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Federated Hermes, Inc.: Q4 FY2025 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2025, from the documents filed with the SEC on 29 January 2026: press release. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Total managed assets reached a record: Total managed assets were up 9% year on year and 4% from Sept. 30, 2025. The company describes the year-end level as a record. Source
  • Q4 diluted EPS rose to $1.39: Q4 earnings per diluted share were $1.39, against $1.04 a year earlier, on net income of $107.0 million compared with $84.7 million in Q4 2024. Source
  • Q4 revenue rose 14% year on year: Revenue rose $58.2 million, mainly from higher average money market and equity assets, plus a $7.9 million rise in real estate development fees. Source
  • Money market assets set a record: Money market assets reached $682.6 billion, up $52.3 billion from the prior year and $29.8 billion from the prior quarter. Source
  • Investment solutions beyond mutual funds grew: Management said investor interest continued in ETFs, CITs and SMAs, which give financial professionals more ways to meet client needs. Source
  • Distribution costs rose with money funds: Q4 operating expenses rose $33.0 million, led by a $24.3 million increase in distribution expense tied to higher average money market fund assets. Source
  • Q4 buybacks of $78.7 million: The company bought 1,566,901 Class B shares for $78.7 million in Q4, bringing full-year 2025 purchases to 6,192,433 shares for $263.4 million. Source

“Federated Hermes' record assets at year-end were again driven by money market asset increases, as our liquidity products provided attractive cash management resources and opportunities for risk-adjusted returns”

J. Christopher Donahue, president and chief executive officer

What changed from last quarter

  • New: Share repurchases resumed at scale in Q4 2025, after only a small forfeiture-related purchase in Q3 2025. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Total managed assets reached a record: Total managed assets were up 9% year on year and 4% from Sept. 30, 2025. The company describes the year-end level as a record. Source
  • Q4 diluted EPS rose to $1.39: Q4 earnings per diluted share were $1.39, against $1.04 a year earlier, on net income of $107.0 million compared with $84.7 million in Q4 2024. Source
  • Full-year EPS was $5.13: Full-year diluted EPS was $5.13, against $3.23 for 2024. The 2024 figure included a $66.3 million non-cash expense from a Q2 2024 intangible asset impairment. Source
  • Q4 revenue rose 14% year on year: Revenue rose $58.2 million, mainly from higher average money market and equity assets, plus a $7.9 million rise in real estate development fees. Source

Asset classes and money market

  • Equity assets up 23% in the year: Equity assets reached $97.9 billion, up $18.5 billion from the year before and up $3.2 billion from the prior quarter. Source
  • Fixed-income assets dipped in Q4: Fixed-income assets were $100.1 billion, up 2% from a year earlier and down $1.7 billion from the prior quarter. Source
  • Money market assets set a record: Money market assets reached $682.6 billion, up $52.3 billion from the prior year and $29.8 billion from the prior quarter. Source
  • Fund and account money market split: Money market mutual fund assets were $508.4 billion and money market separate account assets were $174.2 billion, both at records at year-end. Source
  • Alternative assets nearly flat: Alternative/private markets assets were $19.1 billion, up $0.2 billion from the prior year and about flat from the prior quarter. Source

“We also continued to see investor interest in our growing range of investment solutions beyond mutual funds, including ETFs, CITs and SMAs, which provide additional opportunities for financial professionals to meet the needs of their customers.”

J. Christopher Donahue, president and chief executive officer

Products, customers and fund sales

  • Investment solutions beyond mutual funds grew: Management said investor interest continued in ETFs, CITs and SMAs, which give financial professionals more ways to meet client needs. Source
  • SMA sales led by MDT strategies: In Q4, SMA net sales were led by the MDT All Cap Core, MDT Mid Cap Growth and Core Plus fixed-income strategies, per management. Source
  • Top equity funds by net sales: Mid Cap Growth and Large Cap Growth led equity fund net sales in Q4. US Equity, Asia ex-Japan and All Cap Core also ranked among the top five. Source
  • Top fixed-income funds by net sales: Ultrashort Bond and Government Ultrashort funds led fixed-income net sales in Q4, with Total Return Bond, Short-Term Income and Municipal Ultrashort also in the top five. Source

Costs, margins and pricing

  • Distribution costs rose with money funds: Q4 operating expenses rose $33.0 million, led by a $24.3 million increase in distribution expense tied to higher average money market fund assets. Source
  • Compensation rose on incentive pay: Compensation and related expense rose $7.8 million in Q4 versus Q4 2024, mainly from higher incentive compensation. Source
  • Full-year distribution costs up $52.1 million: For 2025, operating expenses rose $16.2 million or 1%, driven by a $52.1 million rise in distribution expenses, partly offset by lower intangible asset expense. Source
  • Other expense fell on a VAT refund: Full-year other expense fell $16.1 million, mainly from a value added tax refund received in Q1 2025 on amended U.K. filings, plus currency movements. Source

Demand and sequential trend

  • Revenue up 3% from Q3: Revenue rose $13.4 million from Q3, from higher average money market and equity assets and an $8.3 million rise in real estate development fees. Source
  • Average managed assets up from Q3: Average managed assets were $873.7 billion for Q4, up 2% from the Q3 2025 average. Source
  • Investment income fell from Q3: Nonoperating income fell $6.1 million from Q3, as investment market values rose less in Q4 than in Q3. Source

Capital and shareholder returns

  • Q4 buybacks of $78.7 million: The company bought 1,566,901 Class B shares for $78.7 million in Q4, bringing full-year 2025 purchases to 6,192,433 shares for $263.4 million. Source
  • Quarterly dividend held at $0.34: The board declared a $0.34 quarterly dividend, unchanged from the prior quarter and up from $0.31 a year earlier. Source
  • Prior-quarter buybacks were small: In Q3 2025 the company bought 20,808 shares, all tied to employee restricted stock forfeitures.

Strategy and market position

  • Investment solutions across asset classes: Management describes its offering as investment solutions across equity, fixed-income, alternative, multi-asset and liquidity strategies. Source
  • Fund manager rankings moved: Rankings cited: top 6% of equity fund managers, top 8% of money market fund managers (top 7% last quarter), and top 12% of fixed-income fund managers (top 11% last quarter). Source
  • Ranked among top SMA managers: The company cites a 10th-largest rank among model-delivered separately managed account managers, per Money Management Institute/Cerulli data. Source

Coming up, as management said on 29 January 2026

  • Dividend payable Feb. 13, 2026: The $0.34 quarterly dividend is payable on Feb. 13, 2026 to shareholders of record as of Feb. 6, 2026. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Total managed assets Source$902.6 billion
Money market assets Source$682.6 billion
Equity assets Source$97.9 billion
Fixed-income assets Source$100.1 billion
Alternative/private markets assets Source$19.1 billion
Average managed assets, Q4 2025 Source$873.7 billion

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.