Federated Investors (FHI) doesn't possess the right combination of the two key ingredients for a likely earnings beat in its upcoming report. Get prepared with the key expectations.

Federated Hermes has written an open letter to company executives and chairpersons setting out how COVID 19 has changed its engagement priorities and how the pandemic should change global businesses for the better. Hans-Christoph Hirt, head of Equity Ownership Services at Federated Hermes, which advises on more than $875 billion in assets, said the crisis had reinforced his firm's belief that companies needed "a social licence" to operate. "Business and governments will need to learn from and comprehensively act on the lessons from this crisis, not only for future pandemics, but for other known risks, such as the climate crisis – an emergency that requires far greater planning, resolve and commitment than we have seen so far in addressing the Coronavirus pandemic in most countries."

Federated Investors (FHI) delivered earnings and revenue surprises of -10.00% and 2.45%, respectively, for the quarter ended March 2020. Do the numbers hold clues to what lies ahead for the stock?

Federated Hermes, Inc. today announced that monthly fund composition and performance data for Federated Premier Municipal Income Fund (NYSE: FMN) as of April 30, 2020, is now available in the Products section of FederatedInvestors.com. To order hard copies of this data or to be placed on a mailing list, call 800-245-0242 x5587538, email CEinfo@federatedinv.com or write to Federated Hermes, 1001 Liberty Avenue, Floor 23, Pittsburgh, PA 15222.

British property funds are set to remain frozen for months as the market is impossible to value due to the coronavirus crisis, and some may need to change structure to survive, industry sources say. Ten big open-ended property funds tracked by Morningstar, with a total of 6.5 billion pounds ($8 billion) under management, stopped investors from getting their money out in mid March, saying valuers could not accurately assess real estate assets in a plunging economy.

Here are 5 stocks added to the Zacks Rank 5 (Strong Sell) List today

Federated Hermes, Inc. (NYSE: FHI), a leading global investment manager, today announced that Vice President and CFO Thomas Donahue is scheduled to participate in a fireside chat at the Deutsche Bank 10th Annual Global Financial Services Conference at 2:40 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, May 26, 2020. He will be joined by Raymond Hanley, president, Federated Investors Management Company.

Federated Hermes' (FHI) top line benefits from the absence of fee waivers. Also, its efforts to expand globally encourage us.

FHI earnings call for the period ending March 31, 2020.

Q1 2020 Federated Hermes Inc Earnings Call

The board of directors of Federated Hermes, Inc. (NYSE: FHI), a leading global investment manager, approved a change to the format for the company's annual shareholder meeting earlier in the month. As people around the world confront the unprecedented effects of the Covid-19 virus, and in the interests of shareholders, directors, officers and employees of the company, the board decided it was prudent to change the scheduled in-person meeting to a teleconference meeting.

Times right now are unprecedented. The COVID-19 pandemic, the overarching government responses, the social and economic shutdowns – all are putting extraordinary pressures on financial markets. From the sudden equity collapse that started in late February, to the bear market rally we’re experiencing now, investors simply haven’t got the usual market signals they rely on.Covering the overall situation, JPMorgan chief of Equity Strategy Dubravko Lakos-Bujas points out, “The sharp ~30% recovery in S&P 500 from the Mar 23 trough, even as earnings expectations and macro outlook were steadily being revised lower by the street, has come as a surprise to many.” Lakos-Bujas also notes that government stimulative policies have matched the extraordinary conditions with equally extraordinary liquidity injections – and that the fiscal and monetary stimulus has put a floor in the equity markets.Looking ahead, the analyst says, “[We] have been arguing that this unprecedented stimulus and liquidity boom will outlast the health crisis. Our valuation models imply that the equity risk premia remains attractive…”In line with JPM’s official analysis of market risks, the firm’s stock analysts have been picking possible winners – and losers. We’ve looked at three of those stocks through the lens of the TipRanks database, to find out what makes two of them compelling buys – and what makes the third a stock to avoid.Federated Hermes (FHI)We’ll start with a financial company. Federated Hermes is an asset management company, controlling an equity portfolio worth $68 billion and holding $606 billion in assets under management. AUM hit a record in the first quarter of this year.While Q1 2020 saw EPS fall – the COVID-19 epidemic has been painful across the board – the 63 cents reported was still up 16% year-over-year. The company credits long-term assets for 56% of quarterly revenue.Solid earnings support a reliable dividend. FHI has grown the payment slowly over recent years, and currently pays out 27 cents per share quarterly. At $1.08 annualized, this makes the dividend yield 5.1%, or more than double the average yield among peer financial sector stocks.This company’s strong position has brought it to JPM’s attention. Analyst Ken Worthington upgraded the JPM view on FHI from Neutral to Buy. He set a $27 price target for the end of 2020, suggesting an upside potential here of 28%. (To watch Worthington’s track record, click here)In his comments on the stock, Worthington wrote, “…Federated could keep more of the earnings driven by the massive increase in money market fund assets. We see the rest of Federated's business performing adequately and better than most, leveraging some good positioning, solid performance and its strengthening brand in ESG.”Overall, Wall Street is cautious on FHI shares. The analyst corps has delivered 2 Buy ratings – but 4 Holds, making the analyst consensus rating a Moderate Buy. The average price target is $23.20, which indicates a modest upside of 10%. (See Federated Hermes stock analysis on TipRanks)AbbVie, Inc. (ABBV)Next up is a pharmaceutical company, one of Big Pharma’s major names. Pharmaceutical and biotech companies are known for their combination of high risk and high reward potential. The rewards and risks are both typified in Humira, the company’s successful immunosuppressive anti-inflammatory drug. Humira is expected to bring in ~40% of AbbVie’s 2020 drug division revenues – but with an expired patent, competition is growing. Last year, Humira accounted for 50% of drug revenues.AbbVie is fortunate to have a strong product line-up, with new drugs Skyrizi and Rinvoq beating the expectations on their launches and projected to bring in $4.5 and $5 billion in revenue, respectively, by 2025.The company saw solid earnings in 2019, and in Q1 2020, despite the coronavirus disruptions to economic activity, ABBV reported a substantial sequential earnings increase. EPS grew 9.5% to $2.42, and beat the forecast 6.6%.Earnings growth has allowed ABBV to keep up a reliable dividend, one of the best in the pharmaceutical sector. The company has increased its dividend payment four times in the past three years, including in Q1 2020. The current payment is $4.72 annualized, with quarterly payments of $1.18. The yield is nearly 5.2%, which simply blows away the healthcare sector average yield of 1.75%.Chris Schott, in his note on ABBV for JPM, sees a clear path forward for the company. He writes, “On the core portfolio, we anticipate ~9% annual growth in the company’s $30bn non-Humira business led by … Skyrizi and Rinvoq... ABBV’s pipeline represents another potential upside driver with little value being assigned to the company’s mid-stage assets… we see the company’s dividend as highly sustainable…”In line with his comments, Schott initiates coverage of ABBV for JPM with a Buy rating. His $105 price target implies a healthy upside potential of 15%. (To watch Schott’s track record, click here)The Wall Street view of ABBV shares is almost as bullish as Schott’s. The Moderate Buy consensus rating is based on 10 reviews, including 7 Buys and 3 Holds. Shares in this pharma giant are selling for $91.20, and the average price target of $101.13 suggests it has room for 11% growth this year. (See AbbVie stock analysis on TipRanks)Quidel Corporation (QDEL)Last up is a big player in the diagnostic healthcare segment. Quidel, and American company based in San Diego, operates worldwide. Earlier this month, Quidel scored a major coup: it received authorization from the US FDA, the regulatory body for the health care and pharmaceutical sector, to produce a COVID-19 antigen test.This authorization shows up Quidel’s strength in the ‘Age of Corona:’ the company produces diagnostic tests, and those are in high demand. Such high demand that, while the markets generally turned bearing in February, QDEL shares started climbing – bringing year-to-date gains to 148%.With earnings up and an approved authorization for development and production if a COVID-19 diagnostic test, it would seem that QDEL is primed for gains. And yet JPM says to sell this stock. Why the bearish call?In short, Quidel’s recent steep share price gains have overvalued this stock. As 5-star analyst Tycho Peterson says in his review of QDEL shares, “…while not ruling out the COVID-19 antigen testing opportunity, we believe it may be overstated due to the nascent market, scale-up of competitive tests and potential for avaccine in 12-18 months, leaving us skeptical of the opportunity implied by the stock move.”Peterson is careful not to blast the company, but he does downgrade his stance of QDEL from Neutral to Sell. His $158 price target projects a 15% downside for the shares this year. (To watch Peterson’s track record, click here)The market’s collective wisdom agrees. QDEL has a Moderate Sell consensus rating, based on 2 Holds and 1 Sell rating. At $124, the average price target implies a 33% downside from the current share price of $186.05. (See Quidel stock analysis on TipRanks)To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights.

Financial institutions in Pittsburgh are exploring measures to cope with the spread of COVID-19. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. said that as part of its business continuity planning, many employees worked from home on Tuesday and some areas of the bank elected to expand or extend for additional days. “This is being done in an effort to exercise our remote work contingency plans that are designed to prevent service disruptions , and out of an abundance of caution, in preparation for potential impacts from the coronavirus,” Marcey Zwiebel, senior vice president and director of corporate public relations, said via email.

We hate to say this but, we told you so. On February 27th we published an article with the title Recession is Imminent: We Need A Travel Ban NOW and predicted a US recession when the S&P 500 Index was trading at the 3150 level. We also told you to short the market and buy […]

Federated Premier Municipal Income Fund (NYSE: FMN) has declared a dividend. The fund seeks to provide investors with current dividend income that is exempt from regular federal income tax. In addition, this fund features income exempt from the federal alternative minimum tax (AMT).

Federated Hermes, Inc. (NYSE: FHI), a leading global investment manager, will report financial and operating results for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 after the market closes on Thursday, April 30, 2020. A conference call for investors and analysts will be held at 9 a.m. Eastern on Friday, May 1, 2020. President and Chief Executive Officer J. Christopher Donahue and Chief Financial Officer Thomas R. Donahue will host the call.

Federated Hermes, Inc. (NYSE: FHI), a leading global investment manager, today reported earnings per diluted share (EPS) of $0.63 for Q1 2020, compared to $0.54 for the same quarter last year, on net income of $64.2 million for Q1 2020, compared to $54.5 million for Q1 2019.

CEO J. Christopher Donahue made his first presentation at a financial conference since 65-year-old Pittsburgh-based investment management firm Federated Investors Inc. adopted the new name of Federated Hermes Inc. last month. “What we’re seeing now in our money market mutual funds is business as normal.” Federated Hermes (NYSE:FHI) — the new name is tied to Federated taking a majority stake in London-Based Hermes Fund Managers Ltd. in July 2018 — had $575.9 billion in assets under management as of Dec. 31, 2019.

The board of directors of Federated Hermes, Inc. (NYSE: FHI), a leading global investment manager, today approved a change to the format for the company's annual shareholder meeting. As people around the world confront the unprecedented effects of the Covid-19 virus, and in the interests of shareholders, directors, officers and employees of the company, the board decided it was prudent to change the scheduled in-person meeting to a teleconference meeting.

Federated's (FHI) first-quarter results reflect top-line strength, partly mitigated by higher expenses.