Federated Hermes (NYSE:FHI) Sets New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Federated Hermes, Inc. (NYSE:FHI) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $58.60 and last traded at $57.4080, with a volume of 131340 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $56.79.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Federated Hermes in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Federated Hermes from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Federated Hermes in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Argus raised shares of Federated Hermes to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Federated Hermes from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $55.00.

Federated Hermes Stock Performance

The business’s fifty day moving average is $55.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $52.87. The company has a quick ratio of 2.30, a current ratio of 2.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.37 billion, a PE ratio of 11.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.67.

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

Federated Hermes Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th were paid a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. Federated Hermes’s payout ratio is presently 26.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Federated Hermes news, VP Paul A. Uhlman sold 72,392 shares of Federated Hermes stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.23, for a total transaction of $4,070,602.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 263,987 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,843,989.01. The trade was a 21.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 4.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its stake in Federated Hermes by 24.2% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 996 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 194 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Federated Hermes by 8.3% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,734 shares of the company’s stock worth $142,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the period. MAI Capital Management boosted its stake in Federated Hermes by 86.7% during the third quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 476 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 221 shares during the period. RiverFront Investment Group LLC boosted its stake in Federated Hermes by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. RiverFront Investment Group LLC now owns 5,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $299,000 after buying an additional 256 shares during the period. Finally, Advyzon Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Federated Hermes by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Advyzon Investment Management LLC now owns 4,594 shares of the company’s stock worth $239,000 after buying an additional 259 shares during the period. 75.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Federated Hermes Company Profile

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.