Federated Hermes (NYSE:FHI) Hits New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Federated Hermes, Inc. (NYSE:FHI) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $59.05 and last traded at $58.2740, with a volume of 30559 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $58.30.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FHI has been the topic of several recent research reports. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Federated Hermes in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Federated Hermes from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. Argus upgraded Federated Hermes to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $55.00 price target (up from $54.00) on shares of Federated Hermes in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Federated Hermes in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $55.00.

Federated Hermes Trading Down 0.1%

The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $55.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $53.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.32, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.75 and a quick ratio of 2.30.

Federated Hermes (NYSE:FHI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $482.83 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $468.45 million. Federated Hermes had a return on equity of 34.25% and a net margin of 22.40%.Federated Hermes’s revenue was up 13.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.04 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Federated Hermes, Inc. will post 4.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Federated Hermes Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th were given a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Federated Hermes’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.46%.

Insider Activity at Federated Hermes

In other news, VP Paul A. Uhlman sold 72,392 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.23, for a total transaction of $4,070,602.16. Following the sale, the vice president owned 263,987 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,843,989.01. This trade represents a 21.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 4.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Federated Hermes

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FHI. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Federated Hermes by 24.2% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 996 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Federated Hermes by 16.7% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 95,647 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,980,000 after purchasing an additional 13,686 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Federated Hermes by 220.8% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 863 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 594 shares in the last quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Federated Hermes by 24.3% in the fourth quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 64,207 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,343,000 after purchasing an additional 12,562 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Federated Hermes in the fourth quarter valued at about $212,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.94% of the company’s stock.

About Federated Hermes

Federated Hermes, Inc is a global investment manager that provides a range of asset management solutions to institutional and individual investors. The company offers active strategies across equity, fixed income, multi-asset, liquidity, and alternative investments. Through its suite of mutual funds, separate accounts and collective investment vehicles, Federated Hermes seeks to deliver performance-driven outcomes aligned with client objectives and risk tolerances.

In addition to traditional investment management, Federated Hermes has developed specialized capabilities in sustainability and responsible investing, integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) research into its investment process.