Last Update 24 Oct 25
Analysts raised their price target for Federated Hermes to $55 from $48, citing a stronger outlook because of continued momentum in stock and bond markets and improving industry organic growth.
Analyst Commentary
Recent updates from the analyst community highlight both positive factors and areas of caution for Federated Hermes as the company continues to navigate evolving market conditions.
Bullish Takeaways- Bullish analysts point to the firm’s improved outlook for equity organic growth, supported by better-than-expected equity net flows.
- The momentum in both stock and bond markets over the summer has contributed to a positive environment for traditional asset managers, benefitting Federated Hermes’ performance and valuation potential.
- Industry organic growth remains solid and has improved for four consecutive months, signaling healthy sector dynamics for asset managers.
- Recent upward price target revisions reflect confidence in execution and the sustainability of favorable trends in assets under management (AUM) and flows.
- Bearish analysts remain measured in their outlook and maintain cautious ratings on the shares even as they raise price targets, suggesting ongoing scrutiny of execution risks.
- Uncertainty remains around the sustainability of industry organic growth if market conditions soften or if the pace of net flows moderates.
- Some analysts emphasize the need for Federated Hermes to demonstrate continued improvement in AUM growth to justify higher valuations.
What's in the News
- Federated Hermes introduced the Enhanced Income ETF (CBOE: PAYR), designed to provide consistent monthly cash flow and manage risk for income-oriented investors. The fund invests in high-dividend-paying stocks and uses an options overlay strategy (Key Developments).
- The Enhanced Income ETF is managed by two of Federated Hermes' most experienced teams, showing the firm's focus on active ETF management across multiple strategies (Key Developments).
- Federated Hermes launched the MDT Market Neutral ETF, which targets long-term capital appreciation with limited stock market risk and draws on three decades of portfolio construction expertise (Key Developments).
- The company authorized a new share repurchase program, allowing for up to 5,000,000 shares to be bought back with no expiration date, to support various corporate objectives (Key Developments).
- Between April 1 and June 30, 2025, Federated Hermes repurchased 1,523,100 shares valued at $63.56 million, showing significant progress under its ongoing buyback initiative (Key Developments).
Valuation Changes
- Fair Value estimate is unchanged at $51.86, reflecting ongoing consensus about the company's intrinsic worth.
- Discount Rate has declined slightly from 8.42% to 8.34%, indicating a marginal decrease in perceived risk or cost of capital.
- Revenue Growth expectations remain steady at approximately 4.62% annually, with no significant adjustment.
- Net Profit Margin is essentially unchanged and remains stable at around 20.34%.
- Future Price-to-Earnings (P/E) ratio has moved down marginally from 10.63x to 10.61x, which suggests little change in valuation multiples assigned to earnings.
Key Takeaways
- Expansion in digital assets, alternative investments, and ESG offerings is expected to diversify revenue streams and broaden the client base.
- Demographic trends and demand for safety and yield position the firm for sustained growth in money markets and fixed income products.
- Increased competition, regulatory pressures, and reliance on certain products may constrain growth and compress margins, challenging Federated Hermes against larger, more diversified peers.
Catalysts
About Federated Hermes- A publicly owned investment manager.
- Expansion in digital asset infrastructure, including active participation in tokenized money market funds and collaborative blockchain initiatives with major institutions, is expected to broaden product distribution channels, attract new client segments, and drive future AUM and revenue growth.
- Growth in money market fund assets, supported by increasing institutional and retail demand for safety and attractive yields within a volatile, low-to-moderate interest rate environment, positions Federated Hermes' money market franchise for sustained asset and revenue gains.
- Global demographic shifts, particularly aging populations demanding more retirement and income-oriented products, are expected to drive growth in cash management and fixed income AUM over the long term, contributing to core revenue stability.
- Rising global wealth and increased interest in professionally managed and alternative investments-such as the firm's growing private markets platform and recent energy transition-focused acquisitions-expand Federated Hermes' client base and diversify revenue streams, supporting higher net margins.
- Intensifying market focus on ESG investing and continued investment in sustainable product offerings, enabled by the Hermes acquisition and development of renewable energy capabilities, are likely to enable higher management fees and support both revenue and earnings growth in the coming years.
Federated Hermes Future Earnings and Revenue Growth
Assumptions
How have these above catalysts been quantified?- Analysts are assuming Federated Hermes's revenue will grow by 3.3% annually over the next 3 years.
- Analysts assume that profit margins will shrink from 20.8% today to 20.5% in 3 years time.
- Analysts expect earnings to reach $379.7 million (and earnings per share of $5.5) by about September 2028, up from $349.9 million today. The analysts are largely in agreement about this estimate.
- In order for the above numbers to justify the analysts price target, the company would need to trade at a PE ratio of 10.6x on those 2028 earnings, down from 11.1x today. This future PE is lower than the current PE for the US Capital Markets industry at 26.7x.
- Analysts expect the number of shares outstanding to decline by 5.14% per year for the next 3 years.
- To value all of this in today's terms, we will use a discount rate of 8.34%, as per the Simply Wall St company report.
Federated Hermes Future Earnings Per Share Growth
Risks
What could happen that would invalidate this narrative?- Ongoing fee compression and increased competition in the asset management industry, particularly as more investors shift to lower-cost passive products, could pressure Federated Hermes' active management revenues and compress margins over the long term.
- The company's continued reliance on money market funds for a substantial share of AUM and revenue exposes it to risks from changing interest rate environments, regulatory shifts, and potential digital asset or fintech disruptions, all of which could negatively impact net revenue and earnings.
- Below-peer organic growth in certain segments, such as fixed income (which saw net outflows in the quarter), signals challenges in capturing net new assets compared to larger, more diversified asset managers, potentially constraining future revenue growth and operating margins.
- Growing regulatory complexity and evolving standards (including ESG and digital asset oversight) are likely to lead to higher compliance costs and operational burdens, which could contribute to lower net margins over time.
- Industry consolidation and the need for greater scale to compete on product breadth and global distribution may put mid-sized firms like Federated Hermes at a disadvantage versus larger players, limiting their ability to win lucrative mandates and potentially hindering long-term earnings growth.
Valuation
How have all the factors above been brought together to estimate a fair value?- The analysts have a consensus price target of $50.286 for Federated Hermes based on their expectations of its future earnings growth, profit margins and other risk factors. However, there is a degree of disagreement amongst analysts, with the most bullish reporting a price target of $55.0, and the most bearish reporting a price target of just $42.0.
- In order for you to agree with the analyst's consensus, you'd need to believe that by 2028, revenues will be $1.9 billion, earnings will come to $379.7 million, and it would be trading on a PE ratio of 10.6x, assuming you use a discount rate of 8.3%.
- Given the current share price of $52.55, the analyst price target of $50.29 is 4.5% lower. The relatively low difference between the current share price and the analyst consensus price target indicates that they believe on average, the company is fairly priced.
- We always encourage you to reach your own conclusions though. So sense check these analyst numbers against your own assumptions and expectations based on your understanding of the business and what you believe is probable.
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Disclaimer
AnalystConsensusTarget is a tool utilizing a Large Language Model (LLM) that ingests data on consensus price targets, forecasted revenue and earnings figures, as well as the transcripts of earnings calls to produce qualitative analysis. The narratives produced by AnalystConsensusTarget are general in nature and are based solely on analyst data and publicly-available material published by the respective companies. These scenarios are not indicative of the company's future performance and are exploratory in nature. Simply Wall St has no position in the company(s) mentioned. Simply Wall St may provide the securities issuer or related entities with website advertising services for a fee, on an arm's length basis. These relationships have no impact on the way we conduct our business, the content we host, or how our content is served to users. The price targets and estimates used are consensus data, and do not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and they do not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Note that AnalystConsensusTarget's analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.
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