UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-Q

QUARTERLY SCHEDULE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS OF REGISTERED
MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Investment Company Act file number 811- 21202

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II
(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

601 Congress Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

Salvatore Schiavone, Treasurer

601 Congress Street

Boston, Massachusetts 02210

(Name and address of agent for service)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: 617-663-4497

Date of fiscal year end: July 31
   
Date of reporting period: October 31, 2018


ITEM 1. SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS



John Hancock

Preferred Income Fund II

Quarterly portfolio holdings 10/31/18

jhnq_logo.jpg


Fund’s investments  
As of 10-31-18 (unaudited)
        Shares Value
Preferred securities (A) 125.0% (80.6% of Total investments)     $532,399,798
(Cost $542,245,773)          
Communication services 11.6%       49,412,153
Diversified telecommunication services 3.6%        
Qwest Corp., 6.125%       30,000 642,300
Qwest Corp., 6.500%       110,790 2,444,027
Qwest Corp., 6.750%       220,000 5,088,600
Qwest Corp., 6.875%       98,796 2,390,863
Verizon Communications, Inc., 5.900% (B)       185,000 4,708,250
Wireless telecommunication services 8.0%        
Telephone & Data Systems, Inc., 6.625% (B)       168,297 3,978,541
Telephone & Data Systems, Inc., 6.875% (B)(C)       115,519 2,882,199
Telephone & Data Systems, Inc., 7.000%       283,000 7,145,750
United States Cellular Corp., 6.950% (B)(C)       673,600 16,853,472
United States Cellular Corp., 7.250%       129,725 3,278,151
Consumer staples 3.2%       13,520,000
Food and staples retailing 3.2%        
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., 6.250% (D)       160,000 13,520,000
Energy 1.2%       5,182,800
Oil, gas and consumable fuels 1.2%        
Enbridge, Inc., Series B (6.375% to 4-15-23, then 3 month LIBOR + 3.593%)       210,000 5,182,800
Financials 47.4%       202,016,262
Banks 25.3%        
Bank of America Corp., 6.500% (B)       180,000 4,629,600
Bank of America Corp., 6.625%       31,922 823,907
Barclays Bank PLC, 8.125%       265,000 6,725,700
BB&T Corp. (Callable 12-3-18), 5.200% (B)(C)       326,250 7,839,788
BB&T Corp., 5.625% (B)       474,675 11,563,083
Citigroup Capital XIII (3 month LIBOR + 6.370%), 8.890% (B)(E)       50,000 1,323,500
Citigroup, Inc., 6.875% (B)       60,000 1,539,000
Citigroup, Inc. (7.125% to 9-30-23, then 3 month LIBOR + 4.040%) (B)       300,564 8,193,375
JPMorgan Chase & Co., 5.450% (B)       60,000 1,480,200
JPMorgan Chase & Co., 6.100% (B)       276,500 6,995,450
JPMorgan Chase & Co., 6.125% (B)       501,419 12,655,816
JPMorgan Chase & Co., 6.300% (B)       30,000 760,800
MB Financial, Inc., 6.000%       150,000 3,777,000
Synovus Financial Corp. (6.300% to 6-21-23, then 3 month LIBOR + 3.352%)       164,500 4,202,975
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., 5.375% (B)       70,000 1,726,900
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (6.125% to 5-1-22, then 3 month LIBOR + 4.067%) (B)       145,000 3,820,750
U.S. Bancorp (6.500% to 1-15-22, then 3 month LIBOR + 4.468%) (B)(C)       570,000 15,395,700
Wells Fargo & Company, 6.000% (B)       250,000 6,372,500
Wells Fargo & Company (6.625% to 3-15-24, then 3 month LIBOR + 3.690%) (B)       269,225 7,406,380
Western Alliance Bancorp, 6.250%       20,000 495,200
Capital markets 7.9%        
Deutsche Bank Contingent Capital Trust II, 6.550%       5,500 138,270
Morgan Stanley, 6.625% (B)       175,000 4,469,500
Morgan Stanley (6.375% to 10-15-24, then 3 month LIBOR + 3.708%)       125,000 3,272,500
Morgan Stanley (6.875% to 1-15-24, then 3 month LIBOR + 3.940%)       86,000 2,305,660
Morgan Stanley (7.125% to 10-15-23, then 3 month LIBOR + 4.320%) (B)       405,472 11,057,221
2 JOHN HANCOCK PREFERRED INCOME FUND II |QUARTERLY REPORT SEE NOTES TO FUND'S INVESTMENTS

 

        Shares Value
Financials (continued)        
Capital markets (continued)        
State Street Corp., 5.250% (B)       45,000 $1,081,350
State Street Corp., 6.000% (B)(C)       445,000 11,311,900
Consumer finance 2.6%        
Capital One Financial Corp., 6.200%       195,395 4,984,526
Capital One Financial Corp., 6.700%       52,925 1,373,404
Navient Corp., 6.000% (B)       244,271 4,946,488
Insurance 11.5%        
Aegon NV, 6.375% (B)       392,498 9,930,199
Aegon NV, 6.500% (B)(C)       220,000 5,616,600
Assurant, Inc., 6.500%       15,000 1,584,750
Prudential Financial, Inc., 5.750% (B)(C)       160,000 3,979,200
Prudential PLC, 6.500% (B)(C)       103,000 2,636,796
The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (7.875% to 4-15-22, then 3 month LIBOR + 5.596%) (B)       46,750 1,285,158
The Phoenix Companies, Inc., 7.450% (B)       216,500 3,608,341
Unum Group, 6.250%       127,500 3,193,875
W.R. Berkley Corp., 5.625% (B)(C)       740,000 17,064,400
Thrifts and mortgage finance 0.1%        
Federal National Mortgage Association, Series S, 8.250% (F)       75,000 448,500
Industrials 2.3%       9,622,180
Machinery 2.3%        
Stanley Black & Decker, Inc., 5.750% (B)       385,504 9,622,180
Real estate 15.1%       64,251,796
Equity real estate investment trusts 15.1%        
American Homes 4 Rent, Series D, 6.500%       30,000 717,600
American Homes 4 Rent, Series E, 6.350%       35,000 827,050
American Homes 4 Rent, Series F, 5.875%       146,511 3,267,195
American Homes 4 Rent, Series G, 5.875%       117,500 2,599,100
Crown Castle International Corp., Series A, 6.875% (B)(C)       19,200 20,054,673
Digital Realty Trust, Inc., 6.350%       922 23,760
Digital Realty Trust, Inc., 6.625%       10,925 286,672
Digital Realty Trust, Inc., 7.375%       29,592 754,300
Federal Realty Investment Trust, Series C, 5.000% (B)       80,000 1,894,400
Kimco Realty Corp., 6.000% (B)(C)       315,396 7,859,668
Public Storage, 5.200% (B)       255,000 5,826,750
Public Storage, 5.375%       21,275 497,622
Senior Housing Properties Trust, 5.625% (B)(C)       683,020 14,883,006
Ventas Realty LP, 5.450% (B)       200,000 4,760,000
Utilities 44.2%       188,394,607
Electric utilities 22.5%        
Alabama Power Company, 5.000% (B)       157,550 3,934,024
Duke Energy Corp., 5.125% (B)(C)       731,624 17,120,002
Entergy Louisiana LLC, 5.250% (B)       220,000 5,247,000
HECO Capital Trust III, 6.500% (B)       187,750 4,937,825
Interstate Power & Light Company, 5.100% (B)       158,837 4,061,462
NextEra Energy Capital Holdings, Inc., 5.125% (B)(C)       80,000 1,825,600
NextEra Energy, Inc., 6.123% (B)(C)       308,000 17,864,000
NSTAR Electric Company, 4.780%       15,143 1,484,014
PPL Capital Funding, Inc., 5.900% (B)       855,000 21,323,700
SCE Trust II, 5.100% (B)(C)       446,444 9,576,224
SEE NOTES TO FUND'S INVESTMENTS QUARTERLY REPORT |JOHN HANCOCK PREFERRED INCOME FUND II 3

 

        Shares Value
Utilities (continued)        
Electric utilities (continued)        
SCE Trust III (5.750% to 3-15-24, then 3 month LIBOR + 2.990%) (B)       20,000 $502,600
The Southern Company, 6.250% (B)       310,000 7,932,900
Gas utilities 1.5%        
South Jersey Industries, Inc., 7.250%       127,200 6,395,616
Multi-utilities 20.2%        
Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. (6.875% to 10-17-23, then 3 month LIBOR + 3.677%)       314,400 8,023,488
CenterPoint Energy, Inc., 7.000%       158,000 7,839,960
CMS Energy Corp., 5.625% (B)       190,000 4,579,000
Dominion Energy, Inc., 6.750% (B)(C)       609,667 29,233,533
DTE Energy Company, 5.250% (B)(C)       424,477 9,975,210
DTE Energy Company, 5.250% (B)       160,000 3,664,000
DTE Energy Company, 6.000% (B)       76,475 1,983,762
DTE Energy Company, 6.500% (B)       149,200 7,956,836
Integrys Holding, Inc. (6.000% to 8-1-23, then 3 month LIBOR + 3.220%) (B)       237,872 5,996,753
Sempra Energy, 6.000%       41,200 4,085,392
Sempra Energy, 6.750%       28,600 2,851,706
Common stocks 9.9% (6.4% of Total investments)     $42,040,370
(Cost $38,428,376)          
Communication services 0.7%       3,096,000
Diversified telecommunication services 0.7%        
CenturyLink, Inc. (B)(C)       150,000 3,096,000
Energy 9.2%       38,944,370
Oil, gas and consumable fuels 9.2%        
BP PLC, ADR (B)       226,000 9,801,620
Kinder Morgan, Inc.       441,453 7,513,529
ONEOK, Inc. (B)       177,500 11,644,000
Royal Dutch Shell PLC, ADR, Class A (B)       158,019 9,985,221
    
  Rate (%) Maturity date   Par value^ Value
Corporate bonds 18.2% (11.7% of Total investments)     $77,528,783
(Cost $79,558,492)          
Consumer discretionary 1.7%       7,078,125
Automobiles 1.7%        
General Motors Financial Company, Inc. (6.500% to 9-30-28, then 3 month LIBOR + 3.436%) (B)(G) 6.500 09-30-28   7,500,000 7,078,125
Energy 1.6%       6,802,250
Oil, gas and consumable fuels 1.6%        
Energy Transfer Operating LP (3 month LIBOR + 3.018%) (B)(E) 5.361 11-01-66   8,050,000 6,802,250
Financials 12.1%       51,501,233
Banks 8.5%        
Barclays PLC (7.750% to 9-15-23, then 5 Year U.S. Swap Rate + 4.842%) (G) 7.750 09-15-23   3,000,000 2,993,100
BNP Paribas SA (7.375% to 8-19-25, then 5 Year U.S. Swap Rate + 5.150%) (B)(G) 7.375 08-19-25   6,800,000 6,987,000
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (6.000% to 7-6-23, then 3 month LIBOR + 3.003%) (G) 6.000 07-06-23   2,750,000 2,722,500
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (6.375% to 4-6-24, then 3 month LIBOR + 3.157%) (G) 6.375 04-06-24   4,000,000 3,999,540
HSBC Holdings PLC (6.500% to 3-23-28, then 5 Year U.S. ISDAFIX + 3.606%) (B)(G) 6.500 03-23-28   6,500,000 6,101,875
4 JOHN HANCOCK PREFERRED INCOME FUND II |QUARTERLY REPORT SEE NOTES TO FUND'S INVESTMENTS

 

  Rate (%) Maturity date   Par value^ Value
Financials (continued)        
Banks (continued)        
Huntington Bancshares, Inc. (5.700% to 4-15-23, then 3 month LIBOR + 2.880%) (G) 5.700 04-15-23   2,000,000 $1,960,000
Lloyds Banking Group PLC (7.500% to 6-27-24, then 5 Year U.S. Swap Rate + 4.760%) (G) 7.500 06-27-24   6,000,000 6,052,500
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC (8.000% to 8-10-25, then 5 Year U.S. Swap Rate + 5.720%) (G) 8.000 08-10-25   3,175,000 3,276,203
Wells Fargo & Company (5.900% to 6-15-24, then 3 month LIBOR + 3.110%) (B)(G) 5.900 06-15-24   2,000,000 2,004,940
Capital markets 1.3%        
Credit Suisse Group AG (7.250% to 9-12-25, then 5 Year U.S. Swap Rate + 4.332%) (D)(G) 7.250 09-12-25   2,400,000 2,373,000
Credit Suisse Group AG (7.500% to 7-17-23, then 5 Year U.S. Swap Rate + 4.600%) (D)(G) 7.500 07-17-23   3,290,000 3,347,575
Consumer finance 1.1%        
Discover Financial Services (5.500% to 10-30-27, then 3 month LIBOR + 3.076%) (G) 5.500 10-30-27   5,000,000 4,725,000
Insurance 1.2%        
MetLife, Inc. (5.875% to 3-15-28, then 3 month LIBOR + 2.959%) (B)(G) 5.875 03-15-28   4,000,000 3,990,000
Prudential Financial, Inc. (5.700% to 9-15-28, then 3 month LIBOR + 2.665%) 5.700 09-15-48   1,000,000 968,000
Utilities 2.8%       12,147,175
Electric utilities 0.9%        
Southern California Edison Company (6.250% to 2-1-22, then 3 month LIBOR + 4.199%) (B)(G) 6.250 02-01-22   4,000,000 4,120,000
Multi-utilities 1.9%        
CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (6.125% to 9-1-23, then 3 month LIBOR + 3.270%) (B)(G) 6.125 09-01-23   6,500,000 6,556,875
NiSource, Inc. (5.650% to 6-15-23, then 5 Year CMT + 2.843%) (B)(D)(G) 5.650 06-15-23   1,500,000 1,470,300
Capital preferred securities (H) 1.3% (0.9% of Total investments)     $5,674,935
(Cost $5,574,000)          
Utilities 1.3%       5,674,935
Multi-utilities 1.3%        
Dominion Resources Capital Trust III 8.400 01-15-31   5,000,000 5,674,935
    
  Yield* (%) Maturity date   Par value^ Value
Short-term investments 0.7% (0.4% of Total investments)     $2,959,000
(Cost $2,959,000)          
U.S. Government Agency 0.7%       2,831,000
Federal Home Loan Bank Discount Note 2.050 11-01-18   2,831,000 2,831,000
    
        Par value^ Value
Repurchase agreement 0.0%         128,000
Repurchase Agreement with State Street Corp. dated 10-31-18 at 1.050% to be repurchased at $128,004 on 11-1-18, collateralized by $135,000 U.S. Treasury Notes, 2.625% due 6-15-21 (valued at $135,466, including interest)       128,000 128,000
Total investments (Cost $668,765,641) 155.1%       $660,602,886
Other assets and liabilities, net (55.1%)       (234,755,845)
Total net assets 100.0%         $425,847,041
    
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.
SEE NOTES TO FUND'S INVESTMENTS QUARTERLY REPORT |JOHN HANCOCK PREFERRED INCOME FUND II 5

 

Security Abbreviations and Legend
ADR American Depositary Receipt
CMT Constant Maturity Treasury
ISDAFIX International Swaps and Derivatives Association Fixed Interest Rate Swap Rate
LIBOR London Interbank Offered 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 pledged as collateral pursuant to the Credit Facility Agreement. Total collateral value at 10-31-18 was $486,542,825. A portion of the securities pledged as collateral were loaned pursuant to the Credit Facility Agreement. The value of securities on loan amounted to $200,685,270.
(C) All or a portion of this security is on loan as of 10-31-18, and is a component of the fund's leverage under the Credit Facility Agreement.
(D) These securities are 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.
(E) Variable rate obligation. The coupon rate shown represents the rate at period end.
(F) Non-income producing security.
(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.
* Yield represents either the annualized yield at the date of purchase, the stated coupon rate or, for floating rate securities, the rate at period end.
The fund had the following country composition as a percentage of total investments on 10-31-18:
United States 86.5%
United Kingdom 5.7%
Netherlands 3.9%
Canada 2.0%
France 1.0%
Other countries 0.9%
TOTAL 100.0%
6 JOHN HANCOCK PREFERRED INCOME FUND II |QUARTERLY REPORT SEE NOTES TO FUND'S INVESTMENTS

 

DERIVATIVES
FUTURES
Open contracts Number of
contracts
Position Expiration
date
Notional
basis*
Notional
value*
Unrealized
appreciation
(depreciation)
10-Year U.S. Treasury Note Futures 520 Short Dec 2018 $(62,516,730) $(61,587,500) $929,230
            $929,230
* Notional basis refers to the contractual amount agreed upon at inception of open contracts; notional value represents the current value of the open contract.
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 60,000,000 USD Fixed 2.136% USD 3 Month LIBOR BBA(a) Semi-Annual Quarterly Oct 2022 $2,236,201 $2,236,201
                $2,236,201 $2,236,201
    
(a) At 10-31-18, the 3 month LIBOR was 2.559%
    
Derivatives Currency Abbreviations
USD U.S. Dollar
    
Derivatives Abbreviations
BBA The British Banker's Association
LIBOR London Interbank Offered Rate
OTC is an abbreviation for over-the-counter. See Notes to Fund's investments regarding investment transactions and other derivatives information.
SEE NOTES TO FUND'S INVESTMENTS QUARTERLY REPORT |JOHN HANCOCK PREFERRED INCOME FUND II 7

Notes to Fund's investments (unaudited)

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 may be determined as of the regularly scheduled close of the NYSE pursuant to the fund's Valuation Policies and Procedures.

In order to value the securities, the fund uses the following valuation techniques: Equity securities held by the fund 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. Debt obligations are valued based on the evaluated prices provided by an independent pricing vendor or from broker-dealers. 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 valued using evaluated prices obtained from an independent pricing vendor. Futures contracts are typically valued at settlement prices, which are the official closing prices published by the exchange on which they trade.

In certain instances, the Pricing Committee 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 fund's Pricing Committee following procedures established 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. 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 valued using significant unobservable inputs when market prices are not readily available or reliable, including the fund's own 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 October 31, 2018, by major security category or type:

           
  Total
value at
10-31-18
Level 1
quoted
price
Level 2
significant
observable
inputs
Level 3
significant
unobservable
inputs
Investments in securities:        
Assets        
Preferred securities        
  Communication services $49,412,153 $49,412,153
  Consumer staples 13,520,000 $13,520,000
  Energy 5,182,800 5,182,800
  Financials 202,016,262 198,407,921 3,608,341
  Industrials 9,622,180 9,622,180
  Real estate 64,251,796 44,197,123 20,054,673
  Utilities 188,394,607 175,976,015 12,418,592
Common stocks 42,040,370 42,040,370
Corporate bonds 77,528,783 77,528,783
Capital preferred securities 5,674,935 5,674,935
Short-term investments 2,959,000 2,959,000
Total investments in securities $660,602,886 $524,838,562 $135,764,324
Derivatives:        
Assets        
Futures $929,230 $929,230
Swap contracts 2,236,201 $2,236,201

Repurchase agreements. The fund may enter into repurchase agreements. When the fund enters into a repurchase agreement, it receives collateral that is held in a segregated account by the fund's custodian. The collateral amount is marked-to-market and monitored on a daily basis to ensure that the collateral held is in an amount not less than the principal amount of the repurchase agreement plus any accrued interest. Collateral received by the fund for repurchase agreements is disclosed in the Fund's investments as part of the caption related to the repurchase agreement.

       8


Repurchase agreements are typically governed by the terms and conditions of the Master Repurchase Agreement and/or Global Master Repurchase Agreement (collectively, MRA). Upon an event of default, the non-defaulting party may close out all transactions traded under the MRA and net amounts owed. Absent an event of default, assets and liabilities resulting from repurchase agreements are not offset. In the event of a default by the counterparty, realization of the collateral proceeds could be delayed, during which time the collateral value may decline or the counterparty may have insufficient assets to pay back claims resulting from close-out of the transactions.

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.

Futures. A futures contract is a contractual agreement to buy or sell a particular currency or financial instrument at a pre-determined price in the future. Risks related to the use of futures contracts include possible illiquidity of the futures markets and contract prices that can be highly volatile and imperfectly correlated to movements in the underlying financial instrument. Use of long futures contracts subjects the funds to the risk of loss up to the notional value of the futures contracts. Use of short futures contracts subjects the funds to unlimited risk of loss.

During the period ended October 31, 2018, the fund used futures contracts to manage against anticipated interest rate changes.

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. Swap agreements are privately negotiated in the OTC market 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 unrealized appreciation/depreciation of swap contracts. 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. The value of the swap will typically impose collateral posting obligations on the party that is considered out-of-the-money on the swap.

During the period ended October 31, 2018, the fund used interest rate swaps to manage against anticipated interest rate changes.

For additional information on the fund's significant accounting policies, please refer to the fund's most recent semiannual or annual shareholder report.

       9


More information

     
How to contact us
Internet www.jhinvestments.com  
Mail Computershare
P.O. Box 30170
College Station, TX 77842-3170
 
Phone Customer service representatives
Portfolio commentary
24-hour automated information
TDD line
800-852-0218
800-344-7054
800-843-0090
800-231-5469

     
  P11Q1 10/18
This report is for the information of the shareholders of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II.   12/18


ITEM 2. 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-Q, the registrant's principal executive officer and principal accounting 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 registrant's last fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's internal control over financial reporting.

ITEM 3. EXHIBITS.
Separate certifications for the registrant's principal executive officer and principal accounting officer, as required by Rule 30a-2(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, are attached.


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 II

By:     /s/ Andrew Arnott
Andrew Arnott
President
 
Date:     December 18, 2018

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/ Andrew Arnott
Andrew Arnott
President
 
Date:     December 18, 2018

By:     /s/ Charles A. Rizzo
Charles A. Rizzo
Chief Financial Officer
 
Date:     December 18, 2018