Schneider Downs Bets Heavily on Federated Hermes (FHI) With a Purchase of 2.6 Million Shares

What happened

In a quarterly Form 13-F submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC filing) dated Nov. 17, 2025, Schneider Downs Wealth Management Advisors, LP reported a substantial increase in its Federated Hermes (NYSE:FHI) position. The fund added 2,577,442 shares during the quarter, lifting its total stake to 2,657,263 shares, with an end-of-quarter market value of $137.99 million out of $842.72 million in total U.S. equity holdings.

What else to know

• The buy lifts Federated Hermes to 16.37% of the fund’s 13F AUM, ranking as the 1st-largest holding after the filing
• Top holdings after the filing:
  • NYSE: FHI: $137.99 million (16.37% of AUM)
  • NYSEMKT: SPDW: $73.82 million (8.76% of AUM)
  • NYSEMKT: VO: $69.96 million (8.3% of AUM)
  • NYSEMKT: MMIT: $54.48 million (6.47% of AUM)
  • NYSEMKT: SCHG: $51.18 million (6.07% of AUM)
• As of Nov. 16, 2025, shares were priced at $49.16, up 20.49% over the past year, outperforming the S&P 500 by 9.02 percentage points

Company Overview

Company Snapshot

• Offers asset management services, including equity, fixed income, balanced, and money market mutual funds, as well as customized portfolios for institutional and individual clients.
• Leverages both fundamental and quantitative investment strategies in its equity investments.
• Serves a diverse client base encompassing individuals, high net worth investors, financial institutions, pension plans, government entities, and registered investment advisors.

Federated Hermes, Inc. is a leading asset management holding company headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with additional offices in New York and London. The firm manages a broad array of investment products across global equity and fixed income markets, emphasizing both growth and value strategies for a wide range of clients.

Foolish take

Schneider Downs Wealth Management Advisors has gained some notoriety in recent years. Since the end of the third quarter of 2023, its portfolio size has grown by 92.6% to $843 million.

Federated Hermes is an asset manager that has raised its dividend payout by 25.9% over the past five years. In addition to steady payout raises, the company is known to make large, special dividend payments from time to time. The last special dividend it distributed, in November of 2024, was for an even $1 per share. The current quarterly payment of $0.34 per share implies a yield of at least 2.7% going forward.

It seems Scheider Downs expects another special dividend payment from Federated Hermes soon. At the end of June, the asset manager stock was responsible for 1.5% of the fund's overall portfolio. It had raised the number of shares it was holding by 3,229% during the third quarter.

Glossary

13F reportable assets under management (AUM): The market value of securities a fund must disclose quarterly to the SEC on Form 13F.
Net position change: The difference in the number or value of shares held by an investor after a transaction.
Asset management: The professional management of investments such as stocks and bonds for clients to achieve financial goals.
Dividend yield: Annual dividends paid by a company divided by its share price, shown as a percentage.
Fundamental investment strategies: Approaches that analyze a company's financial health, earnings, and prospects to make investment decisions.
Quantitative investment strategies: Approaches using mathematical models and statistical analysis to guide investment decisions.
Balanced mutual fund: A fund investing in both stocks and bonds to balance risk and return.
Institutional client: Large organizations, such as pension funds or banks, that invest substantial amounts of money.
High net worth investor: An individual with significant investable assets, typically above a set threshold.
End-of-quarter market value: The total value of an investment holding at the end of a financial quarter.
Outperforming: When an investment achieves better returns than a benchmark or comparable group.
TTM: The 12-month period ending with the most recent quarterly report.

Cory Renauer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Vanguard Index Funds - Vanguard Mid-Cap ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.