Advertisement
UK markets closed
  • FTSE 100

    7,952.62
    +20.64 (+0.26%)
     
  • FTSE 250

    19,884.73
    +74.07 (+0.37%)
     
  • AIM

    743.26
    +1.15 (+0.15%)
     
  • GBP/EUR

    1.1698
    +0.0004 (+0.04%)
     
  • GBP/USD

    1.2619
    -0.0003 (-0.03%)
     
  • Bitcoin GBP

    55,400.43
    -395.83 (-0.71%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     
  • S&P 500

    5,254.35
    +5.86 (+0.11%)
     
  • DOW

    39,807.37
    +47.29 (+0.12%)
     
  • CRUDE OIL

    83.11
    -0.06 (-0.07%)
     
  • GOLD FUTURES

    2,254.80
    +16.40 (+0.73%)
     
  • NIKKEI 225

    40,369.44
    +201.37 (+0.50%)
     
  • HANG SENG

    16,541.42
    +148.58 (+0.91%)
     
  • DAX

    18,492.49
    +15.40 (+0.08%)
     
  • CAC 40

    8,205.81
    +1.00 (+0.01%)
     

Is Federated Hermes (FHI) a Good Value Investor Stock Now?

Value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. After all, who wouldn’t want to find stocks that are either flying under the radar and are compelling buys, or offer up tantalizing discounts when compared to fair value?

One way to find these companies is by looking at several key metrics and financial ratios, many of which are crucial in the value stock selection process. Let’s Federated Hermes, Inc. FHI stock into this equation and find out if it is a good choice for value-oriented investors right now, or if investors subscribing to this methodology should look elsewhere for top picks:

PE Ratio

A key metric that value investors always look at is the Price to Earnings Ratio, or PE for short. This shows us how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of earnings in a given stock, and is easily one of the most popular financial ratios in the world. The best use of the PE ratio is to compare the stock’s current PE ratio with: a) where this ratio has been in the past; b) how it compares to the average for the industry/sector; and c) how it compares to the market as a whole.

On this front, Federated Hermes has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 10.3, as you can see in the chart below:

Zacks Investment Research
Zacks Investment Research

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

ADVERTISEMENT

This level actually compares favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 28.72. If we focus on the long-term PE trend Federated Hermes’ PE level puts it below its midpoint over the past five years. Moreover, the current level is fairly below the highs for this stock, suggesting it might be a good entry point.

Zacks Investment Research
Zacks Investment Research

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

However, the stock’s PE also compares unfavorably with the Zacks Finance sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 19.05. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is slightly undervalued right now, compared to its peers.

Zacks Investment Research
Zacks Investment Research

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

We should also point out that Federated Hermes has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 11.81, so it is fair to expect an increase in the company’s share price in the near future.

P/S Ratio

Another key metric to note is the Price/Sales ratio. This approach compares a given stock’s price to its total sales, where a lower reading is generally considered better. Some people like this metric more than other value-focused ones because it looks at sales, something that is far harder to manipulate with accounting tricks than earnings.

Right now, Federated Hermes has a P/S ratio of about 2.28. This is substantially lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 5.37 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is somewhat below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.

Zacks Investment Research
Zacks Investment Research

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Broad Value Outlook

In aggregate, Federated Hermes currently has a Value Score of B, putting it into the top 40% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Federated Hermes a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.

For example, Federated Hermes’ P/CF ratio comes in at 9.57, which is noticeably better than the industry average of 12.84. Clearly, FHI is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.

What About the Stock Overall?

Though Federated Hermes might be a good choice for value investors, there are plenty of other factors to consider before investing in this name. In particular, it is worth noting that the company has a Growth Score of D and Momentum Score of D. This gives Federated Hermes a Zacks VGM score — or its overarching fundamental grade — of C. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)

Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been encouraging. The current year estimate witnessed one upward revision in the past sixty days compared no downward revision, while the full year 2022 estimate also witnessed one upward revision compared to no downward revision in the same time period.

This has had a noticeable impact on the consensus estimate, as the current year consensus estimate improved 0.3% in the past two months, whereas the full year 2022 estimate also improved 0.7% in the past two months. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:

Federated Hermes, Inc. Price and Consensus

Federated Hermes, Inc. Price and Consensus
Federated Hermes, Inc. Price and Consensus

Federated Hermes, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Federated Hermes, Inc. Quote

Owing to bearish estimate trends the stock has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which is why we are looking for in-line performance from the company in the near term.

Bottom Line

Federated Hermes is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. However, a Zacks Rank #3, it is hard to get too excited about this company overall. In fact, over the past two years, the sector has clearly underperformed the market at large, as you can see below:

Zacks Investment Research
Zacks Investment Research

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

So, value investors might want to wait for estimates, analyst sentiment and broader factors to turn around in this name first, but once that happens, this stock could be a compelling pick.

Zacks Names “Single Best Pick to Double”

From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all.

You know this company from its past glory days, but few would expect that it’s poised for a monster turnaround. Fresh from a successful repositioning and flush with A-list celeb endorsements, it could rival or surpass other recent Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in a little more than 9 months and Nvidia which boomed +175.9% in one year.

Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >>


Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

Federated Hermes, Inc. (FHI) : Free Stock Analysis Report

To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

Zacks Investment Research