investor still has in the investment and may have tax implications.

Asset coverage financial

"Asset coverage per $1,000 of debt"

Asset coverage is a quick check of how much of a company's debt or preferred claims could be paid off using its tangible assets if the company had to be broken up or liquidated. Think of it like measuring whether the contents of a house would raise enough money to settle outstanding loans on the property; higher coverage means creditors and investors are safer, while lower coverage signals more risk of loss.

Investment grade financial

"rated investment grade"

A credit rating label assigned to bonds or borrowers that signals relatively low risk of default; think of it as a strong health check for a company's or government's ability to repay debt. It matters to investors because investment-grade status typically means lower interest costs for the borrower, greater eligibility for conservative funds and pension portfolios, and generally more stable returns compared with higher-risk, non-investment-grade debt.

Credit Facility Agreement financial

"Credit Facility Agreement (CFA)"

SOFR financial

"Secured Overnight Financing Rate"

The Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) is a market benchmark that measures the cost of borrowing cash overnight using U.S. Treasury securities as collateral. Investors watch SOFR because it acts like a speedometer for short-term interest costs—affecting loan rates, bond yields and the pricing of interest-rate contracts—so movements change borrowing expenses, cash returns and the value of interest-sensitive investments.

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

What were HPS’s one-year returns?

HPS returned 3.82% at net asset value and 8.52% at market price for the year ended July 31, 2026. The ICE BofA U.S. All Capital Securities Index returned 4.14%; fund returns assume distributions were reinvested.

How much did HPS distribute, and how much was return of capital?

HPS distributed $42,457,287, including $9,749,781 classified as return of capital, for the year ended July 31, 2026.

How does the HPS dividend reinvestment plan determine the share price?

If a distribution is payable in cash or shares and the market price on the payment date equals or exceeds NAV, HPS issues shares at the higher of NAV or 95% of the market price. If the market price is below NAV, the Plan Agent purchases shares for participants on the NYSE or otherwise in the open market.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

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Available on EDGAR 10/06/2026 - 12:39 PM Accepted by SEC EDGAR 10/06/2026 - 11:45 AM Learn about SEC filing dates

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-CSR

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Investment Company Act file number 811-21287

JOHN HANCOCK PREFERRED INCOME FUND III

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

200 BERKELEY STREET, BOSTON, MA 02116 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

SALVATORE SCHIAVONE

TREASURER

200 BERKELEY STREET

BOSTON, MA 02116

(Name and address of agent for service)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (617) 543-9634

Date of fiscal year end: July 31

Date of reporting period: July 31, 2026

ITEM 1. REPORT TO STOCKHOLDERS.

Annual report

John Hancock

Preferred Income Fund III

Closed-end fixed income

Ticker: HPS

July 31, 2026

John Hancock

Preferred Income Fund III

Table of contents

2	Your fund at a glance
5	Management’s discussion of fund performance
7	A look at performance
9	Fund’s investments
20	Financial statements
24	Financial highlights
25	Notes to financial statements
33	Report of independent registered public accounting firm
34	Tax information
35	Investment objective, principal investment strategies, and principal risks
39	Additional information
42	Shareholder meeting
43	Evaluation of advisory and subadvisory agreements by the Board of Trustees
49	Trustees and Officers
53	More information

1 JOHN HANCOCK PREFERRED INCOME FUND III  | ANNUAL REPORT

Table of Contents

Your fund at a glance

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The fund seeks to provide a high level of current income consistent with preservation of capital. The fund’s secondary investment objective is to provide growth of capital to the extent consistent with its primary objective.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS AS OF 7/31/2026 (%)

The Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) Bank of America (BofA) U.S. All Capital Securities Index tracks all fixed-to floating-rate, perpetual callable and capital securities of the ICE BofA U.S. Corporate Index.

It is not possible to invest directly in an index. Index figures do not reflect expenses, which would result in lower returns.

The performance data contained within this material represents past performance, which does not guarantee future results.

Investment returns and principal value will fluctuate and a shareholder may sustain losses. Further, the fund’s performance at net asset value (NAV) is different from the fund’s performance at closing market price because the closing market price is subject to the dynamics of secondary market trading. Market risk may increase when shares are purchased at a premium to NAV or sold at a discount to NAV. Current month-end performance may be higher or lower than the performance cited. The fund’s most recent performance can be found at jhinvestments.com or by calling 800-852-0218.

ANNUAL REPORT  | JOHN HANCOCK PREFERRED INCOME FUND III 2

Table of Contents

PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS OVER THE LAST TWELVE MONTHS

Shifting interest-rate expectations weighed on preferred securities

Preferred securities provided enough income to offset much, but not all, of a decline in market prices as the prospects of interest-rate cuts dimmed.

Certain convertible preferred securities contributed

Fund holdings linked to the performance of a company’s common stock were among the best performers this period.

Individual energy and utilities holdings were among the biggest detractors

Preferred stocks whose businesses were challenged by developments unique to their businesses crimped the fund’s results.

PORTFOLIO COMPOSITION AS OF 7/31/2026 (% of total investments)

QUALITY COMPOSITION AS OF 7/31/2026 (% of total investments)

3 JOHN HANCOCK PREFERRED INCOME FUND III  | ANNUAL REPORT

Table of Contents

Ratings are from Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. If not available, we have used S&P Global Ratings. In the absence of ratings from these agencies, we have used Fitch Ratings, Inc. “Not rated” securities are those with no ratings available from these agencies. All ratings are as of 7-31-26 and do not reflect subsequent downgrades or upgrades, if any.

SECTOR COMPOSITION AS OF 7/31/2026 (% of total investments)

ANNUAL REPORT  | JOHN HANCOCK PREFERRED INCOME FUND III 4

Table of Contents

Management’s discussion of fund performance

How would you describe the investment backdrop during the 12 months ended July 31, 2026?

As a group, preferred stocks provided enough income to offset much, but not all, of a decline in market prices that was triggered by changing interest-rate expectations. During much of late 2025 and then again briefly in early spring 2026, preferred stocks were supported by market expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve would cut policy interest-rates. The prices of preferred stocks generally rise when interest rates fall and vice versa because their fixed dividends become more or less attractive relative to newly issued securities. Later in the period, however, preferred stock prices generally declined. Rising inflation worries — including those driven by tariffs and the oil-price shock from the Iran war — led markets to push out the timing of interest rate cuts, and by late in the period, to price in the possibility of interest rate hikes.

How did the fund perform?

Among the fund’s top-performing individual holdings were convertible preferred securities from Bank of America Corp. Their gains largely reflected the bank’s rising net interest income, resilient consumer credit and strong trading and investment-banking results. The convertible preferred shares of PG&E Corp., whose principal subsidiary, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, supplies electricity and natural gas across much of Northern and central California, also lifted performance.

TOP 10 ISSUERS AS OF 7/31/2026 (% of total investments)
Bank of America Corp.	4.0
Citigroup, Inc.	3.5
Morgan Stanley	3.1
Athene Holding, Ltd.	2.6
Citizens Financial Group, Inc.	2.4
Wells Fargo & Company	2.3
CMS Energy Corp.	2.3
Energy Transfer LP	2.3
SBL Holdings, Inc.	2.0
Sempra	1.9
TOTAL	26.4
Cash and short-term investments are not included.

5 JOHN HANCOCK PREFERRED INCOME FUND III  | ANNUAL REPORT

Table of Contents

Their advance was powered by powered by improving earnings and increased electricity demand. Elsewhere, the preferred shares of Telephone & Data Systems, Inc. also aided fund performance, bolstered primarily by the sale of wireless operations and selected spectrum to T-Mobile USA, Inc. and a separate spectrum sale to AT&T, Inc. Exposure to the convertible preferred shares of electric power company NextEra Energy, Inc. was another plus for performance because it was boosted by the dramatic growth in electricity consumption associated with artificial intelligence infrastructure.

In contrast, exposure to Strategy, Inc., which functions primarily as a Bitcoin treasury company, was the largest individual detractor. Its preferred share prices significantly declined along with the price of the cryptocurrency. Another detractor was FMC Corp., a U.S. agricultural sciences company whose shares lost value as the patent protection expired on its important insecticide technology, allowing lower-priced competitors to enter major Asian and Latin American markets. Holdings in the preferred stock of Whirlpool Corp. disappointed as the sluggish U.S. housing market muted demand for major household appliances. Holdings in insurance and annuity provider Brighthouse Financial, Inc. performed poorly primarily due to concerns that the company’s plan to go private would be less favorable to preferred stock investors than for its common stock shareholders.

The views expressed in this report are exclusively those of the portfolio management team at Manulife Investment Management (US) LLC, and are subject to change. They are not meant as investment advice. Please note that the holdings discussed in this report may not have been held by the fund for the entire period. Portfolio composition is subject to review in accordance with the fund’s investment strategy and may vary in the future. Current and future portfolio holdings are subject to risk.

ANNUAL REPORT  | JOHN HANCOCK PREFERRED INCOME FUND III 6

Table of Contents

A look at performance

TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE PERIOD ENDED JULY 31, 2026

Average annual total returns (%)				Cumulative total returns (%)
	1-Year	5-Year	10-Year	5-year	10-Year
At Net asset value	3.82	2.88	4.56	15.23	56.14
At Market price	8.52	2.89	5.03	15.29	63.33
S&P 500 Index	19.56	12.86	15.08	83.10	307.42
ICE BofA U.S. All Capital Securities Index	4.14	1.98	4.13	10.29	49.90
Blended Benchmark	3.67	0.90	3.31	4.59	38.43

Performance figures assume all distributions have been reinvested.

The returns reflect past results and should not be considered indicative of future performance. Investment returns and principal value will fluctuate and a shareholder may sustain losses. Further, the fund’s performance at net asset value (NAV) is different from the fund’s performance at closing market price because the closing market price is subject to the dynamics of secondary market trading. Market risk may be augmented when shares are purchased at a premium to NAV or when shares need to be sold at a discount to NAV. Current month-end performance may be higher or lower than the performance cited. The fund’s most recent performance can be found at jhinvestments.com or by calling 800-852-0218.

The performance table above and the chart on the next page do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or the sale of fund shares. The fund’s performance results reflect any applicable fee waivers or expense reductions, without which the expenses would increase and results would have been less favorable.

7 JOHN HANCOCK  PREFERRED INCOME FUND III  | ANNUAL REPORT

Table of Contents

This chart shows what happened to a hypothetical $10,000 investment in John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III for the periods indicated, assuming all distributions were reinvested. For comparison, we’ve shown the same investment in a blended benchmark and two separate indexes.

The S&P 500 Index tracks the performance of 500 of the largest publicly traded companies in the United States.

The Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) Bank of America (BofA) U.S. All Capital Securities Index tracks all fixed-to floating-rate, perpetual callable and capital securities of the ICE BofA U.S. Corporate Index.

The Blended Benchmark comprises 65% ICE BofA U.S. All Capital Securities Index and 35% Bloomberg Investment Grade Utilities Index.

It is not possible to invest directly in an index. Index figures do not reflect expenses, which would result in lower returns.

The returns reflect past results and should not be considered indicative of future performance.

ANNUAL REPORT  | JOHN HANCOCK  PREFERRED INCOME FUND III 8

Table of Contents

Fund’s investments

AS OF 7-31-26

				Shares	Value
Preferred securities (A) 88.4% (54.5% of Total investments)					$384,885,696
(Cost $424,214,533)
Communication services 3.9%					17,180,359
Interactive media and services 0.4%
Alphabet, Inc., Series A, 6.250%				20,850	1,045,836
Alphabet, Inc., Series B, 6.250%				13,850	695,270
Wireless telecommunication services 3.5%
Array Digital Infrastructure, Inc., 5.500%				38,150	640,539
Array Digital Infrastructure, Inc., 6.250%				57,420	1,099,019
Telephone & Data Systems, Inc., 6.000%				469,125	8,960,288
T-Mobile USA, Inc., 6.250% (B)(C)				205,525	4,739,407
Energy 0.9%					3,846,233
Oil, gas and consumable fuels 0.9%
NGL Energy Partners LP, 11.286% (3 month CME Term SOFR + 7.475%) (D)				152,025	3,846,233
Financials 59.8%					260,558,520
Banks 27.2%
Banc of California, Inc., 7.750% (7.750% to 9-1-27, then 5 Year CMT + 4.820%)				92,250	2,328,390
Bank of America Corp., 5.000% (C)				142,300	2,786,234
Bank of America Corp., 6.450% (C)				127,225	3,213,704
Bank of America Corp., 7.250% (C)				9,500	12,254,050
Bank of Hawaii Corp., 8.000% (C)				83,000	2,185,390
Citigroup Capital XIII, 10.475% (3 month CME Term SOFR + 6.632%) (C)(D)				146,725	4,009,994
Citizens Financial Group, Inc., 6.500% (6.500% to 10-6-30, then 5 Year CMT + 2.629%)				98,750	2,448,013
Citizens Financial Group, Inc., 7.375%				271,975	7,022,395
Fifth Third Bancorp, 6.000% (C)				171,195	3,896,398
Fifth Third Bancorp, 6.875% (6.875% to 10-1-30, then 5 Year CMT + 3.125%) (B)(C)				188,925	4,904,493
First Busey Corp., 8.250%				86,000	2,260,080
First Citizens BancShares, Inc., 6.625% (6.625% to 3-15-31, then 5 Year CMT + 2.830%)				88,050	2,185,401
First Horizon Corp., 6.750%				188,850	4,655,153
Fulton Financial Corp., 5.125% (C)				130,500	2,335,950
Huntington Bancshares, Inc., 6.875% (6.875% to 4-15-28, then 5 Year CMT + 2.704%)				165,150	4,135,356
KeyCorp, 5.650%				157,334	3,396,841
KeyCorp, 6.200% (6.200% to 12-15-27, then 5 Year CMT + 3.132%)				101,375	2,571,884
M&T Bank Corp., 6.350%				163,475	3,905,418
M&T Bank Corp., 6.625%				135,000	3,345,300

9 JOHN HANCOCK PREFERRED INCOME FUND III | ANNUAL REPORT SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Table of Contents

				Shares	Value
Financials (continued)
Banks (continued)
M&T Bank Corp., 7.500%				214,100	$5,598,715
Pinnacle Financial Partners, Inc., 7.425% (3 month CME Term SOFR + 3.614%) (D)				41,375	1,047,615
Pinnacle Financial Partners, Inc., 8.397% (8.397% to 7-1-29, then 5 Year CMT + 4.127%)				192,300	5,088,258
Regions Financial Corp., 4.450% (C)				33,534	541,574
Regions Financial Corp., 6.950% (6.950% to 9-15-29, then 5 Year CMT + 2.771%)				181,025	4,587,174
Truist Financial Corp., 4.750% (C)				191,300	3,508,442
U.S. Bancorp, 5.500% (C)				44,250	951,818
UMB Financial Corp., 7.750% (7.750% to 7-15-30, then 5 Year CMT + 3.743%) (C)				79,725	2,104,740
Wells Fargo & Company, 7.500% (B)(C)				11,000	13,042,024
WesBanco, Inc., 7.375% (7.375% to 10-1-30, then 5 Year CMT + 3.795%)				172,650	4,404,302
Wintrust Financial Corp., 7.875% (7.875% to 7-15-30, then 5 Year CMT + 3.878%)				139,550	3,656,210
Capital markets 11.3%
Affiliated Managers Group, Inc., 6.750% (C)				282,125	6,474,769
Brookfield Finance, Inc., 4.625% (C)				211,375	3,189,649
Carlyle Finance LLC, 4.625% (C)				84,929	1,377,548
KKR & Company, Inc., 6.250% (C)				101,650	4,410,594
KKR Group Finance Company IX LLC, 4.625% (C)				334,149	5,429,921
Morgan Stanley, 6.375% (C)				170,000	4,234,700
Morgan Stanley, 6.500% (C)				169,075	4,257,309
Morgan Stanley, 6.625% (C)				107,475	2,733,089
Morgan Stanley, 6.875% (C)				148,425	3,749,216
Morgan Stanley, 7.125% (C)				264,203	6,718,682
The Bank of New York Mellon Corp., 6.150% (6.150% to 3-20-30, then 5 Year CMT + 2.161%) (C)				49,200	1,228,524
TPG Operating Group II LP, 6.950% (B)(C)				247,200	5,660,880
Consumer finance 1.9%
Navient Corp., 6.000%				234,238	4,094,480
Synchrony Financial, 8.250% (8.250% to 5-15-29, then 5 Year CMT + 4.044%) (C)				168,250	4,361,040
Financial services 2.0%
Apollo Global Management, Inc., 7.625% (7.625% to 12-15-28, then 5 Year CMT + 3.226%) (C)				106,959	2,746,707
Corebridge Financial, Inc., 6.375% (C)				104,901	2,318,312
Federal National Mortgage Association, Series S, 8.250% (E)				80,000	788,000

SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ANNUAL REPORT | JOHN HANCOCK PREFERRED INCOME FUND III 10

Table of Contents

				Shares	Value
Financials (continued)
Financial services (continued)
Jackson Financial, Inc., 8.000% (8.000% to 3-30-28, then 5 Year CMT + 3.728%) (C)				79,853	$2,027,468
National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corp., 5.500% (C)				29,708	661,003
Insurance 17.4%
AEGON Funding Company LLC, 5.100% (C)				347,450	6,306,218
American Financial Group, Inc., 5.125% (C)				162,725	2,922,541
American National Group, Inc., 7.375% (C)				240,700	5,728,660
Aspen Insurance Holdings, Ltd., 7.000% (B)(C)				114,425	2,721,027
Athene Holding, Ltd., 6.350% (6.350% to 6-30-29, then 3 month CME Term SOFR + 4.515%) (C)				350,000	8,365,000
Athene Holding, Ltd., 7.750% (7.750% to 12-30-27, then 5 Year CMT + 3.962%) (C)				393,900	9,894,768
Brighthouse Financial, Inc., 6.600% (C)				345,263	4,816,419
Enstar Group, Ltd., 7.000% (7.000% to 9-1-28, then 3 month LIBOR + 4.015%) (C)				39,475	900,425
F&G Annuities & Life, Inc., 7.300%				179,775	3,730,331
F&G Annuities & Life, Inc., 7.950% (C)				142,875	3,519,011
Lincoln National Corp., 9.000% (C)				128,500	3,393,685
Reinsurance Group of America, Inc., 7.125% (7.125% to 10-15-27, then 5 Year CMT + 3.456%) (C)				139,850	3,574,566
RenaissanceRe Holdings, Ltd., 4.200% (C)				244,375	3,734,050
The Allstate Corp., 7.375% (C)				82,350	2,134,512
The Phoenix Companies, Inc., 7.450% (C)				574,500	10,341,000
Unum Group, 6.250% (C)				170,000	3,643,100
Information technology 1.7%					7,304,887
Software 1.7%
Oracle Corp., 6.500%				72,550	3,038,394
Strategy, Inc., 10.000%				73,700	4,266,493
Real estate 2.3%					9,880,674
Hotel and resort REITs 1.0%
Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, 6.375% (C)				214,400	4,335,168
Office REITs 0.5%
Vornado Realty Trust, 5.400%				126,931	2,242,871
Specialized REITs 0.8%
Public Storage, 4.625% (C)				185,750	3,302,635
Utilities 19.8%					86,115,023
Electric utilities 11.4%
Duke Energy Corp., 5.750% (B)(C)				294,775	7,216,092

11 JOHN HANCOCK PREFERRED INCOME FUND III | ANNUAL REPORT SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Table of Contents

				Shares	Value
Utilities (continued)
Electric utilities (continued)
NextEra Energy Capital Holdings, Inc., 6.500% (C)				199,450	$4,826,690
NextEra Energy, Inc., 7.234% (C)				42,800	2,094,204
NextEra Energy, Inc., 7.375% (C)				68,711	3,277,515
PG&E Corp., 6.000% (C)				38,750	1,643,388
PPL Corp., 7.000% (C)				109,000	5,120,820
SCE Trust VI, 5.000%				155,550	2,636,573
SCE Trust VII, 7.500%				280,775	6,718,946
SCE Trust VIII, 6.950%				161,850	3,741,972
The Southern Company, 4.950% (C)				120,400	2,263,520
The Southern Company, 6.500% (C)				73,400	1,853,350
The Southern Company, 7.125% (C)				91,800	4,557,870
Xcel Energy, Inc., 6.250% (C)				159,000	3,701,520
Multi-utilities 8.4%
Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp., 8.023% (3 month CME Term SOFR + 4.272% to 7-1-29, then 3 month CME Term SOFR + 4.522% to 7-1-49, then 3 month CME Term SOFR + 5.272%) (B)(C)(D)				84,375	2,169,281
CMS Energy Corp., 5.625% (B)(C)				235,000	4,911,500
CMS Energy Corp., 5.875% (B)(C)				139,475	3,046,134
CMS Energy Corp., 5.875% (B)(C)				372,250	8,230,448
DTE Energy Company, 5.250% (C)				230,000	4,648,300
DTE Energy Company, 6.250% (C)				242,500	5,742,400
Sempra, 5.750% (C)				370,000	7,714,500

	Rate (%)	Maturity date		Par value^	Value
Corporate bonds 71.3% (44.0% of Total investments)					$310,846,520
(Cost $305,803,484)
Communication services 4.6%					19,917,067
Diversified telecommunication services 2.2%
TELUS Corp. (6.625% to 6-9-36, then 5 Year CMT + 2.515%)	6.625	06-09-56		3,690,000	3,603,911
TELUS Corp. (7.000% to 10-15-35, then 5 Year CMT + 2.709%)	7.000	10-15-55		1,776,000	1,790,213
Verizon Communications, Inc. (6.200% to 5-14-36, then 5 Year CMT + 2.042%) (B)(C)	6.200	05-14-56		4,100,000	4,012,483
Wireless telecommunication services 2.4%
Rogers Communications, Inc. (7.125% to 4-15-35, then 5 Year CMT + 2.620%) (B)(C)	7.125	04-15-55		6,050,000	6,105,974
SoftBank Group Corp. (7.625% to 4-29-31, then 5 Year CMT + 4.320% to 4-29-46, then 5 Year CMT + 4.370% to 4-29-51, then 5 Year CMT + 5.070%)	7.625	04-29-61		2,340,000	2,211,400

SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ANNUAL REPORT | JOHN HANCOCK PREFERRED INCOME FUND III 12

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	Rate (%)	Maturity date		Par value^	Value
Communication services (continued)
Wireless telecommunication services (continued)
SoftBank Group Corp. (8.250% to 10-29-35, then 5 Year CMT + 4.545% to 10-29-50, then 5 Year CMT + 4.595% to 10-29-55, then 5 Year CMT + 5.295%)	8.250	10-29-65		2,265,000	$2,193,086
Consumer discretionary 0.4%					1,549,439
Broadline retail 0.4%
Rakuten Group, Inc. (8.125% to 12-15-29, then 5 Year CMT + 4.250%) (F)(G)	8.125	12-15-29		1,516,000	1,549,439
Consumer staples 0.2%					875,600
Food products 0.2%
Land O’ Lakes, Inc. (C)(F)(G)	8.000	08-30-26		880,000	875,600
Energy 10.0%					43,729,459
Oil, gas and consumable fuels 10.0%
Enbridge, Inc. (8.500% to 1-15-34, then 5 Year CMT + 4.431% to 1-15-54, then 5 Year CMT + 5.181%) (B)(C)	8.500	01-15-84		6,325,000	7,147,459
Energy Transfer LP (6.700% to 1-15-37, then 5 Year CMT + 2.219%)	6.700	01-15-57		3,480,000	3,428,551
Energy Transfer LP (6.750% to 2-15-36, then 5 Year CMT + 2.475%)	6.750	02-15-56		3,910,000	3,922,121
Energy Transfer LP (7.125% to 5-15-30, then 5 Year CMT + 5.306%) (B)(C)(G)	7.125	05-15-30		8,245,000	8,462,283
Phillips 66 Company (6.200% to 3-15-36, then 5 Year CMT + 2.166%) (B)(C)	6.200	03-15-56		3,105,000	3,089,540
South Bow Canadian Infrastructure Holdings, Ltd. (7.500% to 3-1-35, then 5 Year CMT + 3.667%)	7.500	03-01-55		4,700,000	4,959,675
Sunoco LP (7.875% to 9-18-30, then 5 Year CMT + 4.230%) (F)(G)	7.875	09-18-30		3,850,000	3,946,242
Venture Global LNG, Inc. (9.000% to 9-30-29, then 5 Year CMT + 5.440%) (F)(G)	9.000	09-30-29		8,809,000	8,773,588
Financials 34.9%					151,998,689
Banks 20.8%
Banco Santander SA (7.250% to 6-3-36, then 5 Year CMT + 2.837%) (G)	7.250	12-03-35		2,570,000	2,577,106
Banco Santander SA (9.625% to 11-21-33, then 5 Year CMT + 5.298%) (G)	9.625	05-21-33		3,300,000	3,840,916
Bank of America Corp. (6.125% to 4-27-27, then 5 Year CMT + 3.231%) (B)(C)(G)	6.125	04-27-27		3,950,000	3,971,788
Bank of America Corp. (6.625% to 5-1-30, then 5 Year CMT + 2.684%) (B)(C)(G)	6.625	05-01-30		5,250,000	5,359,169
Barclays PLC (9.625% to 6-15-30, then 5 Year SOFR ICE Swap Rate + 5.775%) (G)	9.625	12-15-29		1,775,000	1,955,489

13 JOHN HANCOCK PREFERRED INCOME FUND III | ANNUAL REPORT SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

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	Rate (%)	Maturity date		Par value^	Value
Financials (continued)
Banks (continued)
BNP Paribas SA (6.875% to 12-15-33, then 5 Year CMT + 2.853%) (F)(G)	6.875	12-15-33		2,333,000	$2,310,809
BNP Paribas SA (7.200% to 4-17-36, then 5 Year CMT + 2.942%) (F)(G)	7.200	04-17-36		2,350,000	2,333,060
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (6.500% to 7-28-31, then 5 Year CMT + 2.727%) (B)(C)	6.500	07-28-86		3,090,000	3,058,051
Citigroup, Inc. (6.625% to 2-15-31, then 5 Year CMT + 3.001%) (G)	6.625	02-15-31		2,700,000	2,712,255
Citigroup, Inc. (6.875% to 8-15-30, then 5 Year CMT + 2.890%) (G)	6.875	08-15-30		3,725,000	3,760,980
Citigroup, Inc. (6.950% to 2-15-30, then 5 Year CMT + 2.726%) (G)	6.950	02-15-30		3,000,000	3,026,469
Citigroup, Inc. (7.375% to 5-15-28, then 5 Year CMT + 3.209%) (B)(C)(G)	7.375	05-15-28		6,000,000	6,139,530
Citigroup, Inc. (7.625% to 11-15-28, then 5 Year CMT + 3.211%) (G)	7.625	11-15-28		5,000,000	5,188,960
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (3 month CME Term SOFR + 3.419%) (C)(D)(G)	7.169	10-06-26		7,500,000	7,469,059
CoBank ACB (6.450% to 10-1-27, then 5 Year CMT + 3.487%) (B)(C)(G)	6.450	10-01-27		2,525,000	2,514,148
CoBank ACB (6.750% to 7-1-31, then 5 Year CMT + 2.620%) (C)(G)	6.750	07-01-31		2,875,000	2,890,998
CoBank ACB (7.250% to 7-1-29, then 5 Year CMT + 2.880%) (B)(C)(G)	7.250	07-01-29		5,190,000	5,211,349
First Citizens BancShares, Inc. (7.000% to 12-15-30, then 5 Year CMT + 3.301%) (G)	7.000	12-15-30		3,935,000	3,953,691
Huntington Bancshares, Inc. (6.250% to 10-15-30, then 5 Year CMT + 2.653%) (G)	6.250	10-15-30		2,750,000	2,740,508
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (6.100% to 7-1-31, then 5 Year CMT + 2.080%) (C)(G)	6.100	07-01-31		3,600,000	3,585,099
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (6.875% to 6-1-29, then 5 Year CMT + 2.737%) (B)(C)(G)	6.875	06-01-29		4,895,000	5,054,161
Societe Generale SA (7.125% to 1-15-36, then 5 Year CMT + 2.946%) (F)(G)	7.125	07-15-35		3,150,000	3,108,163
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (6.200% to 9-15-27, then 5 Year CMT + 3.238%) (B)(C)(G)	6.200	09-15-27		4,094,000	4,122,683
Wells Fargo & Company (7.625% to 9-15-28, then 5 Year CMT + 3.606%) (B)(C)(G)	7.625	09-15-28		3,560,000	3,724,554
Capital markets 5.8%
State Street Corp. (6.700% to 3-15-29, then 5 Year CMT + 2.613%) (B)(C)(G)	6.700	03-15-29		4,816,000	4,923,300
The Bank of New York Mellon Corp. (6.300% to 3-20-30, then 5 Year CMT + 2.297%) (B)(C)(G)	6.300	03-20-30		3,630,000	3,696,287
The Charles Schwab Corp. (6.100% to 6-1-31, then 5 Year CMT + 2.250%) (C)(G)	6.100	06-01-31		2,905,000	2,865,520

SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ANNUAL REPORT | JOHN HANCOCK PREFERRED INCOME FUND III 14

Table of Contents

	Rate (%)	Maturity date		Par value^	Value
Financials (continued)
Capital markets (continued)
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (7.500% to 2-10-29, then 5 Year CMT + 3.156%) (G)	7.500	02-10-29		5,675,000	$5,882,291
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (7.500% to 5-10-29, then 5 Year CMT + 2.809%) (G)	7.500	05-10-29		3,131,000	3,238,591
UBS Group AG (7.000% to 7-8-36, then 5 Year SOFR ICE Swap Rate + 3.321%) (B)(C)(F)(G)	7.000	01-08-36		4,925,000	4,898,306
Consumer finance 0.6%
Ally Financial, Inc. (7.100% to 8-15-31, then 5 Year CMT + 3.148%) (C)(G)	7.100	08-15-31		2,400,000	2,413,642
Financial services 2.0%
Corebridge Financial, Inc. (6.875% to 12-1-30, then 5 Year CMT + 3.181%) (G)	6.875	12-01-30		2,880,000	2,944,797
HA Sustainable Infrastructure Capital, Inc. (7.125% to 11-15-31, then 5 Year CMT + 3.478%)	7.125	11-15-56		2,430,000	2,448,585
Voya Financial, Inc. (G)	7.758	09-15-28		3,250,000	3,355,606
Insurance 5.7%
Allianz SE (6.500% to 4-30-35, then 5 Year CMT + 2.233%) (C)(F)(G)	6.500	10-30-34		2,000,000	1,984,540
American National Group, Inc. (7.000% to 12-1-30, then 5 Year CMT + 3.183%) (B)(C)	7.000	12-01-55		4,050,000	3,896,239
Global Atlantic Financial Company (7.950% to 10-15-29, then 5 Year CMT + 3.608%) (F)	7.950	10-15-54		4,750,000	4,754,261
SBL Holdings, Inc. (6.500% to 11-13-26, then 5 Year CMT + 5.620%) (F)(G)	6.500	11-13-26		8,000,000	7,239,838
SBL Holdings, Inc. (9.508% to 5-13-30, then 5 Year CMT + 5.580%) (B)(C)(F)(G)	9.508	05-13-30		7,200,000	6,847,891
Real estate 0.0%					239,263
Residential REITs 0.0%
BW Real Estate, Inc. (9.500% to 3-30-30, then 5 Year CMT + 5.402%) (F)(G)	9.500	03-30-30		238,000	239,263
Utilities 21.2%					92,537,003
Electric utilities 10.8%
American Electric Power Company, Inc. (6.050% to 3-15-36, then 5 Year CMT + 1.940%) (B)(C)	6.050	03-15-56		2,525,000	2,481,396
Brookfield Infrastructure Finance ULC (6.750% to 3-15-30, then 5 Year CMT + 2.453%) (B)(C)	6.750	03-15-55		3,592,000	3,627,730
Emera US Finance LLC (6.850% to 10-1-36, then 5 Year CMT + 2.648%) (B)(C)	6.850	10-01-56		3,160,000	3,184,111
Entergy Corp. (7.125% to 12-1-29, then 5 Year CMT + 2.670%) (B)(C)	7.125	12-01-54		4,250,000	4,356,429
EUSHI Finance, Inc. (7.625% to 12-15-29, then 5 Year CMT + 3.136%) (B)(C)	7.625	12-15-54		3,280,000	3,395,554

15 JOHN HANCOCK PREFERRED INCOME FUND III | ANNUAL REPORT SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

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	Rate (%)	Maturity date		Par value^	Value
Utilities (continued)
Electric utilities (continued)
Eversource Energy (6.350% to 8-15-36, then 5 Year CMT + 2.325%) (B)(C)	6.350	08-15-56		2,275,000	$2,264,044
NRG Energy, Inc. (10.250% to 3-15-28, then 5 Year CMT + 5.920%) (B)(C)(F)(G)	10.250	03-15-28		7,240,000	7,732,581
PG&E Corp. (6.850% to 9-15-31, then 5 Year CMT + 3.225%)	6.850	09-15-56		2,650,000	2,622,352
PG&E Corp. (7.375% to 3-15-30, then 5 Year CMT + 3.883%) (B)(C)	7.375	03-15-55		2,400,000	2,437,006
Puget Energy, Inc. (7.000% to 9-15-31, then 5 Year CMT + 2.961%)	7.000	09-15-56		4,150,000	4,161,258
Sierra Pacific Power Company (6.200% to 12-15-30, then 5 Year CMT + 2.549%) (B)(C)	6.200	12-15-55		1,600,000	1,569,622
The Southern Company (6.000% to 4-1-33, then 5 Year CMT + 1.993%) (B)(C)	6.000	04-01-58		4,135,000	4,093,170
TXNM Energy, Inc. (7.000% to 7-31-31, then 5 Year CMT + 3.254%) (F)	7.000	07-31-56		5,000,000	5,026,195
Gas utilities 3.4%
AltaGas, Ltd. (7.200% to 10-15-34, then 5 Year CMT + 3.573%) (F)	7.200	10-15-54		4,900,000	5,068,589
Northwest Natural Holding Company (7.000% to 9-15-35, then 5 Year CMT + 2.701%) (B)(C)	7.000	09-15-55		5,700,000	5,779,977
Spire, Inc. (6.450% to 6-1-36, then 5 Year CMT + 2.327%) (B)(C)	6.450	06-01-56		4,050,000	4,036,037
Independent power and renewable electricity producers3.2%
The AES Corp. (7.600% to 1-15-30, then 5 Year CMT + 3.201%) (C)	7.600	01-15-55		4,417,000	4,490,578
Vistra Corp. (8.875% to 1-15-29, then 5 Year CMT + 5.045%) (B)(C)(F)(G)	8.875	01-15-29		8,982,000	9,516,878
Multi-utilities 3.8%
CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (6.850% to 2-15-35, then 5 Year CMT + 2.946%) (B)(C)	6.850	02-15-55		4,615,000	4,777,370
Dominion Energy, Inc. (6.150% to 12-15-31, then 5 Year CMT + 1.869%) (C)	6.150	12-15-56		3,250,000	3,215,235
Dominion Energy, Inc. (6.200% to 2-15-36, then 5 Year CMT + 2.006%) (B)(C)	6.200	02-15-56		3,145,000	3,096,070
Sempra (6.400% to 10-1-34, then 5 Year CMT + 2.632%) (B)(C)	6.400	10-01-54		2,725,000	2,711,478
Sempra (6.875% to 10-1-29, then 5 Year CMT + 2.789%) (B)(C)	6.875	10-01-54		2,850,000	2,893,343

SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ANNUAL REPORT | JOHN HANCOCK PREFERRED INCOME FUND III 16

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	Rate (%)	Maturity date		Par value^	Value
Capital preferred securities (H) 1.2% (0.8% of Total investments)					$5,282,762
(Cost $6,310,250)
Financials 1.2%					5,282,762
Insurance 1.2%
MetLife Capital Trust IV (7.875% to 12-15-37, then 3 month CME Term SOFR + 4.222%) (B)(C)(F)	7.875	12-15-37		4,860,000	5,282,762
U.S. Government and Agency obligations 0.6% (0.4% of Total investments)					$2,501,935
(Cost $2,468,000)
U.S. Government Agency 0.6%					2,501,935
Farm Credit Bank of Texas Bond (7.000% to 9-15-30, then 5 Year CMT + 3.010%) (C)(G)	7.000	09-15-30		2,468,000	2,501,935

		Yield (%)		Shares	Value
Short-term investments 0.5% (0.3% of Total investments)					$2,215,118
(Cost $2,215,151)
Short-term funds 0.5%					2,215,118
John Hancock Collateral Trust (I)		3.5672(J)		221,518	2,215,118

Total investments (Cost $741,011,418) 162.0%					$705,732,031
Other assets and liabilities, net (62.0%)					(270,011,522)
Total net assets 100.0%					$435,720,509

The percentage shown for each investment category is the total value of the category as a percentage of the net assets of the fund unless otherwise indicated.
^All par values are denominated in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated.
Security Abbreviations and Legend
CME	CME Group Published Rates
CMT	Constant Maturity Treasury
ICE	Intercontinental Exchange
LIBOR	London Interbank Offered Rate
SOFR	Secured Overnight Financing Rate
(A)	Includes preferred stocks and hybrid securities with characteristics of both equity and debt that pay dividends on a periodic basis.
(B)	All or a portion of this security is on loan as of 7-31-26, and is a component of the fund’s leverage under the Credit Facility Agreement. The value of securities on loan amounted to $218,589,466.
(C)	All or a portion of this security is pledged as collateral pursuant to the Credit Facility Agreement. Total collateral value at 7-31-26 was $440,316,994.
(D)	Variable rate obligation. The coupon rate shown represents the rate at period end.
(E)	Non-income producing security.
(F)	This security is exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933. Such securities may be resold, normally to qualified institutional buyers, in transactions exempt from registration. Rule 144A securities amounted to $81,488,005 or 18.7% of the fund’s net assets as of 7-31-26.
(G)	Perpetual bonds have no stated maturity date. Date shown as maturity date is next call date.
(H)	Includes hybrid securities with characteristics of both equity and debt that trade with, and pay, interest income.

17 JOHN HANCOCK PREFERRED INCOME FUND III | ANNUAL REPORT SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

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(I)	Investment is an affiliate of the fund, the advisor and/or subadvisor.
(J)	The rate shown is the annualized seven-day yield as of 7-31-26.

The fund had the following country composition as a percentage of total investments on 7-31-26:

United States	89.0%
Canada	5.8%
France	1.1%
Bermuda	1.0%
Other countries	3.1%
TOTAL	100.0%

SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ANNUAL REPORT | JOHN HANCOCK PREFERRED INCOME FUND III 18

Table of Contents

DERIVATIVES

SWAPS

Interest rate swaps
Counterparty (OTC)/ Centrally cleared	Notional amount	Currency	Payments made	Payments received	Fixed payment frequency	Floating payment frequency	Maturity date	Unamortized upfront payment paid (received)	Unrealized appreciation (depreciation)	Value
Centrally cleared	34,400,000	USD	Fixed 3.817%	USD SOFR Compounded OIS(a)	Semi-Annual	Quarterly	Dec 2026	—	$9,328	$9,328
								—	$9,328	$9,328

^(a) At 7-31-26, the overnight SOFR was 3.660%.

Derivatives Currency Abbreviations
USD	U.S. Dollar

Derivatives Abbreviations
OIS	Overnight Index Swap
OTC	Over-the-counter
SOFR	Secured Overnight Financing Rate

At 7-31-26, the aggregate cost of investments for federal income tax purposes was $741,744,969. Net unrealized depreciation aggregated to $36,003,610, of which $9,297,541 related to gross unrealized appreciation and $45,301,151 related to gross unrealized depreciation.

See Notes to financial statements regarding investment transactions and other derivatives information.

19 JOHN HANCOCK PREFERRED INCOME FUND III | ANNUAL REPORT SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

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Financial statements

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES 7-31-26

Assets
Unaffiliated investments, at value (Cost $738,796,267)	$703,516,913
Affiliated investments, at value (Cost $2,215,151)	2,215,118
Total investments, at value (Cost $741,011,418)	705,732,031
Receivable for centrally cleared swaps	141,379
Cash	224,583
Foreign currency, at value (Cost $16)	16
Dividends and interest receivable	5,533,436
Receivable for fund shares sold	154,831
Receivable for investments sold	789,812
Other assets	33,634
Total assets	712,609,722
Liabilities
Credit facility agreement payable	274,300,000
Payable for investments purchased	1,394,744
Interest payable	1,033,578
Payable to affiliates
Accounting and legal services fees	19,465
Trustees’ fees	1,001
Other liabilities and accrued expenses	140,425
Total liabilities	276,889,213
Net assets	$435,720,509
Net assets consist of
Paid-in capital	$552,327,840
Total distributable earnings (loss)	(116,607,331)
Net assets	$435,720,509
Net asset value per share
Based on 32,232,376 shares of beneficial interest outstanding - unlimited number of shares authorized with no par value	$13.52

SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ANNUAL REPORT | JOHN HANCOCK PREFERRED INCOME FUND III 20

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STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS For the year ended 7-31-26

Investment income
Dividends	$27,626,829
Interest	22,015,711
Dividends from affiliated investments	282,177
Total investment income	49,924,717
Expenses
Investment management fees	5,478,125
Interest expense	12,669,993
Accounting and legal services fees	78,995
Transfer agent fees	25,562
Trustees’ fees	53,835
Custodian fees	61,885
Printing and postage	69,146
Professional fees	94,811
Stock exchange listing fees	31,703
Other	19,806
Total expenses	18,583,861
Less expense reductions	(70,657)
Net expenses	18,513,204
Net investment income	31,411,513
Realized and unrealized gain (loss)
Net realized gain (loss) on
Unaffiliated investments	5,546,375
Affiliated investments	(1,031)
Swap contracts	1,040,806
	6,586,150
Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of
Unaffiliated investments	(18,999,440)
Affiliated investments	(23)
Swap contracts	(1,286,657)
	(20,286,120)
Net realized and unrealized loss	(13,699,970)
Increase in net assets from operations	$17,711,543

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STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS

	Year ended 7-31-26	Year ended 7-31-25
Increase (decrease) in net assets
From operations
Net investment income	$31,411,513	$30,283,060
Net realized gain (loss)	6,586,150	(4,666,842)
Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation)	(20,286,120)	13,316,331
Increase in net assets resulting from operations	17,711,543	38,932,549
Distributions to shareholders
From earnings	(32,707,506)	(33,409,536)
From tax return of capital	(9,749,781)	(8,894,649)
Total distributions	(42,457,287)	(42,304,185)
Fund share transactions
Issued pursuant to Dividend Reinvestment Plan	1,719,117	1,682,156
Total decrease	(23,026,627)	(1,689,480)
Net assets
Beginning of year	458,747,136	460,436,616
End of year	$435,720,509	$458,747,136
Share activity
Shares outstanding
Beginning of year	32,110,806	31,996,095
Issued pursuant to Dividend Reinvestment Plan	121,570	114,711
End of year	32,232,376	32,110,806

SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ANNUAL REPORT | JOHN HANCOCK PREFERRED INCOME FUND III 22

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STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS For the year ended 7-31-26

Cash flows from operating activities
Net increase in net assets from operations	$17,711,543
Adjustments to reconcile net increase in net assets from operations to net cash provided by operating activities:
Long-term investments purchased	(236,431,335)
Long-term investments sold	243,210,247
Net purchases and sales of short-term investments	567,516
Net amortization (accretion) of premium (discount)	286,322
(Increase) Decrease in assets:
Receivable for centrally cleared swaps	1,269,574
Dividends and interest receivable	(594,950)
Other assets	10,221
Increase (Decrease) in liabilities:
Interest payable	(166,332)
Payable to affiliates	5,323
Other liabilities and accrued expenses	(981)
Net change in unrealized (appreciation) depreciation on:
Investments	18,999,463
Net realized (gain) loss on:
Investments	(5,542,978)
Proceeds received as return of capital	1,655,283
Net cash provided by operating activities	$40,978,916
Cash flows provided by (used in) financing activities
Distributions to shareholders	$(40,738,170)
(Increase) in receivable for fund shares sold pursuant to dividend reinvestment plan	(16,147)
Net cash used in financing activities	$(40,754,317)
Net increase in cash	$224,599
Cash at beginning of year (including foreign currency)	—
Cash at end of year (including foreign currency)	$224,599
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
Cash paid for interest	$(12,836,325)
Noncash financing activities not included herein consists of reinvestment of distributions	$1,719,117

23 JOHN HANCOCK PREFERRED INCOME FUND III | ANNUAL REPORT SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

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Financial highlights

Period ended	7-31-26	7-31-25	7-31-24	7-31-23	7-31-22
Per share operating performance
Net asset value, beginning of period	$14.29	$14.39	$13.66	$15.95	$18.33
Net investment income1	0.98	0.94	0.91	0.97	1.21
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments	(0.43)	0.28	1.14	(1.94)	(2.27)
Total from investment operations	0.55	1.22	2.05	(0.97)	(1.06)
Less distributions
From net investment income	(1.02)	(1.04)	(1.07)	(1.10)	(1.21)
From tax return of capital	(0.30)	(0.28)	(0.25)	(0.22)	(0.11)
Total distributions	(1.32)	(1.32)	(1.32)	(1.32)	(1.32)
Net asset value, end of period	$13.52	$14.29	$14.39	$13.66	$15.95
Per share market value, end of period	$14.22	$14.38	$16.19	$14.36	$17.06
Total return at net asset value (%)2,3	3.82	8.64	15.97	(6.25)	(6.04)
Total return at market value (%)2	8.52	(2.83)	23.85	(7.65)	(4.41)
Ratios and supplemental data
Net assets, end of period (in millions)	$436	$459	$460	$436	$507
Ratios (as a percentage of average net assets):
Expenses before reductions	4.07	4.49	5.16	4.36	1.82
Expenses including reductions4	4.06	4.47	5.14	4.35	1.81
Net investment income	6.89	6.55	6.62	6.86	7.06
Portfolio turnover (%)	33	35	33	29	20
Senior securities
Total debt outstanding end of period (in millions)	$274	$274	$274	$274	$274
Asset coverage per $1,000 of debt5	$2,588	$2,672	$2,679	$2,589	$2,849

1	Based on average daily shares outstanding.
2	Total return based on net asset value reflects changes in the fund’s net asset value during each period. Total return based on market value reflects changes in market value. Each figure assumes that distributions from income, capital gains and tax return of capital, if any, were reinvested.
3	Total returns would have been lower had certain expenses not been reduced during the applicable periods.
4	Expenses including reductions excluding interest expense were 1.28%, 1.28%, 1.30%, 1.30% and 1.19% for the periods ended 7-31-26, 7-31-25, 7-31-24, 7-31-23 and 7-31-22, respectively.
5	Asset coverage equals the total net assets plus borrowings divided by the borrowings of the fund outstanding at period end (Note 7). As debt outstanding changes, the level of invested assets may change accordingly. Asset coverage ratio provides a measure of leverage.

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Notes to financial statements

Note 1 — Organization

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III (the fund) is a closed-end management investment company organized as a Massachusetts business trust and registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act).

On June 23, 2026, the Board of Trustees of the fund approved a change to the fund’s fiscal year end from July 31 to October 31, effective August 1, 2026.

Note 2 — Significant accounting policies

The financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (US GAAP), which require management to make certain estimates and assumptions as of the date of the financial statements. Actual results could differ from those estimates and those differences could be significant. The fund qualifies as an investment company under Topic 946 of Accounting Standards Codification of US GAAP.

Events or transactions occurring after the end of the fiscal period through the date that the financial statements were issued have been evaluated in the preparation of the financial statements. The following summarizes the significant accounting policies of the fund:

Security valuation. Investments are stated at value as of the scheduled close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), normally at 4:00 P.M., Eastern Time. In case of emergency or other disruption resulting in the NYSE not opening for trading or the NYSE closing at a time other than the regularly scheduled close, the net asset value (NAV) may be determined as of the regularly scheduled close of the NYSE pursuant to the Valuation Policies and Procedures of the Advisor, John Hancock Investment Management LLC, the fund’s valuation designee.

In order to value the securities, the fund uses the following valuation techniques: Equity securities, including exchange-traded or closed-end funds, are typically valued at the last sale price or official closing price on the exchange or principal market where the security trades. In the event there were no sales during the day or closing prices are not available, the securities are valued using the last available bid price. Investments by the fund in open-end mutual funds, including John Hancock Collateral Trust (JHCT), are valued at their respective NAVs each business day. Debt obligations are typically valued based on evaluated prices provided by an independent pricing vendor. Independent pricing vendors utilize matrix pricing, which takes into account factors such as institutional-size trading in similar groups of securities, yield, quality, coupon rate, maturity, type of issue, trading characteristics and other market data, as well as broker supplied prices. Swaps are generally valued using evaluated prices obtained from an independent pricing vendor.

In certain instances, the Pricing Committee of the Advisor may determine to value equity securities using prices obtained from another exchange or market if trading on the exchange or market on which prices are typically obtained did not open for trading as scheduled, or if trading closed earlier than scheduled, and trading occurred as normal on another exchange or market.

Other portfolio securities and assets, for which reliable market quotations are not readily available, are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Pricing Committee following procedures established by the Advisor and adopted by the Board of Trustees. The frequency with which these fair valuation procedures are used cannot be predicted and fair value of securities may differ significantly from the value that would have been used had a ready market for such securities existed.

The fund uses a three tier hierarchy to prioritize the pricing assumptions, referred to as inputs, used in valuation techniques to measure fair value. Level 1 includes securities valued using quoted prices in active markets for identical securities, including registered investment companies. Level 2 includes securities valued using other significant observable inputs. Observable inputs may include quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds and credit risk. Prices for securities valued using these inputs are received from independent pricing vendors and brokers and are based on an evaluation of the inputs described. Level 3 includes securities

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valued using significant unobservable inputs when market prices are not readily available or reliable, including the Advisor’s assumptions in determining the fair value of investments. Factors used in determining value may include market or issuer specific events or trends, changes in interest rates and credit quality. The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risks associated with investing in those securities. Changes in valuation techniques and related inputs may result in transfers into or out of an assigned level within the disclosure hierarchy.

The following is a summary of the values by input classification of the fund’s investments as of July 31, 2026, by major security category or type:

	Total value at 7-31-26	Level 1 quoted price	Level 2 significant observable inputs	Level 3 significant unobservable inputs
Investments in securities:
Assets
Preferred securities
Communication services	$17,180,359	$17,180,359	—	—
Energy	3,846,233	3,846,233	—	—
Financials	260,558,520	250,217,520	$10,341,000	—
Information technology	7,304,887	7,304,887	—	—
Real estate	9,880,674	9,880,674	—	—
Utilities	86,115,023	86,115,023	—	—
Corporate bonds	310,846,520	—	310,846,520	—
Capital preferred securities	5,282,762	—	5,282,762	—
U.S. Government and Agency obligations	2,501,935	—	2,501,935	—
Short-term investments	2,215,118	2,215,118	—	—
Total investments in securities	$705,732,031	$376,759,814	$328,972,217	—
Derivatives:
Assets
Swap contracts	$9,328	—	$9,328	—

The fund holds liabilities for which the fair value approximates the carrying amount for financial statement purposes. As of July 31, 2026, the liability for the fund’s credit facility agreement on the Statement of assets and liabilities is categorized as Level 2 within the disclosure hierarchy.

Real estate investment trusts. The fund may invest in real estate investment trusts (REITs). Distributions from REITs may be recorded as income and subsequently characterized by the REIT at the end of their fiscal year as a reduction of cost of investments and/or as a realized gain. As a result, the fund will estimate the components of distributions from these securities. Such estimates are revised when the actual components of the distributions are known.

Security transactions and related investment income. Investment security transactions are accounted for on a trade date plus one basis for daily NAV calculations. However, for financial reporting purposes, investment transactions are reported on trade date. Interest income is accrued as earned. Interest income includes coupon interest and amortization/accretion of premiums/discounts on debt securities. Debt obligations may be placed in a non-accrual status and related interest income may be reduced by stopping current accruals and writing off interest receivable when the collection of all or a portion of interest has become doubtful. Dividend income is recorded on ex-date, except for dividends of certain foreign securities where the dividend may not be known until after the ex-date. In those cases, dividend income, net of withholding taxes, is recorded when the fund becomes

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aware of the dividends. Non-cash dividends, if any, are recorded at the fair market value of the securities received. Distributions received on securities that represent a tax return of capital and/or capital gain, if any, are recorded as a reduction of cost of investments and/or as a realized gain, if amounts are estimable. Gains and losses on securities sold are determined on the basis of identified cost and may include proceeds from litigation.

Overdrafts. Pursuant to the custodian agreement, the fund’s custodian may, in its discretion, advance funds to the fund to make properly authorized payments. When such payments result in an overdraft, the fund is obligated to repay the custodian for any overdraft, including any costs or expenses associated with the overdraft. The custodian may have a lien, security interest or security entitlement in any fund property that is not otherwise segregated or pledged, to the maximum extent permitted by law, to the extent of any overdraft.

Expenses. Within the John Hancock group of funds complex, expenses that are directly attributable to an individual fund are allocated to such fund. Expenses that are not readily attributable to a specific fund are allocated among all funds in an equitable manner, taking into consideration, among other things, the nature and type of expense and the fund’s relative net assets. Expense estimates are accrued in the period to which they relate and adjustments are made when actual amounts are known.

Statement of cash flows. A Statement of cash flows is presented when a fund has a significant amount of borrowing during the period, based on the average total borrowing in relation to total assets, or when a certain percentage of the fund’s investments is classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy. Information on financial transactions that have been settled through the receipt and disbursement of cash is presented in the Statement of cash flows. The cash amount shown in the Statement of cash flows is the amount included in the fund’s Statement of assets and liabilities and represents the cash on hand at the fund’s custodian and does not include any short-term investments or collateral on derivative contracts, if any.

Federal income taxes. The fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company by complying with the applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code and will not be subject to federal income tax on taxable income that is distributed to shareholders. Therefore, no federal income tax provision is required.

For federal income tax purposes, as of July 31, 2026, the fund has a short-term capital loss carryforward of $3,483,588 and a long-term capital loss carryforward of $77,274,964 available to offset future net realized capital gains. These carryforwards do not expire.

As of July 31, 2026, the fund had no uncertain tax positions that would require financial statement recognition, derecognition or disclosure. The fund’s federal tax returns are subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service for a period of three years.

Distribution of income and gains. Distributions to shareholders from net investment income and net realized gains, if any, are recorded on the ex-date. The fund generally declares and pays dividends monthly. Capital gain distributions, if any, are typically distributed annually.

The tax character of distributions for the years ended July 31, 2026 and 2025 was as follows:

	July 31, 2026	July 31, 2025
Ordinary income	$32,707,506	$33,409,536
Return of capital	9,749,781	8,894,649
Total	$42,457,287	$42,304,185

As of July 31, 2026, there were no distributable earnings on a tax basis.

Such distributions and distributable earnings, on a tax basis, if any, are determined in conformity with income tax regulations, which may differ from US GAAP. Distributions in excess of tax basis earnings and profits, if any, are reported in the fund’s financial statements as a return of capital.

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Capital accounts within the financial statements are adjusted for permanent book-tax differences at fiscal year end. These adjustments have no impact on net assets or the results of operations. Temporary book-tax differences, if any, will reverse in a subsequent period. Book-tax differences are primarily attributable to contingent payment debt instruments, amortization and accretion on debt securities and derivative transactions.

Note 3 — Derivative instruments

The fund may invest in derivatives in order to meet its investment objective. Derivatives include a variety of different instruments that may be traded in the over-the-counter (OTC) market, on a regulated exchange or through a clearing facility. The risks in using derivatives vary depending upon the structure of the instruments, including the use of leverage, optionality, the liquidity or lack of liquidity of the contract, the creditworthiness of the counterparty or clearing organization and the volatility of the position. Some derivatives involve risks that are potentially greater than the risks associated with investing directly in the referenced securities or other referenced underlying instrument. Specifically, the fund is exposed to the risk that the counterparty to an OTC derivatives contract will be unable or unwilling to make timely settlement payments or otherwise honor its obligations. OTC derivatives transactions typically can only be closed out with the other party to the transaction.

Certain derivatives are traded or cleared on an exchange or central clearinghouse. Exchange-traded or centrally-cleared transactions generally present less counterparty risk to a fund than OTC transactions. The exchange or clearinghouse stands between the fund and the broker to the contract and therefore, credit risk is generally limited to the failure of the exchange or clearinghouse and the clearing member.

Centrally-cleared swap contracts are subject to clearinghouse rules, including initial and variation margin requirements, daily settlement of obligations and the clearinghouse guarantee of payments to the broker. There is, however, still counterparty risk due to the potential insolvency of the broker with respect to any margin held in the brokers’ customer accounts. While clearing members are required to segregate customer assets from their own assets, in the event of insolvency, there may be a shortfall in the amount of margin held by the broker for its clients. Collateral or margin requirements for centrally-cleared derivatives are set by the broker or applicable clearinghouse. Margin for centrally-cleared transactions is included in Receivable/Payable for centrally-cleared swaps in the Statement of assets and liabilities. Securities pledged by the fund for centrally-cleared transactions, if any, are identified in the Fund’s investments.

Swaps. Swap agreements are agreements between the fund and a counterparty to exchange cash flows, assets, foreign currencies or market-linked returns at specified intervals. Swap agreements are privately negotiated in the OTC market (OTC swaps) or may be executed on a registered commodities exchange (centrally cleared swaps). Swaps are marked-to-market daily and the change in value is recorded as a component of unrealized appreciation/depreciation of swap contracts. The value of the swap will typically impose collateral posting obligations on the party that is considered out-of-the-money on the swap.

Upfront payments made/received by the fund, if any, are amortized/accreted for financial reporting purposes, with the unamortized/unaccreted portion included in the Statement of assets and liabilities. A termination payment by the counterparty or the fund is recorded as realized gain or loss, as well as the net periodic payments received or paid by the fund.

Entering into swap agreements involves, to varying degrees, elements of credit, market and documentation risk that may provide outcomes that produce losses in excess of the amounts recognized on the Statement of assets and liabilities. Such risks involve the possibility that there will be no liquid market for the swap, or that a counterparty may default on its obligation or delay payment under the swap terms. The counterparty may disagree or contest the terms of the swap. In addition to interest rate risk, market risks may also impact the swap. The fund may also suffer losses if it is unable to terminate or assign outstanding swaps or reduce its exposure through offsetting transactions.

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Interest rate swaps. Interest rate swaps represent an agreement between the fund and a counterparty to exchange cash flows based on the difference between two interest rates applied to a notional amount. The payment flows are usually netted against each other, with the difference being paid by one party to the other. The fund settles accrued net interest receivable or payable under the swap contracts at specified, future intervals.

During the year ended July 31, 2026, the fund used interest rate swap contracts to manage against changes in the credit facility agreement interest rates. The fund held interest rate swaps with total USD notional amounts ranging from $34.4 million to $249.9 million, respectively, as measured at each quarter end.

Fair value of derivative instruments by risk category

The table below summarizes the fair value of derivatives held by the fund at July 31, 2026 by risk category:

Risk	Statement of assets and liabilities location	Financial instruments location	Assets derivatives fair value	Liabilities derivatives fair value
Interest rate	Swap contracts, at value1	Interest rate swaps	$9,328	—

¹ Reflects cumulative value of swap contracts. Receivable/payable for centrally cleared swaps, which includes value and margin, are shown separately on the Statement of assets and liabilities.

Effect of derivative instruments on the Statement of operations

The table below summarizes the net realized gain (loss) included in the net increase (decrease) in net assets from operations, classified by derivative instrument and risk category, for the year ended July 31, 2026:

	Statement of operations location - Net realized gain (loss) on:
Risk	Swap contracts
Interest rate	$1,040,806

The table below summarizes the net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) included in the net increase (decrease) in net assets from operations, classified by derivative instrument and risk category, for the year ended July 31, 2026:

	Statement of operations location - Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of:
Risk	Swap contracts
Interest rate	$(1,286,657)

Note 4 — Guarantees and indemnifications

Under the fund’s organizational documents, its Officers and Trustees are indemnified against certain liabilities arising out of the performance of their duties to the fund. Additionally, in the normal course of business, the fund enters into contracts with service providers that contain general indemnification clauses. The fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown, as this would involve future claims that may be made against the fund that have not yet occurred. The risk of material loss from such claims is considered remote.

Note 5 — Fees and transactions with affiliates

John Hancock Investment Management LLC (the Advisor) serves as investment advisor for the fund. The Advisor is an indirect, principally owned subsidiary of John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.), which in turn is a subsidiary of Manulife Financial Corporation (MFC).

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Management fee. The fund has an investment management agreement with the Advisor under which the fund pays a daily management fee to the Advisor equivalent on an annual basis to 0.75% of the fund’s average daily managed assets (net assets plus borrowing under the credit facility agreement) (see Note 7). The Advisor has a subadvisory agreement with Manulife Investment Management (US) LLC, an indirectly owned subsidiary of MFC and an affiliate of the Advisor. The fund is not responsible for payment of the subadvisory fees.

The Advisor has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse expenses for certain funds of the John Hancock group of funds complex, including the fund (the participating portfolios). This waiver is based upon aggregate net assets of all the participating portfolios. With respect to participating portfolios that pay advisory fees based on managed assets, “aggregate net assets” includes managed assets of the participating portfolios. The amount of the reimbursement is calculated daily and allocated among all the participating portfolios in proportion to the daily net assets of each fund. During the year ended July 31, 2026, this waiver amounted to 0.01% of the fund’s average daily managed assets. This agreement expires on July 31, 2027, 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.

The expense reductions described above amounted to $70,657 for the year ended July 31, 2026.

Expenses waived or reimbursed in the current fiscal period are not subject to recapture in future fiscal periods.

The investment management fees, including the impact of the waivers and reimbursements as described above, incurred for the year ended July 31, 2026, were equivalent to a net annual effective rate of 0.74% of the fund’s average daily managed assets.

Accounting and legal services. Pursuant to a service agreement, the fund reimburses the Advisor for all expenses associated with providing the administrative, financial, legal, compliance, accounting and recordkeeping services to the fund, including the preparation of all tax returns, periodic reports to shareholders and regulatory reports, among other services. These accounting and legal services fees incurred, for the year ended July 31, 2026, amounted to an annual rate of 0.01% of the fund’s average daily managed assets.

Trustee expenses. The fund compensates each Trustee who is not an employee of the Advisor or its affiliates. These Trustees receive from the fund and the other John Hancock closed-end funds an annual retainer. In addition, Trustee out-of-pocket expenses are allocated to each fund based on its net assets relative to other funds within the John Hancock group of funds complex.

Note 6 — Leverage risk

The fund utilizes a Credit Facility Agreement (CFA) to increase its assets available for investment. When the fund leverages its assets, shareholders bear the expenses associated with the CFA and have potential to benefit or be disadvantaged from the use of leverage. The Advisor’s fee is also increased in dollar terms from the use of leverage. Consequently, the fund and the Advisor may have differing interests in determining whether to leverage the fund’s assets. Leverage creates risks that may adversely affect the return for the holders of shares, including:

• the likelihood of greater volatility of NAV and market price of shares;

• fluctuations in the interest rate paid for the use of the CFA;

• increased operating costs, which may reduce the fund’s total return;

• the potential for a decline in the value of an investment acquired through leverage, while the fund’s obligations under such leverage remains fixed; and

• the fund is more likely to have to sell securities in a volatile market in order to meet asset coverage or other debt compliance requirements.

To the extent the income or capital appreciation derived from securities purchased with funds received from leverage exceeds the cost of leverage, the fund’s return will be greater than if leverage had not been used; conversely, returns would be lower if the cost of the leverage exceeds the income or capital appreciation derived.

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In addition to the risks created by the fund’s use of leverage, the fund is subject to the risk that it would be unable to timely, or at all, obtain replacement financing if the CFA is terminated. Were this to happen, the fund would be required to de-leverage, selling securities at a potentially inopportune time and incurring tax consequences. Further, the fund’s ability to generate income from the use of leverage would be adversely affected.

Note 7 — Credit Facility Agreement

The fund has entered into a Credit Facility Agreement (CFA) with a subsidiary of BNP Paribas (BNP) that allows it to borrow up to $309.5 million (maximum facility amount) and to invest the borrowings in accordance with its investment practices.

The fund pledges a portion of its assets as collateral to secure borrowings under the CFA. Such pledged assets are held in a special custody account with the fund’s custodian. The amount of assets required to be pledged by the fund is determined in accordance with the CFA. The fund retains the benefits of ownership of assets pledged to secure borrowings under the CFA. Interest charged is at the rate of OBFR (overnight bank funding rate) plus 0.75% and is payable monthly. As of July 31, 2026, the fund had borrowings of $274,300,000 at an interest rate of 4.38%, which are reflected in the Credit facility agreement payable on the Statement of assets and liabilities. During the year ended July 31, 2026, the average borrowings under the CFA and the effective average interest rate were $274,300,000 and 4.62%, respectively.

The fund is required to pay a commitment fee equal to 0.60% on any unused portion of the maximum facility amount, only for days on which the aggregate outstanding amount of the loans under the CFA is less than 80% of the maximum facility amount. For the year ended July 31, 2026, there were no commitment fees incurred by the fund.

The fund may terminate the CFA with 30 days’ notice. If certain asset coverage and collateral requirements, minimum net assets or other covenants are not met, the CFA could be deemed in default and result in termination. Absent a default or facility termination event, BNP generally is required to provide the fund with 360 days’ notice prior to terminating or amending the CFA.

The fund has an agreement with BNP that allows BNP to use the fund’s pledged securities for its own financing purposes in an amount not to exceed the lesser of: (i) outstanding borrowings owed by the fund to BNP or (ii) 33 1/3% of the fund’s total assets. The fund can designate any security within the pledged collateral as ineligible to be borrowed and can recall any of the securities. The fund also has the right to apply and set-off an amount equal to 100% of the then-current fair market value of such securities against the current borrowings under the CFA in the event that BNP fails to timely return the securities and in certain other circumstances. In such circumstances, however, the fund may not be able to obtain replacement financing required to purchase replacement securities and, consequently, the fund’s income generating potential may decrease. Even if the fund is able to obtain replacement financing, it might not be able to purchase replacement securities at favorable prices. Income earned from BNP under this agreement amounted to $12,445 for the year ended July 31, 2026 is recorded as a component of interest income on the Statement of operations.

Note 8 — Purchase and sale of securities

Purchases and sales of securities, other than short-term investments, amounted to $237,826,079 and $241,839,895, respectively, for the year ended July 31, 2026.

Note 9 — Industry or sector risk

The fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in one or more particular industries or sectors of the economy. If a large percentage of the fund’s assets are economically tied to a single or small number of industries or sectors of the economy, the fund will be less diversified than a more broadly diversified fund, and it may cause the fund to underperform if that industry or sector underperforms. In addition, focusing on a particular industry or sector may make the fund’s NAV more volatile. Further, a fund that invests in particular industries or sectors is particularly susceptible to the impact of market, economic, regulatory and other factors affecting those industries or sectors.

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Commercial banks, savings and loan associations, and holding companies of the foregoing are especially subject to adverse effects of volatile interest rates, concentrations of loans in particular industries, and significant competition. Banks and financial services companies could suffer losses if interest rates rise or economic conditions deteriorate.

Note 10 — Investment in affiliated underlying funds

The fund may invest in affiliated underlying funds that are managed by the Advisor and its affiliates. Information regarding the fund’s fiscal year to date purchases and sales of the affiliated underlying funds as well as income and capital gains earned by the fund, if any, is as follows:

							Dividends and distributions
Affiliate	Ending share amount	Beginning value	Cost of purchases	Proceeds from shares sold	Realized gain (loss)	Change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation)	Income distributions received	Capital gain distributions received	Ending value
John Hancock Collateral Trust	221,518	$2,783,688	$182,678,556	$(183,246,072)	$(1,031)	$(23)	$282,177	—	$2,215,118

Note 11 — Segment reporting

The management committee of the Advisor acts as the fund’s chief operating decision maker (the CODM), assessing performance and making decisions about resource allocation. The fund represents a single operating segment, as the CODM monitors and assesses the operating results of the fund as a whole, and the fund’s long-term strategic asset allocation is managed in accordance with the terms of its prospectus, based on a defined investment strategy which is executed by the portfolio management team of the fund’s subadvisor. Segment assets are reflected in the Statement of assets and liabilities as “Total assets”, which consists primarily of total investments at value. The financial information, including the measurement of profit and loss and significant expenses, provided to and reviewed by the CODM is consistent with that presented within the Statement of operations, which includes “Increase (decrease) in net assets from operations”, Statements of changes in net assets, which includes “Increase (decrease) in net assets from fund share transactions”, and Financial highlights, which includes total return and income and expense ratios.

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Trustees and Shareholders of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities, including the Fund’s investments, of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III (the "Fund") as of July 31, 2026, the related statements of operations and cash flows for the year ended July 31, 2026, the statements of changes in net assets for each of the two years in the period ended July 31, 2026, including the related notes, and the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period ended July 31, 2026 (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Fund as of July 31, 2026, the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period ended July 31, 2026 and the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period ended July 31, 2026 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. 

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Fund’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Fund’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Fund in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits of these financial statements in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of July 31, 2026 by correspondence with the custodian, transfer agent and brokers; when replies were not received from broker, we performed other auditing procedures. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Boston, Massachusetts

September 23, 2026

We have served as the auditor of one or more investment companies in the John Hancock group of funds since 1988.

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Tax information (Unaudited)

For federal income tax purposes, the following information is furnished with respect to the distributions of the fund, if any, paid during its taxable year ended July 31, 2026.

The fund reports the maximum amount allowable of its net taxable income as eligible for the corporate dividends-received deduction.

The fund reports the maximum amount allowable of its net taxable income as qualified dividend income as provided in the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003.

The fund reports the maximum amount allowable as Section 163(j) Interest Dividends.

The fund reports the maximum amount allowable of its Section 199A dividends as defined in Proposed Treasury Regulation §1.199A-3(d).

Eligible shareholders will be mailed a 2026 Form 1099-DIV in early 2027. This will reflect the tax character of all distributions paid in calendar year 2026.

Please consult a tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of your investment in the fund.

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Investment objective, principal investment strategies, and principal risks

Unaudited

Recent Changes

The following information in this semi-annual report is a summary of certain changes since July 31, 2025. This information may not reflect all of the changes that have occurred since you purchased this fund.

Portfolio Manager Changes

Effective October 30, 2025, Caryn Rothman and Jonas Grazulis no longer serve as portfolio managers of the fund.

Investment Objective

The fund’s primary investment objective is to provide a high level of current income, consistent with preservation of capital. The fund’s secondary investment objective is to provide growth of capital to the extent consistent with its primary investment objective. The fund seeks to achieve its objectives by investing in securities that, in the opinion of the Advisor, may be undervalued relative to similar securities in the marketplace.

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal market conditions, the fund invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes) in preferred stocks and other preferred securities, including convertible preferred securities. This is a non-fundamental policy and may be changed by the Board of Trustees of the fund provided that shareholders are provided with at least 60 days prior written notice of any change as required by the rules under the 1940 Act. Preferred stocks and other preferred securities include, but are not limited to, convertible preferred securities, corporate hybrid securities, Trust Preferred Securities (defined below), cumulative and non-cumulative preferred stock, and depositary shares of preferred stock. Preferred securities generally pay fixed or adjustable-rate distributions to investors and have preference over common stock in the payment of distributions and the liquidation of a company’s assets, but are generally junior to all forms of the company’s debt, including both senior and subordinated debt. The fund intends to invest primarily in fully taxable preferred securities. The fund’s portfolio of preferred securities may include both fixed rate and adjustable rate securities. In addition, certain preferred securities held by the fund may be issued by trusts or other special purpose entities created by companies, such as bank holding companies, specifically for the purpose of issuing such securities (Trust Preferred Securities). The allocation of the fund’s assets in various types of preferred, debt and equity securities may vary from time to time depending upon the Advisor’s assessment of market conditions.

The fund will invest at least 50% of its total assets in preferred securities and other fixed-income securities that are rated investment grade (i.e., at least Baa by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization such as Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) or BBB by S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”)), or in unrated securities determined by the Advisor to be of comparable credit quality. The fund may invest up to 50% of its total assets in preferred securities and other fixed income securities rated below investment grade (rated below Baa by Moody’s or below BBB by S&P), or in comparable unrated securities. Below investment grade securities must be rated Ca or higher by Moody’s or CC or higher by S&P or determined to be of comparable quality. The fund may not invest more than 5% of its total assets in securities rated below B or in comparable unrated securities. These investment policies are based on credit quality ratings at the time of acquisition.

The Advisor seeks to produce superior results by focusing on the business cycle and individual security fundamentals and less so on interest rate and duration. In structuring the portfolio, the Advisor seeks to add investment value in two ways:

• by anticipating the broader, more gradual changes in the business cycle, and then investing in those industries and sectors that are expected to benefit from the changes

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• by looking within those industries and sectors for issuers and companies that are undervalued and mispriced relative to the market

The fund may invest in corporate bonds, common stock, securities issued by the U.S. government or its related agencies, real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) and money market instruments. The fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in securities of corporate and governmental issuers located outside the United States that are traded or denominated in U.S. dollars. The fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in illiquid securities including, but not limited to, restricted securities, securities that may be resold pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, but that are deemed to be illiquid, and repurchase agreements with maturities in excess of seven days. The fund concentrates its investments in securities of issuers in the industries composing the utilities sector, which includes telecommunication companies, meaning that the fund will invest 25% or more of its total assets in the industries composing the utilities sector. The fund may also invest in derivatives such as credit default swaps, futures, options, swaps, reverse repurchase agreements and options on futures.

The fund may issue preferred shares or debt obligations to establish leverage, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. The fund generally will not issue preferred shares or borrow unless the Advisor expects that the fund will achieve a greater return on such borrowed funds than the additional costs the fund incurs as a result of such borrowing. The fund may also engage in reverse repurchase agreements and invest in derivatives to establish investment leverage or for temporary purposes.

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 fund’s investment process may change over time and one or more characteristics may not be relevant with respect to all issuers that are eligible fund investment. Because ESG factors are considered alongside other relevant factors, the manager may determine that an investment is appropriate notwithstanding its relative ESG characteristics.

Principal Risks

As is the case with all exchange-listed closed-end funds, shares of this fund may trade at a discount or a premium to the fund’s net asset value (NAV). An investment in the fund is subject to investment and market risks, including the possible loss of the entire principal invested.

The fund’s main risks are listed below in alphabetical order, not in order of importance.

Changing distribution level & return of capital risk. There is no guarantee prior distribution levels will be maintained, and distributions may include a substantial tax return of capital. A return of capital is the return of all or a portion of a shareholder’s investment in the fund. For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2026, the fund’s aggregate distributions included a return of capital of $0.30 per share, or 22.96% of aggregate distributions, which could impact the tax treatment of a subsequent sale of fund shares.  

Concentration risk. Because the fund may focus on one or more industries or sectors of the economy, its performance depends in large part on the performance of those industries or sectors. As a result, the value of an investment may fluctuate more widely since it is more susceptible to market, economic, political, regulatory, and other conditions and risks affecting those industries or sectors than a fund that invests more broadly across industries and sectors.

Credit and counterparty risk. The issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, the counterparty to an over-the-counter derivatives contract, or a borrower of fund securities may not make timely payments or otherwise honor its obligations. U.S. government securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk depending upon the nature of their support. A downgrade or default affecting any of the fund’s securities could affect the fund’s performance.

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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.

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) integration risk. The manager considers ESG factors that it deems relevant or additive, along with other material factors and analysis, when managing the fund. The manager may consider these ESG factors on all or a meaningful portion of the fund’s investments. In certain situations, the extent to which these ESG factors may be applied according to the manager’s integrated investment process may not include U.S. Treasuries, government securities, or other asset classes. ESG factors may include, but are not limited to, matters regarding board diversity, climate change policies, and supply chain and human rights policies. Integration of ESG factors into the fund’s investment strategy does not preclude the fund from including companies with low ESG scores or excluding companies with high ESG scores in the fund’s investments. Incorporating ESG criteria and making investment decisions based on certain ESG characteristics, as determined by the manager, carries the risk that the fund may perform differently, including underperforming, funds that do not utilize ESG criteria, or funds that utilize different ESG criteria. Integration of ESG factors into the fund’s investment process may result in a manager making different investments for the fund than for a fund with a similar investment universe and/or investment style that does not incorporate such considerations in its investment strategy or processes, and the fund’s investment performance may be affected. Because ESG factors are one of many considerations for the fund, the manager may nonetheless include companies with low ESG characteristics or exclude companies with high ESG characteristics in the fund’s investments. 

Fixed-income securities risk. A rise in interest rates typically causes bond prices to fall. The longer the average maturity or duration of the bonds held by a fund, the more sensitive it will likely be to interest-rate fluctuations. An issuer may not make all interest payment or repay all or any of the principal borrowed. Changes in a security’s credit qualify may adversely affect fund performance. Additionally, the value of inflation-indexed securities is subject to the effects of changes in market interest rates caused by factors other than inflation (“real interest rates”). Generally, when real interest rates rise, the value of inflation-indexed securities will fall and the fund’s value may decline as a result of this exposure to these securities.

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.

Hedging, derivatives, and other strategic transactions risk. Hedging, derivatives, and other strategic transactions may increase a fund’s volatility and could produce disproportionate losses, potentially more than the fund’s principal investment. Risks of these transactions are different from and possibly greater than risks of investing directly in securities and other traditional instruments. Under certain market conditions, derivatives could become harder to value or sell and may become subject to liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions). Derivatives and other strategic transactions that the fund intends to utilize include: credit default swaps, futures contracts, options, and swaps, reverse repurchase agreements and options on futures. Futures contracts, options, and swaps generally are subject to counterparty risk. In addition, swaps may be subject to interest-rate and settlement risk, and the risk of default of the underlying reference obligation. An event of default or insolvency of the counterparty to a reverse repurchase agreement could result in delays or restrictions with respect to the fund’s ability to dispose of the underlying securities. In addition, a reverse repurchase agreement may be considered a form of leverage and may, therefore, increase fluctuations in the fund’s NAV.

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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.

Leveraging risk. Issuing preferred shares or using derivatives may result in a leveraged portfolio. Leveraging long exposures increases a fund’s losses when the value of its investments declines. Some derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment. The fund also utilizes a Credit Facility Agreement to increase its assets available for investment. See “Note 6 —Leverage risk” above.

Liquidity risk. The extent (if at all) to which a security may be sold or a derivative position closed without negatively impacting its market value may be impaired by reduced market activity or participation, legal restrictions, or other economic and market impediments. Widespread selling of fixed-income securities during periods of reduced demand may adversely impact the price or salability of such securities.

Lower-rated and high-yield fixed-income securities risk. Lower-rated and high-yield fixed-income securities (junk bonds) are subject to greater credit quality risk, risk of default, and price volatility than higher-rated fixed-income securities, may be considered speculative, and can be difficult to resell.

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.

Preferred and convertible securities risk. Preferred stock dividends are payable only if declared by the issuer’s board. Preferred stock may be subject to redemption provisions. The market values of convertible securities tend to fall as interest rates rise and rise as interest rates fall. Convertible preferred stock’s value can depend heavily upon the underlying common stock’s value.

Real estate investment trust risk. REITs, pooled investment vehicles that typically invest in real estate directly or in loans collateralized by real estate, carry risks associated with owning real estate, including the potential for a decline in value due to economic or market conditions.

Real estate securities risk. Securities of companies in the real estate industry carry risks associated with owning real estate, including the potential for a decline in value due to economic or market conditions.

U.S. Government agency obligations risk. U.S. government-sponsored entities such as Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) and the Federal Home Loan Banks, although chartered or sponsored by Congress, are not funded by congressional appropriations and the debt securities that they issue are neither guaranteed nor issued by the U.S. government. Such debt securities are subject to the risk of default on the payment of interest and/or principal, similar to the debt securities of private issuers. The maximum potential liability of the issuers of some U.S. government obligations may greatly exceed their current resources, including any legal right to support from the U.S. government. Although the U.S. government has provided financial support to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the past, there can be no assurance that it will support these or other government-sponsored entities in the future.

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Unaudited

The fund is a closed-end, diversified management investment company, common shares of which were initially offered to the public on June 19, 2003 and are publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (the NYSE).

Dividends and distributions

During the year ended July 31, 2026, distributions from net investment income totaling $1.0169 per share and tax return of capital totaling $0.3031 per share were paid to shareholders. The dates of payments and the amounts per share were as follows:

Payment Date	Income Distributions
August 29, 2025	$ 0.1100
September 30, 2025	0.1100
October 31, 2025	0.1100
November 28, 2025	0.1100
December 31, 2025	0.1100
January 30, 2026	0.1100
February 27, 2026	0.1100
March 31, 2026	0.1100
April 30, 2026	0.1100
May 29, 2026	0.1100
June 30, 2026	0.1100
July 31, 2026	0.1100
Total	$1.3200

Dividend reinvestment plan

The fund’s Dividend Reinvestment Plan (the Plan) provides that distributions of dividends and capital gains are automatically reinvested in common shares of the fund by Computershare Trust Company, N.A. (the Plan Agent). Every shareholder holding at least one full share of the fund is entitled to participate in the Plan. In addition, every shareholder who became a shareholder of the fund after June 30, 2011, and holds at least one full share of the fund will be automatically enrolled in the Plan. Shareholders may withdraw from the Plan at any time and shareholders who do not participate in the Plan will receive all distributions in cash.

If the fund declares a dividend or distribution payable either in cash or in common shares of the fund and the market price of shares on the payment date for the distribution or dividend equals or exceeds the fund’s net asset value per share (NAV), the fund will issue common shares to participants at a value equal to the higher of NAV or 95% of the market price. The number of additional shares to be credited to each participant’s account will be determined by dividing the dollar amount of the distribution or dividend by the higher of NAV or 95% of the market price. If the market price is lower than NAV, or if dividends or distributions are payable only in cash, then participants will receive shares purchased by the Plan Agent on participants’ behalf on the NYSE or otherwise on the open market. If the market price exceeds NAV before the Plan Agent has completed its purchases, the average per share purchase price may exceed NAV, resulting in fewer shares being acquired than if the fund had issued new shares.

There are no brokerage charges with respect to common shares issued directly by the fund. However, whenever shares are purchased or sold on the NYSE or otherwise on the open market, each participant will pay a pro rata portion of brokerage trading fees, currently $0.05 per share purchased or sold. Brokerage trading fees will be deducted from amounts to be invested.

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The reinvestment of dividends and net capital gains distributions does not relieve participants of any income tax that may be payable on such dividends or distributions.

Shareholders participating in the Plan may buy additional shares of the fund through the Plan at any time in amounts of at least $50 per investment, up to a maximum of $10,000, with a total calendar year limit of $100,000. Shareholders will be charged a $5 transaction fee plus $0.05 per share brokerage trading fee for each order. Purchases of additional shares of the fund will be made on the open market. Shareholders who elect to utilize monthly electronic fund transfers to buy additional shares of the fund will be charged a $2 transaction fee plus $0.05 per share brokerage trading fee for each automatic purchase. Shareholders can also sell fund shares held in the Plan account at any time by contacting the Plan Agent by telephone, in writing or by visiting the Plan Agent’s website at www.computershare.com/investor. The Plan Agent will mail a check (less applicable brokerage trading fees) on settlement date. Pursuant to regulatory changes, effective September 5, 2017, the settlement date is changed from three business days after the shares have been sold to two business days after the shares have been sold. If shareholders choose to sell shares through their stockbroker, they will need to request that the Plan Agent electronically transfer those shares to their stockbroker through the Direct Registration System.

Shareholders participating in the Plan may withdraw from the Plan at any time by contacting the Plan Agent by telephone, in writing or by visiting the Plan Agent’s website at www.computershare.com/investor. Such termination will be effective immediately if the notice is received by the Plan Agent prior to any dividend or distribution record date; otherwise, such termination will be effective on the first trading day after the payment date for such dividend or distribution, with respect to any subsequent dividend or distribution. If shareholders withdraw from the Plan, their shares will be credited to their account; or, if they wish, the Plan Agent will sell their full and fractional shares and send the shareholders the proceeds, less a transaction fee of $5 and less brokerage trading fees of $0.05 per share. If a shareholder does not maintain at least one whole share of common stock in the Plan account, the Plan Agent may terminate such shareholder’s participation in the Plan after written notice. Upon termination, shareholders will be sent a check for the cash value of any fractional share in the Plan account, less any applicable broker commissions and taxes.

Shareholders who hold at least one full share of the fund may join the Plan by notifying the Plan Agent by telephone, in writing or by visiting the Plan Agent’s website at www.computershare.com/investor. If received in proper form by the Plan Agent before the record date of a dividend, the election will be effective with respect to all dividends paid after such record date. If shareholders wish to participate in the Plan and their shares are held in the name of a brokerage firm, bank or other nominee, shareholders should contact their nominee to see if it will participate in the Plan. If shareholders wish to participate in the Plan, but their brokerage firm, bank or other nominee is unable to participate on their behalf, they will need to request that their shares be re-registered in their own name, or they will not be able to participate. The Plan Agent will administer the Plan on the basis of the number of shares certified from time to time by shareholders as representing the total amount registered in their name and held for their account by their nominee.

Experience under the Plan may indicate that changes are desirable. Accordingly, the fund and the Plan Agent reserve the right to amend or terminate the Plan. Participants generally will receive written notice at least 90 days before the effective date of any amendment. In the case of termination, participants will receive written notice at least 90 days before the record date for the payment of any dividend or distribution by the fund.

All correspondence or requests for additional information about the Plan should be directed to Computershare Trust Company, N.A., at the address stated below, or by calling 800-852-0218, 201-680-6578 (For International Telephone Inquiries) and 800-952-9245 (For the Hearing Impaired (TDD)).

Shareholder communication and assistance

If you have any questions concerning the fund, we will be pleased to assist you. If you hold shares in your own name and not with a brokerage firm, please address all notices, correspondence, questions or other communications regarding the fund to the transfer agent at:

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Regular Mail:
Computershare
P.O. Box 43006
Providence, RI 02940-3078

Registered or Overnight Mail:
Computershare
150 Royall Street, Suite 101
Canton, MA 02021

If your shares are held with a brokerage firm, you should contact that firm, bank or other nominee for assistance.

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SHAREHOLDER MEETING

The Fund held its Annual Meeting of Shareholders on Tuesday, February 17, 2026. The following proposal was considered by the shareholders:

THE PROPOSAL PASSED ON FEBRUARY 17, 2026

PROPOSAL: To elect six (6) Trustees (James R. Boyle, Kristie M. Feinberg, Grace K. Fey, Christine L. Hurtsellers, Hassell H. McClellan, and Kenneth J. Phelan) to serve for a three-year term ending at the 2029 Annual Meeting of Shareholders:

	Total votes for the nominee	Total votes withheld from the nominee
Independent Trustees
James R. Boyle	22,275,269.931	1,417,754.650
Grace K. Fey	22,144,651.931	1,548,372.650
Christine L. Hurtsellers	22,620,927.931	1,072,096.650
Hassell H. McClellan	22,144,508.931	1,548,515.650
Kenneth J. Phelan	22,667,597.931	1,025,426.650

Non-Independent Trustees
Kristie M. Feinberg	22,637,013.931	1,056,010.650

Trustees whose term of office continued after the Annual Meeting of Shareholders because they were not up for election were: Andrew G. Arnott, William K. Bacic, Dean C. Garfield, Deborah C. Jackson, Noni Ellison McKee, Frances G. Rathke, and Thomas R. Wright.

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EVALUATION OF ADVISORY AND SUBADVISORY AGREEMENTS BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

This section describes the evaluation by the Board of Trustees (the Board) of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III (the fund) of the Advisory Agreement (the Advisory Agreement) with John Hancock Investment Management LLC (the Advisor) and the Subadvisory Agreement (the Subadvisory Agreement) with Manulife Investment Management (US) LLC (the Subadvisor). The Advisory Agreement and Subadvisory Agreement are collectively referred to as the Agreements. Prior to the June 22-25, 2026 meeting at which the Agreements were approved, the Board also discussed and considered information regarding the proposed continuation of the Agreements at a meeting held on May 26-28, 2026. The Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Fund as defined by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act) (the Independent Trustees) also met separately to evaluate and discuss the information presented, including with counsel to the Independent Trustees and a third-party consulting firm.

Approval of Advisory and Subadvisory Agreements

At meetings held on June 22-25, 2026, the Board, including the Trustees who are not parties to any Agreement or considered to be interested persons of the fund under the 1940 Act, reapproved for an annual period the continuation of the Advisory Agreement between the fund and the Advisor and the Subadvisory Agreement between the Advisor and the Subadvisor with respect to the fund.

In considering the Advisory Agreement and the Subadvisory Agreement, the Board received in advance of the meetings a variety of materials relating to the fund, the Advisor and the Subadvisor, including comparative performance, fee and expense information for a peer group of similar funds prepared by an independent third-party provider of fund data, performance information for an applicable benchmark index; and other pertinent information, such as the market premium and discount information, and, with respect to the Subadvisor, comparative performance information for comparably managed accounts, as applicable, and other information provided by the Advisor and the Subadvisor regarding the nature, extent, and quality of services provided by the Advisor and the Subadvisor under their respective Agreements, as well as information regarding the Advisor’s revenues and costs of providing services to the fund and any compensation paid to affiliates of the Advisor. At the meetings at which the renewal of the Advisory Agreement and Subadvisory Agreement are considered, particular focus is given to information concerning fund performance, comparability of fees and total expenses, and profitability. However, the Board noted that the evaluation process with respect to the Advisor and the Subadvisor is an ongoing one. In this regard, the Board also took into account discussions with management and information provided to the Board (including its various committees) at prior meetings with respect to the services provided by the Advisor and the Subadvisor to the fund, including quarterly performance reports prepared by management containing reviews of investment results and prior presentations from the Subadvisor with respect to the fund. The information received and considered by the Board in connection with the May and June meetings and throughout the year was both written and oral. The Board noted the affiliation of the Subadvisor with the Advisor, noting any potential conflicts of interest. The Board also considered the nature, quality, and extent of non-advisory services, if any, to be provided to the fund by the Advisor’s affiliates. The Board considered the Advisory Agreement and the Subadvisory Agreement separately in the course of its review. In doing so, the Board noted the respective roles of the Advisor and Subadvisor in providing services to the fund.

Throughout the process, the Board asked questions of and requested additional information from management. The Board is assisted by counsel for the fund and the Independent Trustees are also separately assisted by independent legal counsel throughout the process. The Independent Trustees also received a memorandum from their independent legal counsel discussing the legal standards for their consideration of the proposed continuation of the Agreements and discussed the proposed continuation of the Agreements in private sessions with their independent legal counsel at which no representatives of management were present.

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Approval of Advisory Agreement

In approving the Advisory Agreement with respect to the fund, the Board, including the Independent Trustees, considered a variety of factors, including those discussed below. The Board also considered other factors (including conditions and trends prevailing generally in the economy, the securities markets, and the industry) and did not treat any single factor as determinative, and each Trustee may have attributed different weights to different factors. The Board’s conclusions may be based in part on its consideration of the advisory and subadvisory arrangements in prior years and on the Board’s ongoing regular review of fund performance and operations throughout the year.

Nature, extent, and quality of services. Among the information received by the Board from the Advisor relating to the nature, extent, and quality of services provided to the fund, the Board reviewed information provided by the Advisor relating to its operations and personnel, descriptions of its organizational and management structure, and information regarding the Advisor’s compliance and regulatory history, including its Form ADV. The Board also noted that on a regular basis it receives and reviews information from the fund’s Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) regarding the fund’s compliance policies and procedures established pursuant to Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act. The Board observed that the scope of services provided by the Advisor, and the undertakings required of the Advisor in connection with those services, including maintaining and monitoring its own and the fund’s compliance programs, risk management programs, liquidity risk management programs, derivatives risk management programs, and cybersecurity programs, had expanded over time as a result of regulatory, market and other developments. The Board considered that the Advisor is responsible for the management of the day-to-day operations of the fund, including, but not limited to, general supervision of and coordination of the services provided by the Subadvisor, and is also responsible for monitoring and reviewing the activities of the Subadvisor and third-party service providers. The Board also considered the significant risks assumed by the Advisor in connection with the services provided to the fund, including entrepreneurial risk in sponsoring new funds, and ongoing risks, including investment, operational, enterprise, litigation, regulatory and compliance risks with respect to all funds.

The Board also considered the differences between the Advisor’s services to the fund and the services it provides to other clients that are not closed-end funds, including, for example, the differences in services related to the regulatory and legal obligations of closed-end funds.

In considering the nature, extent, and quality of the services provided by the Advisor, the Trustees also took into account their knowledge of the Advisor’s management and the quality of the performance of the Advisor’s duties, through Board meetings, discussions and reports during the preceding year and through each Trustee’s experience as a Trustee of the fund and of the other funds in the John Hancock group of funds complex (the John Hancock Fund Complex).

In the course of their deliberations regarding the Advisory Agreement, the Board considered, among other things:

(a)	the skills and competency with which the Advisor has in the past managed the fund’s affairs and its subadvisory relationship, the Advisor’s oversight and monitoring of the Subadvisor’s investment performance and compliance programs, such as the Subadvisor’s compliance with fund policies and objectives, review of brokerage matters, including with respect to trade allocation and best execution and the Advisor’s timeliness in responding to performance issues;
(b)	the background, qualifications and skills of the Advisor’s personnel;
(c)	the Advisor’s compliance policies and procedures and its responsiveness to regulatory changes and fund industry developments;

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(d)	the Advisor’s administrative capabilities, including its ability to supervise the other service providers for the fund, as well as the Advisor’s oversight of any securities lending activity, its monitoring of class action litigation and collection of class action settlements on behalf of the fund, and bringing loss recovery actions on behalf of the fund;
(e)	the financial condition of the Advisor and whether it has the financial wherewithal to provide a high level and quality of services to the fund; and
(f)	the Advisor’s reputation and experience in serving as an investment advisor to the fund and the benefit to shareholders of investing in funds that are part of a family of funds offering a variety of investments.

The Board concluded that the Advisor may reasonably be expected to continue to provide a high quality of services under the Advisory Agreement with respect to the fund.

Investment performance. In considering the fund’s performance, the Board noted that it reviews at its regularly scheduled meetings information about the fund’s performance results. In connection with the consideration of the Advisory Agreement, the Board:

(a)	reviewed information prepared by management regarding the fund’s performance;
(b)	considered the comparative performance of an applicable benchmark index;
(c)	considered the performance of comparable funds, if any, as included in the report prepared by an independent third-party provider of fund data;
(d)	took into account the Advisor’s analysis of the fund’s performance; and
(e)	considered the fund’s share performance and premium/discount information.

The Board noted that while it found the data provided by the independent third party generally useful it recognized its limitations, including in particular that the data may vary depending on the end date selected and the results of the performance comparisons may vary depending on the selection and size of the peer group. The Board noted that, based on its net asset value, the fund outperformed its benchmark index for the one-, three-, five- and ten-year periods ended December 31, 2025. The Board also noted that, based on its net asset value, the fund underperformed its peer group median for the one- and ten-year periods ended December 31, 2025, and outperformed its peer group median for the three- and five-year periods ended December 31, 2025. The Board took into account management’s discussion of the fund’s performance, including the favorable performance relative to the benchmark index for the one-, three-, five- and ten-year periods and to the peer group median for the three- and five-year periods. The Board concluded that the fund’s performance has generally been in line with or outperformed the historical performance of comparable funds and the fund’s benchmark index.

Fees and expenses. The Board reviewed comparative information prepared by an independent third-party provider of fund data, including, among other data, the fund’s contractual and net management fees (and subadvisory fees, to the extent available) and total expenses as compared to similarly situated investment companies deemed to be comparable to the fund in light of the nature, extent, and quality of the management and advisory and subadvisory services provided by the Advisor and the Subadvisor, respectively. The Board considered the fund’s ranking within a smaller group of peer funds chosen by the independent third-party provider, as well as the fund’s ranking within a broader group of funds. In comparing the fund’s contractual and net management fees to those of comparable funds, the Board noted that such fees include both advisory and administrative costs.

The Board also took into account the impact of leverage on fund expenses. The Board took into account the management fee structure, including that management fees for the fund were based on the fund’s total managed assets, which are attributable to common stock and borrowings.

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The Board noted that net management fees for the fund are higher than the peer group median and net total expenses for the fund, excluding investment-related expenses and taxes, are lower than the peer group median. The Board also noted that the contractual fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement reduces certain expenses of the fund.

The Board took into account management’s discussion with respect to the overall management fee, the fees of the Subadvisor, including the amount of the advisory fee retained by the Advisor after payment of the subadvisory fee, in each case in light of the services rendered for those amounts and the risks undertaken by the Advisor. The Board also noted that the Advisor pays the subadvisory fee. In addition, the Board took into account that management had agreed to implement an overall fee waiver across the complex, including the fund, which is discussed further below. The Board reviewed information provided by the Advisor concerning the investment advisory fee charged by the Advisor or one of its advisory affiliates to other clients (including other funds in the John Hancock Fund Complex) having similar investment mandates, if any. The Board considered any differences between the Advisor’s and Subadvisor’s services to the fund and the services they provide to other comparable clients or funds. The Board concluded that the advisory fee paid with respect to the fund is reasonable in light of the nature, extent and quality of the services provided to the fund under the Advisory Agreement.

Profitability/Fall out benefits. In considering the costs of the services to be provided and the profits to be realized by the Advisor and its affiliates (including the Subadvisor) from the Advisor’s relationship with the fund, the Board:

(a)	reviewed financial information of the Advisor;
(b)	reviewed and considered information presented by the Advisor regarding the net profitability to the Advisor and its affiliates with respect to the fund;
(c)	received and reviewed profitability information with respect to the John Hancock Fund Complex as a whole and with respect to the fund;
(d)	received information with respect to the Advisor’s allocation methodologies used in preparing the profitability data and considered that the Advisor hired an independent third-party consultant to provide an analysis of the Advisor’s allocation methodologies;
(e)	considered that the Advisor also provides administrative services to the fund pursuant to an administrative services agreement;
(f)	noted that the fund’s Subadvisor is an affiliate of the Advisor;
(g)	noted that the Advisor also derives reputational and other indirect benefits from providing advisory services to the fund;
(h)	noted that the subadvisory fees for the fund are paid by the Advisor;
(i)	considered the Advisor’s ongoing costs and expenditures necessary to improve services, meet new regulatory and compliance requirements, and adapt to other challenges impacting the fund industry; and
(j)	considered that the Advisor should be entitled to earn a reasonable level of profits in exchange for the level of services it provides to the fund and the risks that it assumes as Advisor, including entrepreneurial, operational, reputational, litigation and regulatory risk.

Based upon its review, the Board concluded that the level of profitability, if any, of the Advisor and its affiliates (including the Subadvisor) from their relationship with the fund was not unreasonable in view of all factors considered.

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Economies of scale. In considering the extent to which the fund may realize any economies of scale and whether fee levels reflect these economies of scale for the benefit of the fund shareholders, the Board noted that the fund has a limited ability to increase its assets as a closed-end fund. The Board took into account management’s discussions of the current advisory fee structure, and, as noted above, the services the Advisor provides in performing its functions under the Advisory Agreement and in supervising the Subadvisor.

The Board also considered potential economies of scale that may be realized by the fund as part of the John Hancock Fund Complex. Among them, the Board noted that the Advisor has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse expenses for certain funds of the John Hancock Fund Complex, including the fund (the participating portfolios). This waiver is based on the aggregate net assets of all the participating portfolios. The amount of the reimbursement is calculated daily and allocated among all the participating portfolios in proportion to the daily net assets of each fund. The Board also considered the Advisor’s overall operations and its ongoing investment in its business in order to expand the scale of, and improve the quality of, its operations that benefit the fund. The Board noted that although the fund does not have breakpoints in its contractual management fee, its total expenses are below the peer group median. The Board determined that the management fee structure for the fund was reasonable.

Approval of Subadvisory Agreement

In making its determination with respect to approval of the Subadvisory Agreement, the Board reviewed:

(1)	information relating to the Subadvisor’s business, including current subadvisory services to the fund (and other funds in the John Hancock Fund Complex);
(2)	the historical and current performance of the fund and comparative performance information relating to an applicable benchmark index and comparable funds; and
(3)	the subadvisory fee for the fund and, to the extent available, comparable fee information prepared by an independent third party provider of fund data.

Nature, extent, and quality of services. With respect to the services provided by the Subadvisor, the Board received information provided to the Board by the Subadvisor, including the Subadvisor’s Form ADV, as well as took into account information presented throughout the past year. The Board considered the Subadvisor’s current level of staffing and its overall resources, as well as received information relating to the Subadvisor’s compensation program. The Board reviewed the Subadvisor’s history and investment experience, as well as information regarding the qualifications, background, and responsibilities of the Subadvisor’s investment and compliance personnel who provide services to the fund. The Board also considered, among other things, the Subadvisor’s compliance program and any disciplinary history. The Board also considered the Subadvisor’s risk assessment and monitoring process. The Board reviewed the Subadvisor’s regulatory history, including whether it was involved in any regulatory actions or investigations as well as material litigation, and any settlements and amelioratory actions undertaken, as appropriate. The Board noted that the Advisor conducts regular, periodic reviews of the Subadvisor and its operations, including regarding investment processes and organizational and staffing matters. The Board also noted that the fund’s CCO and his staff conduct regular, periodic compliance reviews with the Subadvisor and present reports to the Independent Trustees regarding the same, which includes evaluating the regulatory compliance systems of the Subadvisor and procedures reasonably designed to assure compliance with the federal securities laws. The Board also took into account the financial condition of the Subadvisor.

The Board considered the Subadvisor’s investment process and philosophy. The Board took into account that the Subadvisor’s responsibilities include the development and maintenance of an investment program for the fund that is consistent with the fund’s investment objective, the selection of investment securities and the placement of orders for the purchase and sale of such securities, as well as the implementation of compliance controls related to performance of these services. The Board also received information with respect to the Subadvisor’s brokerage policies and practices, including with respect to best execution and soft dollars.

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Subadvisor compensation. In considering the cost of services to be provided by the Subadvisor, the Board noted that the fees under the Subadvisory Agreement are paid by the Advisor and not the fund. The Board also considered any potential conflicts of interest the Advisor might have in connection with the Subadvisory Agreement.

In addition, the Board considered other potential indirect benefits that the Subadvisor and its affiliates may receive from the Subadvisor’s relationship with the fund, such as the opportunity to provide advisory services to additional funds in the John Hancock Fund Complex and reputational benefits.

Subadvisory fees. The Board considered that the fund pays an advisory fee to the Advisor and that, in turn, the Advisor pays subadvisory fees to the Subadvisor. As noted above, the Board also considered the fund’s subadvisory fee as compared to similarly situated investment companies deemed to be comparable to the fund as included in the report prepared by the independent third party provider of fund data, to the extent available. The Board noted that the limited size of the Lipper peer group was not sufficient for comparative purposes. The Board also took into account the subadvisory fee paid by the Advisor to the Subadvisor with respect to the fund and compared them to fees charged by the Subadvisor to manage other subadvised portfolios and portfolios not subject to regulation under the 1940 Act, as applicable.

Subadvisor performance. As noted above, the Board considered the fund’s performance as compared to the fund’s peer group and the benchmark index and noted that the Board reviews information about the fund’s performance results at its regularly scheduled meetings. The Board noted the Advisor’s expertise and resources in monitoring the performance, investment style and risk-adjusted performance of the Subadvisor. The Board was mindful of the Advisor’s focus on the Subadvisor’s performance. The Board also noted the Subadvisor’s long-term performance record for similar accounts, as applicable.

The Board’s decision to approve the Subadvisory Agreement was based on a number of determinations, including the following:

(1)	the Subadvisor has extensive experience and demonstrated skills as a manager;
(2)	the performance of the fund has generally been in line with or outperformed the historical performance of comparable funds and the fund’s benchmark index; and
(3)	the subadvisory fees are reasonable in relation to the level and quality of services being provided under the Subadvisory Agreement.

***

Based on the Board’s evaluation of all factors that the Board deemed to be material, including those factors described above, the Board, including the Independent Trustees, concluded that renewal of the Advisory Agreement and the Subadvisory Agreement would be in the best interest of the fund and its shareholders. Accordingly, the Board, and the Independent Trustees voting separately, approved the Advisory Agreement and Subadvisory Agreement for an additional one-year period.

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Trustees and Officers

This chart provides information about the Trustees and Officers who oversee your John Hancock fund. Officers elected by the Trustees manage the day-to-day operations of the fund and execute policies formulated by the Trustees.

Independent Trustees
Name, year of birth Position(s) held with fund Principal occupation(s) and other directorships during past 5 years	Trustee of the Trust since1	Number of John Hancock funds overseen by Trustee
Hassell H. McClellan, Born: 1945	2012	179
Trustee and Chairperson of the Board
Trustee of Berklee College of Music (since 2022); Director/Trustee, Virtus Funds (2008-2020); Director, The Barnes Group (2010-2021); Associate Professor, The Wallace E. Carroll School of Management, Boston College (retired 2013). Trustee (since 2005) and Chairperson of the Board (since 2017) of various trusts within the John Hancock Fund Complex.
William K. Bacic,3 Born: 1956	2024	175
Trustee
Director, Audit Committee Chairman, and Risk Committee Member, DWS USA Corp. (formerly, Deutsche Asset Management) (2018-2024); Senior Partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP (1978-retired 2017, including prior positions), specializing in the investment management industry. Trustee of various trusts within the John Hancock Fund Complex (since 2024).
James R. Boyle, Born: 1959	2015	171
Trustee
Board Member, United of Omaha Life Insurance Company (since 2022); Board Member, Mutual of Omaha Investor Services, Inc. (since 2022); Foresters Financial, Chief Executive Officer (2018–2022) and board member (2017–2022); Manulife Financial and John Hancock, more than 20 years, retiring in 2012 as Chief Executive Officer, John Hancock and Senior Executive Vice President, Manulife Financial. Trustee of various trusts within the John Hancock Fund Complex (2005–2014 and since 2015).
Grace K. Fey, Born: 1946	2012	179
Trustee
Chief Executive Officer, Grace Fey Advisors (since 2007); Director and Executive Vice President, Frontier Capital Management Company (1988–2007); Director, Fiduciary Trust (since 2009). Trustee of various trusts within the John Hancock Fund Complex (since 2008).
Dean C. Garfield, Born: 1968	2022	171
Trustee
Senior Vice-President, TKO Group (a premier sports and live entertainment company) (since 2025); Vice President, Netflix, Inc. (2019-2024); President & Chief Executive Officer, Information Technology Industry Council (2009–2019); NYU School of Law Board of Trustees (since 2021); Member, U.S. Department of Transportation, Advisory Committee on Automation (since 2021); President of the United States Trade Advisory Council (2010–2018); Board Member, College for Every Student (2017–2021); Board Member, The Seed School of Washington, D.C. (2012–2017); Advisory Board Member of the Block Center for Technology and Society (since 2019). Trustee of various trusts within the John Hancock Fund Complex (since 2022).

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Independent Trustees (continued)
Name, year of birth Position(s) held with fund Principal occupation(s) and other directorships during past 5 years	Trustee of the Trust since1	Number of John Hancock funds overseen by Trustee
Christine L. Hurtsellers,2 Born: 1963		171
Trustee
Director, Investment Committee Chair, Chariot Re (since 2025); Board Counselor, UNICEF USA (since 2018); Board Counselor, The Carter Center (since 2010); Voya Financial, Inc., Chief Executive Officer, Voya Investment Management (2016-2024), Chief Investment Officer, Fixed Income (2009-2016); Board Governor, Investment Company Institute (2019-2024); Director, Pomona Capital, (2018-2024); Former Member, US Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee, (2014-2022). Trustee of various trusts within the John Hancock Fund Complex (since 2025).
Deborah C. Jackson, Born: 1952	2008	175
Trustee
President, Cambridge College, Cambridge, Massachusetts (2011-2023); Board of Directors, Amwell Corporation (since 2020); Board of Directors, Massachusetts Women’s Forum (2018-2020); Board of Directors, National Association of Corporate Directors/New England (2015-2020); Chief Executive Officer, American Red Cross of Massachusetts Bay (2002–2011); Board of Directors of Eastern Bank Corporation (since 2001); Board of Directors of Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation (since 2001); Board of Directors of Boston Stock Exchange (2002–2008); Board of Directors of Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare (health benefits company) (2007–2011). Trustee (since 2008) and Vice Chairperson of the Board (since 2025) of various trusts within the John Hancock Fund Complex.
Noni Ellison McKee, Born: 1971	2022	171
Trustee
Global General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, CARE (since 2026); Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Tractor Supply Company (rural lifestyle retailer) (2021–2026); General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer & Corporate Secretary, Carestream Dental, L.L.C. (2017–2021); Associate General Counsel & Assistant Corporate Secretary, W.W. Grainger, Inc. (global industrial supplier) (2015–2017); Board Member, Goodwill of North Georgia, 2018 (FY2019)–2020 (FY2021); Board Member, Howard University School of Law Board of Visitors (since 2021); Board Member, University of Chicago Law School Board of Visitors (since 2016); Board member, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Foundation Board (2021–2023); Board Member, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (since 2024). Trustee of various trusts within the John Hancock Fund Complex (since 2022).
Kenneth J. Phelan,2 Born: 1959		171
Trustee
Director, Audit, Finance & Social Responsibility Committees member, Adtalem Global Education Inc. (since 2020); Director, Risk Oversight Chair, Executive, Human Resources & Compensation Committees member, Huntington Bancshares Incorporated (since 2019); Senior Advisor, Oliver Wyman, Inc. (since 2019); Chief Risk Officer, U.S. Department of the Treasury (2014-2019). Trustee of various trusts within the John Hancock Fund Complex (since 2025).

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Independent Trustees (continued)
Name, year of birth Position(s) held with fund Principal occupation(s) and other directorships during past 5 years	Trustee of the Trust since1	Number of John Hancock funds overseen by Trustee
Frances G. Rathke,3 Born: 1960	2020	175
Trustee
Director, Audit Committee Chair, Oatly Group AB (plant-based drink company) (since 2021); Director, Audit Committee Chair and Compensation Committee Member, Green Mountain Power Corporation (since 2016); Director, Flynn Center for Performing Arts (since 2016); Director and Audit Committee Chair, Planet Fitness (since 2016); Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, Keurig Green Mountain, Inc. (2003-retired 2015). Trustee of various trusts within the John Hancock Fund Complex (since 2020).
Thomas R. Wright,3 Born: 1961	2024	171
Trustee
Chief Operating Officer, JMP Securities (2020-2023); Director of Equities, JMP Securities (2013-2023); Executive Committee Member, JMP Group (2013-2023); Global Head of Trading, Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. (2004-2012); and Head of European Equity Trading and Salestrading, Merrill, Lynch & Co (2003-2004); Head of US Equity Cash Trading and Salestrading, Merrill Lynch & Co (1998-2002). Trustee of various trusts within the John Hancock Fund Complex (since 2024).

Non-Independent Trustees4
Name, year of birth Position(s) held with fund Principal occupation(s) and other directorships during past 5 years	Trustee of the Trust since1	Number of John Hancock funds overseen by Trustee
Andrew G. Arnott, Born: 1971	2017	171
Non-Independent Trustee
Global Head of Institutional for Manulife (since 2025); Global Head of Retail for Manulife (2022-2025); Head of Wealth and Asset Management, United States and Europe, for John Hancock and Manulife (2018-2023); Director and Chairman, John Hancock Investment Management LLC (2005-2023, including prior positions); Director and Chairman, John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC (2006-2023, including prior positions); Director and Chairman, John Hancock Investment Management Distributors LLC (2004-2023, including prior positions); President of various trusts within the John Hancock Fund Complex (since 2007, including prior positions). Trustee of various trusts within the John Hancock Fund Complex (since 2017).
Kristie M. Feinberg, Born: 1975	2025	175
Non-Independent Trustee and President (Chief Executive Officer and Principal Executive Officer)
President (Chief Executive Officer and Principal Executive Officer) of various trusts within the John Hancock Fund Complex (since 2023, including prior positions); Head of Retail, Manulife Investment Management (since 2025); Head of Wealth & Asset Management, U.S. and Europe, for John Hancock and Manulife (2023–2025); Director and Chairman, John Hancock Investment Management LLC (since 2023); Director and Chairman, John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC (since 2023); Director and Chairman, John Hancock Investment Management Distributors LLC (since 2023); CFO and Global Head of Strategy, Manulife Investment Management (2021–2023, including prior positions); CFO Americas & Global Head of Treasury, Invesco, Ltd., Invesco US (2019–2020, including prior positions); Senior Vice President, Corporate Treasurer and Business Controller, Oppenheimer Funds (2001–2019, including prior positions). Trustee of various trusts within the John Hancock Fund Complex (since 2025).

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Principal officers who are not Trustees
Name, year of birth Position(s) held with fund Principal occupation(s) during past 5 years	Current Position(s) with the Trust since
Fernando A. Silva, Born: 1977	2024
Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)
Vice President, John Hancock Life & Health Insurance Company, John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.) and John Hancock Life Insurance Company of New York (since 2021, including prior positions); Director, Fund Administration and Assistant Treasurer, John Hancock Funds (2016-2020); Assistant Treasurer, John Hancock Investment Management LLC and John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC (since 2020); Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer) of various trusts within the John Hancock Fund Complex (since 2024).
Salvatore Schiavone, Born: 1965	2010
Treasurer
Assistant Vice President, John Hancock Financial Services (since 2007); Vice President, John Hancock Investment Management LLC and John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC (since 2007); Treasurer of various trusts within the John Hancock Fund Complex (since 2007, including prior positions).
Christopher (Kit) Sechler, Born: 1973	2018
Secretary and Chief Legal Officer
Vice President and Deputy Chief Counsel, John Hancock Investment Management (since 2015); Assistant Vice President and Senior Counsel (2009–2015), John Hancock Investment Management; Assistant Secretary of John Hancock Investment Management LLC and John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC (since 2009); Chief Legal Officer and Secretary of various trusts within the John Hancock Fund Complex (since 2009, including prior positions).
Trevor Swanberg, Born: 1979	2020
Chief Compliance Officer
Chief Compliance Officer, John Hancock Investment Management LLC and John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC (since 2020); Deputy Chief Compliance Officer, John Hancock Investment Management LLC and John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC (2019–2020); Assistant Chief Compliance Officer, John Hancock Investment Management LLC and John Hancock Variable Trust Advisers LLC (2016–2019); Vice President, State Street Global Advisors (2015–2016); Chief Compliance Officer of various trusts within the John Hancock Fund Complex (since 2016, including prior positions).

The business address for all Trustees and Officers is 200 Berkeley Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116-5023.

The Fund does not make available copies of its Statement of Additional Information because the Fund’s shares are not continuously offered and the Statement of Additional Information has not been updated since the Fund’s last public offering, therefore the information contained in the Statement of Additional Information may be outdated.

1	Mr. Boyle, Ms. Fey, Mr. Lorentz, and Dr. McClellan serve as Trustees for a term expiring in 2026; Mr. Bacic, Ms. Ellison McKee, Ms Rathke and Mr. Wright serve as Trustees for a term expiring in 2027; Mr. Garfield, Ms. Jackson and Mr. Arnott to serve for a three-year term ending at the 2028 Shareholder Meeting. Mr. Boyle has served as Trustee at various times prior to the date listed in the table.
2	Serves as Trustee effective November 12, 2025.
3	Member of the Audit Committee.
4	The Trustee is a Non-Independent Trustee due to current or former positions with the Advisor and certain of its affiliates.

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More information

Trustees

Hassell H. McClellan, Chairperson
Deborah C. Jackson, Vice Chairperson
Andrew G. Arnott^†
William K. Bacic^*
James R. Boyle
Noni Ellison McKee
Kristie M. Feinberg^†
Grace K. Fey
Dean C. Garfield
Christine L. Hurtsellers^#
Kenneth  J. Phelan^#
Frances G. Rathke^*
Thomas R. Wright^*

Officers

Kristie M. Feinberg
President (Chief Executive Officer and Principal Executive Officer)

Fernando A. Silva
Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)

Salvatore Schiavone
Treasurer

Christopher (Kit) Sechler
Secretary and Chief Legal Officer

Trevor Swanberg
Chief Compliance Officer

Investment advisor

John Hancock Investment Management LLC

Subadvisor

Manulife Investment Management (US) LLC

Portfolio Managers

Joseph H. Bozoyan, CFA
James Gearhart, CFA

Custodian

State Street Bank and Trust Company

Transfer agent

Computershare Shareowner Services, LLC

Legal counsel

K&L Gates LLP

Independent registered public accounting firm

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Stock symbol

Listed New York Stock Exchange: HPS

 

^† Non-Independent Trustee

# Serves as Trustee effective November 12, 2025.

^* Member of the Audit Committee

The fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures, as well as the fund proxy voting record for the most recent twelve-month period ended June 30, are available free of charge on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) website at sec.gov or on our website.

All of the fund’s holdings as of the end of the third month of every fiscal quarter are filed with the SEC on Form N-PORT within 60 days of the end of the fiscal quarter. The fund’s Form N-PORT filings are available on our website and the SEC’s website, sec.gov.

We make this information on your fund, as well as monthly portfolio holdings, and other fund details available on our website at jhinvestments.com or by calling 800-852-0218.

The report is certified under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which requires closed-end funds and other public companies to affirm that, to the best of their knowledge, the information in their financial reports is fairly and accurately stated in all material respects.

You can also contact us:
800-852-0218	Regular mail:	Express mail:
jhinvestments.com	Computershare P.O. Box 43006 Providence, RI 02940-3078	Computershare 150 Royall St., Suite 101 Canton, MA 02021

53 JOHN HANCOCK PREFERRED INCOME FUND III | ANNUAL REPORT

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John Hancock Investment Management LLC, 200 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116-5010, 800-225-5291, jhinvestments.com

Manulife, Manulife Investments, Stylized M Design, and Manulife Investments & Stylized M Design are trademarks of The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company and John Hancock and the Stylized John Hancock Design are trademarks of John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.). Each are used by it and by its affiliates under license.

MF5863829 P12A 7/26

9/26

ITEM 2. CODE OF ETHICS.

As of the end of the year, July 31, 2026, the registrant has adopted a code of ethics, as defined in Item 2 of Form N-CSR, that applies to its Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer (respectively, the principal executive officer, the principal financial officer and the principal accounting officer, the "Covered Officers"). A copy of the code of ethics is filed as an exhibit to this Form N- CSR.

ITEM 3. AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT.

Frances G. Rathke and William K. Bacic are audit committee financial experts and are "independent", pursuant to general instructions on Form N-CSR Item 3.

ITEM 4. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES.

(a) Audit Fees

The aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered by the principal accountant for the audit of the registrant's annual financial statements or services that are normally provided by the accountant in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements amounted to $53,546 and $58,400 for the fiscal years ended July 31, 2026 and July 31, 2025, respectively. These fees were billed to the registrant and were approved by the registrant's audit committee.

(b) Audit-Related Services

Audit-related fees for assurance and related services by the principal accountant are billed to the registrant or to the registrant's investment adviser (not including any sub-adviser whose role is primarily portfolio management and is subcontracted with or overseen by another investment adviser), and any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the adviser ("control affiliates") that provides ongoing services to the registrant. The nature of the services provided was related to a software licensing fee. Amounts billed to the registrant were $12 and $12 for fiscal years ended July 31, 2026 and July 31, 2025, respectively.

(c) Tax Fees

The aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered by the principal accountant for tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning ("tax fees") amounted to $4,426 and $4,382 for the fiscal years ended July 31, 2026 and July 31, 2025, respectively. The nature of the services comprising the tax fees was the review of the registrant's tax returns and tax distribution requirements. These fees were billed to the registrant and were approved by the registrant's audit committee.

(d) All Other Fees

Other fees amounted to $678 and $0 for the fiscal years ended July 31, 2026 and July 31, 2025, respectively. The nature of the services comprising all other fees is advisory services provided to the investment manager. These fees were approved by the registrant's audit committee.

(e)(1) Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures

The registrant's Audit Committee must pre-approve all audit and non-audit services provided by the independent registered public accounting firm (the "Auditor") relating to the operations or financial reporting of the funds. Prior to the commencement of any audit or non-audit services to a fund, the Audit Committee reviews the services to determine whether they are appropriate and permissible under applicable law.

The registrant's Audit Committee has adopted policies and procedures to, among other purposes, provide a framework for the Committee's consideration of audit-related and non-audit services by the Auditor. The policies and procedures require that any audit- related and non-audit service provided by the Auditor and any non-audit service provided by the Auditor to a fund service provider that relates directly to the operations and financial reporting of a fund are subject to approval by the Audit Committee before such service is provided. Audit-related services provided by the Auditor that are expected to exceed $25,000 per instance/per fund are subject to specific pre-approval by the Audit Committee. Tax services provided by the Auditor that are expected to exceed $30,000 per instance/per fund are subject to specific pre-approval by the Audit Committee.

All audit services, as well as the audit-related and non-audit services that are expected to exceed the amounts stated above, must be approved in advance of provision of the service by formal resolution of the Audit Committee. At the regularly scheduled Audit Committee meetings, the Committee reviews a report summarizing the services, including fees, provided by the Auditor.

(e)(2) Services approved pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(i)(C) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X.

Audit-Related Fees, Tax Fees and All Other Fees

There were no amounts that were approved by the Audit Committee pursuant to the de minimis exception under Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X.

(f)According to the registrant's principal accountant for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2026, the percentage of hours spent on the audit of the registrant's financial statements for the most recent fiscal year that were attributed to work performed by persons who were not full-time, permanent employees of principal accountant was less than 50%.

(g)The aggregate non-audit fees billed by the registrant's principal accountant for non-audit services rendered to the registrant and rendered to the registrant's control affiliates were $1,266,346 for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2026 and $804,142 for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2025.

(h)The audit committee of the registrant has considered the non-audit services provided by the registrant's principal accountant to the control affiliates and has determined that the services that were not pre-approved are compatible with maintaining the principal accountant's independence.

(i)Not applicable.

(j)Not applicable.

ITEM 5. AUDIT COMMITTEE OF LISTED REGISTRANTS.

The registrant has a separately-designated standing audit committee comprised of independent trustees. The members of the audit committee are as follows:

Frances G. Rathke – Chairperson

William H. Cunningham - retired effective December 31, 2025

William K. Bacic

Thomas R. Wright - effective January 1, 2026

ITEM 6. SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS.

(a)Refer to information included in Item 1.

(b)Not applicable.

ITEM 7. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS FOR OPEN-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES.

Not applicable.

ITEM 8. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS FOR OPEN-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES.

Not applicable.

ITEM 9. PROXY DISCLOSURE FOR OPEN-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES.

Not applicable.

ITEM 10. REMUNERATION PAID TO DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, AND OTHERS OF OPEN-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES.

Not applicable.

ITEM 11. STATEMENT REGARDING BASIS FOR APPROVAL OF INVESTMENT ADVISORY CONTRACT.

Information included in Item 1, if applicable.

ITEM 12. DISCLOSURE OF PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES.

See attached exhibit "Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures".

ITEM 13. PORTFOLIO MANAGERS OF CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES.

Information about the portfolio managers

Management Biographies

Below is a list of the Manulife Investment Management (US) LLC (“Manulife IM (US)”) portfolio managers who share joint responsibility for the day-to-day investment management of the Fund. It provides a brief summary of their business careers over the past five years. The information provided is as of the filing date of this N-CSR.

Joseph H. Bozoyan, CFA

Portfolio Manager, Capital Appreciation, Manulife Investment Management

Joseph is a member of the capital appreciation team and the lead portfolio manager of the investment grade preferred income, U.S. preferred income, U.S. preferred dividend, and U.S. tax-advantaged dividend strategies. He also conducts fundamental research on the utilities sector for all large-cap equity and thematic-based strategies managed by the team. Previously, he was a managing director and senior investment analyst on the company’s intrinsic value team, providing dedicated research for all strategies managed by that team. Prior to joining the firm, Joe was a senior equity analyst at Ironwood Investment Management on small-, SMID, and all-cap portfolios; earlier in his career, he was an equity analyst at companies such as Evergreen Investments, RCM, and Sun Life. Joe holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a member of the CFA Society Boston.

Education: B.S., Finance, Providence College; M.B.A., Boston College, Carroll School of Management

Joined the company: 2011

Began career: 1993

James Gearhart, CFA Managing Director and Associate Portfolio Manager

Portfolio Manager, Capital Appreciation, Manulife Investment Management

James is a member of the capital appreciation team and portfolio manager of the investment grade preferred income, U.S. preferred income, U.S. preferred dividend, and U.S. tax-advantaged dividend strategies. He also conducts fundamental research on the utilities sector for all large-cap equity and thematic-based strategies managed by the team. Previously, he provided research coverage for the technology, media, entertainment, and cable industries for Manulife’s fixed-income strategies. Prior to joining the firm, James was a credit research analyst with Loomis, Sayles & Co. and, before that, he was with Fitch Ratings as a corporate credit analyst. He started his career with UBS Asset Management as an equity research intern. James holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a member of the CFA Society Boston.

Education: B.A., Economics, B.B.A., Finance, Radford University; M.Sc., Finance, University of Rochester–Simon Business School

Joined the company: 2015

Began career: 2011

Other Accounts the Portfolio Managers are Managing

The table below indicates for each portfolio manager information about the accounts over which the portfolio manager has day-to-day investment responsibility. All information on the number of accounts and total assets in the table is as of July 31, 2026. For purposes of the table, “Other Pooled Investment Vehicles” may include investment partnerships and group trusts, and “Other Accounts” may include separate accounts for institutions or individuals, insurance company general or separate accounts, pension funds and other similar institutional accounts.

MANAGER NAME	OTHER ACCOUNTS MANAGED BY THE PORTFOLIO MANAGER
Joseph H. Bozoyan, CFA	Other Registered Investment Companies: Approximately $4
	billion – 5 accounts
	Other Pooled Investment Vehicles: Approximately $599 million
	– 8 accounts
	Other Accounts: Approximately $35 million – 1 account
James Gearhart, CFA	Other Registered Investment Companies: Approximately $4 –
	5 accounts Other Pooled Investment Vehicles: Approximately
	$507 million – 7 accounts
	Other Accounts: Approximately $35 million – 1 account

Number and value of accounts within the total accounts that are subject to a performance- based advisory fee: None.

Conflicts of Interest. When a portfolio manager is responsible for the management of more than one account, the potential arises for the portfolio manager to favor one account over another. The principal types of potential conflicts of interest that may arise are discussed below. For the reasons outlined below, the Fund does not believe that any material conflicts are likely to arise out of a portfolio manager’s responsibility for the management of the Fund as well as one or more other accounts. The Advisor and Subadvisor have adopted procedures that are intended to monitor compliance with the policies referred to in the following paragraphs. Generally, the risks of such conflicts of interests are increased to the extent that a portfolio manager has a financial incentive to favor one account over another. The Advisor and Subadvisor have structured their compensation arrangements in a manner that is intended to limit such potential for conflicts of interests. See “Compensation of Portfolio Managers” below.

•A portfolio manager could favor one account over another in allocating new investment opportunities that have limited supply, such as initial public offerings and private placements. If, for example, an initial public offering that was expected to appreciate in value significantly shortly after the offering was allocated to a single account, that account may be expected to have better investment performance than other accounts that did not receive an allocation on the initial public offering. The Subadvisor has policies that require a portfolio manager to allocate such investment opportunities in an equitable manner and generally to allocate such investments proportionately among all accounts with similar investment objectives.

•A portfolio manager could favor one account over another in the order in which trades for the accounts are placed. If a portfolio manager determines to purchase a security for more than one account in an aggregate amount that may influence the market price of the security, accounts that purchased or sold the security first may receive a more favorable price than accounts that made subsequent transactions. The less liquid the market for the security or the greater the percentage that the proposed aggregate purchases or sales represent of average daily trading volume, the greater the potential for accounts that make subsequent purchases or sales to receive a less favorable price. When a portfolio manager intends to trade the same security for more than one account, the policies of the Subadvisor generally require that such trades be “bunched,” which means that the trades for the individual accounts are aggregated and each account receives the same price. There are some types of accounts as to which bunching may not be possible for contractual reasons (such as directed brokerage arrangements). Circumstances may also arise where the trader believes that bunching the orders may not result in the best possible price. Where those accounts or circumstances are involved, the Subadvisor will place the order in a manner intended to result in as favorable a price as possible for such client.

•A portfolio manager could favor an account if the portfolio manager’s compensation is tied to the performance of that account rather than all accounts managed by the portfolio manager. If, for example, the portfolio manager receives a bonus based upon the

performance of certain accounts relative to a benchmark while other accounts are disregarded for this purpose, the portfolio manager will have a financial incentive to seek to have the accounts that determine the portfolio manager’s bonus achieve the best possible performance to the possible detriment of other accounts. Similarly, if the Subadvisor receives a performance-based advisory fee, the portfolio manager may favor that account, whether or not the performance of that account directly determines the portfolio manager’s compensation. The investment performance on specific accounts is not a factor in determining the portfolio manager’s compensation. See “Compensation of Portfolio Managers” below. Neither the Advisor nor the Subadvisor receives a performance-based fee with respect to any of the accounts managed by the portfolio managers.

•A portfolio manager could favor an account if the portfolio manager has a beneficial interest in the account, in order to benefit a large client or to compensate a client that had poor returns. For example, if the portfolio manager held an interest in an investment partnership that was one of the accounts managed by the portfolio manager, the portfolio manager would have an economic incentive to favor the account in which the portfolio manager held an interest. The Subadvisor imposes certain trading restrictions and reporting requirements for accounts in which a portfolio manager or certain family members have a personal interest in order to confirm that such accounts are not favored over other accounts.

•If the different accounts have materially and potentially conflicting investment objectives or strategies, a conflict of interest may arise. For example, if a portfolio manager purchases a security for one account and sells the same security short for another account, such trading pattern could disadvantage either the account that is long or short. In making portfolio manager assignments, the Subadvisor seeks to avoid such potentially conflicting situations. However, where a portfolio manager is responsible for accounts with differing investment objectives and policies, it is possible that the portfolio manager will conclude that it is in the best interest of one account to sell a portfolio security while another account continues to hold or increase the holding in such security.

Compensation of Portfolio Managers. The Subadvisor has adopted a system of compensation for portfolio managers and others involved in the investment process that is applied systematically among investment professionals. At the Subadvisor, the structure of compensation of investment professionals is currently composed of the following basic components: base salary and an annual investment bonus plan as well as customary benefits that are offered generally to all full- time employees of the Subadvisor. The following describes each component of the compensation package for the individuals identified as a portfolio manager for the Funds.

•Base salary. Base compensation is fixed and normally reevaluated on an annual basis. The Subadvisor seeks to set compensation at market rates, taking into account the experience and responsibilities of the investment professional.

•Investment Bonus Plan. Only investment professionals are eligible to participate in the Investment Bonus Plan. Under the plan, investment professionals are eligible for an annual bonus. The plan is intended to provide a competitive level of annual bonus compensation that is tied to the investment professional achieving superior investment performance and aligns the financial incentives of the Subadvisor and the investment professional. Any bonus under the plan is completely discretionary, with a maximum annual bonus that may be well in excess of base salary. Payout of a portion of this bonus may be deferred for up to five years. While the amount of any bonus is discretionary, the following factors are generally used in determining bonuses under the plan:

•Investment Performance: The investment performance of all accounts managed by the investment professional over one- and three- and five-year periods are

considered, and no specific benchmark is used to measure performance. With respect to fixed income accounts, relative yields are also used to measure performance.

•The Profitability of the Subadvisor: The profitability of the Subadvisor and its parent company are also considered in determining bonus awards.

•Non-Investment Performance: To a lesser extent, intangible contributions, including the investment professional’s support of client service and sales activities, new fund/strategy idea generation, professional growth and development, and management, where applicable, are also evaluated when determining bonus awards.

•In addition to the above, compensation may also include a revenue component for an investment team derived from a number of factors including, but not limited to, client assets under management, investment performance, and firm metrics.

•Options and Stock Grants. Investment professionals may receive restricted share units, where the investment professional is entitled to receive restricted share units as part of the system of compensation, restricted share units are forgone if the investment professional’s employment is terminated prior to a vesting date.

•Deferred Incentives. Investment professionals may receive deferred incentives which are fully invested in strategies managed by the team/individuals as well as other Manulife Asset Management strategies.

The Subadvisor also permits investment professionals to participate on a voluntary basis in a deferred compensation plan, under which the investment professional may elect on an annual basis to defer receipt of a portion of their compensation until retirement. Participation in the plan is voluntary.

Share Ownership by Portfolio Managers. For purposes of these tables, “similarly managed accounts” include all accounts that are managed (i) by the same portfolio managers that are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund; and (ii) with an investment style, objective, policies and strategies substantially similar to those that are used to manage the Fund.

	Range of	Range of Beneficial
	Beneficial	Ownership in
	Ownership in the	Similarly Managed
Portfolio Manager	Fund	Accounts

Joseph H. Bozoyan, CFA	$10,001 -$50,000	$10,001 -$50,000
	James Gearhart, CFA	None	$1 -$10,000

ITEM 14. PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANY AND AFFILIATED PURCHASERS.

(a) Not applicable.

ITEM 15. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS.

No material changes.

ITEM 16. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.

(a)Based upon their evaluation of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures as conducted within 90 days of the filing date of this Form N-CSR, the registrant's principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded that those disclosure controls and procedures provide reasonable assurance that the material information required to be disclosed by the registrant on this report is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission's rules and forms.

(b)There were no changes in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by this report that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's internal control over financial reporting.

ITEM 17. DISCLOSURE OF SECURITIES LENDING ACTIVITIES FOR CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES.

The Fund did not participate directly in securities lending activities. See Note 7 to financial statements in Item 1.

ITEM 18. RECOVERY OF ERRONEOUSLY AWARDED COMPENSATION.

Not applicable.

ITEM 19. EXHIBITS.

(a)(1) Code of Ethics for Covered Officers is attached.

(a)(2) Not applicable.

(a)(3) Separate certifications for the registrant's principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as required by Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and Rule 30a-2(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, are attached.

(b)Separate certifications for the registrant's principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as required by 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and Rule 30a-2(b) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, are attached. The certifications furnished pursuant to this paragraph are not deemed to be "filed" for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or otherwise subject to the liability of that section. Such certifications are not deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, except to the extent that the Registrant specifically incorporates them by reference.

(c)(1) Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures are attached.

(c)(2) Registrant’s notice to shareholders pursuant to Registrant’s exemptive order granting an exemption from Section 19(b) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended and Rule 19b-1 thereunder regarding distributions made pursuant to the Registrant’s Managed Distribution Plan.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III

By:	/s/ Kristie M. Feinberg
	------------------------------
	Kristie M. Feinberg
	President,
	Principal Executive Officer
Date:	September 23, 2026

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

By:	/s/ Kristie M. Feinberg
	------------------------------
	Kristie M. Feinberg
	President,
	Principal Executive Officer
Date:	September 23, 2026
By:	/s/ Fernando A. Silva
	---------------------------
	Fernando A. Silva
	Chief Financial Officer,
	Principal Financial Officer
Date:	September 23, 2026