N-CSR 1 mdt1248-form.htm

United States

Securities and Exchange Commission

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

Form N-CSR

Certified Shareholder Report of Registered Management Investment Companies

 

 

 

 

811-21904

 

(Investment Company Act File Number)

 

Federated Hermes MDT Series

_______________________________________________________________

 

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

 

 

 

Federated Hermes Funds

4000 Ericsson Drive

Warrendale, Pennsylvania 15086-7561

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

 

 

(412) 288-1900

(Registrant's Telephone Number)

 

 

Peter J. Germain, Esquire

1001 Liberty Avenue

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-3779

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

(Notices should be sent to the Agent for Service)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Date of Fiscal Year End: 07/31/23

 

 

Date of Reporting Period: 07/31/23

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Item 1.Reports to Stockholders

 

 

Annual Shareholder Report
July 31, 2023
Share Class | Ticker
A | QAACX
C | QCACX
Institutional | QIACX
R6 | QKACX

Federated Hermes MDT All Cap Core Fund
Fund Established 2002

A Portfolio of Federated Hermes MDT Series
Dear Valued Shareholder,
We are pleased to present the Annual Shareholder Report for your fund covering the period from August 1, 2022 through July 31, 2023. This report includes Management’s Discussion of Fund Performance, a complete listing of your fund’s holdings, performance information and financial statements along with other important fund information.
As a global leader in active, responsible investment management, Federated Hermes is guided by our conviction that responsible investing is the best way to create wealth over the long term. The company provides capabilities across a wide range of asset classes to investors around the world.
In addition, FederatedHermes.com/us offers quick and easy access to valuable resources that include timely fund updates, economic and market insights from our investment strategists and financial planning tools. You can also access many of those insights by following us on Twitter (@FederatedHermes) and LinkedIn.
Thank you for investing with us. We hope you find this information useful and look forward to keeping you informed.
Sincerely,
J. Christopher Donahue, President

Not FDIC Insured ▪ May Lose Value ▪ No Bank Guarantee

Management’s Discussion of Fund Performance (unaudited)
The total return of Federated Hermes MDT All Cap Core Fund (the “Fund”), based on net asset value, for the 12-month reporting period ended July 31, 2023, was 14.35% for Class A Shares, 13.50% for Class C Shares, 14.69% for Institutional Shares and 14.73% for Class R6 Shares. The total return for the Russell 3000® Index (R3000),1 the Fund’s broad-based securities market index, was 12.65% for the same period. The total return of the Morningstar Large Blend Funds Average (MLBFA),2 a peer group average for the Fund, was 11.44% during the same period. The Fund’s and MLBFA’s total returns for the most recently completed fiscal year reflected actual cash flows, transaction costs and expenses, which were not reflected in the total return of the R3000.
During the reporting period, the Fund’s investment strategy focused on stock selection. Stock selection was the most significant factor affecting the Fund’s performance relative to the R3000 during the period.
The following discussion will focus on the performance of the Fund’s Class R6 Shares relative to the R3000.
Market Overview
The reporting period began with three sharp market turns in the first six months (August 2022January 2023), leaving the R3000 with a fiscal year-to-date return of 0.06% at the end of January. There was one more downturn in February (R3000 at -2.34% for the month), but then inflation numbers started declining, employment numbers held steady, and the R3000 turned weakly positive. In June and July, there were more favorable macroeconomic reports and the market began to think that the Federal Reserve might actually be able to engineer a “soft landing,” so the R3000 strengthened. For the full fiscal year, the R3000 returned 12.65%. Growth stocks outran value stocks (the Russell 3000 Growth Index (R3000G)3 returned 16.97% while the Russell 3000 Value Index4 returned 8.03%), and large-cap stocks outran small-cap stocks5 (the mega-cap Russell Top 200 Index (RT200)6 returned 14.39% while the Russell Midcap Index7 returned 8.75% and the small-cap Russell 2000 Index8 returned 7.91%). The higher returns of the R3000G and the RT200 were largely attributable to the very high returns of the “Magnificent 7”9 technology stocks, which, by themselves, provided 5.04% of the R3000’s 12.65% return.
The best performing sectors in the R3000 during the reporting period were Information Technology (+25.97%), Communication Services (+19.16%) and Industrials (+19.03%). Underperforming sectors during the same period included Real Estate (-9.77%), Utilities (-6.43%) and Health Care (+2.86%).
Annual Shareholder Report
1

STOCK SELECTION
The Fund buys stocks with many different combinations of fundamental and technical characteristics that have signaled market outperformance historically. Most of the Fund’s outperformance relative to the R3000 in the reporting period was driven by an overweight of stocks with depressed prices and no significant external financing needs. Unfavorable stock selection among younger companies with strong recent returns and positive analyst conviction detracted the most from performance. The Fund’s sector exposures continued to remain close to R3000 weights; there were no significant overweight or underweight positions at the end of the reporting period. Favorable stock selection in the Communication Services, Consumer Discretionary and Energy sectors contributed the most to the Fund’s outperformance versus the benchmark. The largest offsets to performance were unfavorable stock selection in the Financials and Information Technology sectors.
Individual stocks enhancing the Fund’s performance during the reporting period included Spotify Technology, Netflix, Inc. and Biogen Inc.
Individual stocks detracting from the Fund’s performance during the reporting period included NVIDIA Corporation, Signature Bank and Semtech Corporation. NVIDIA outperformed the R3000 but was underweighted by the Fund.
1
Please see the footnotes to the line graph below for definitions of, and further information about, the R3000.
2
Please see the footnotes to the line graph below for definitions of, and further information about, the Morningstar peer group average.
3
The Russell 3000® Growth Index measures the performance of the broad growth segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 3000® Index companies with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth values. The Russell 3000® Growth Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive, unbiased and stable barometer of the broad growth market. The Russell 3000® Growth Index is completely reconstituted annually to ensure new and growing equities are included and that the represented companies continue to reflect growth characteristics.*
4
The Russell 3000® Value Index measures the performance of the broad value segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 3000® Index companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower forecasted growth values. The Russell 3000® Value Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive, unbiased and stable barometer of the broad value market. The Russell 3000® Value Index is completely reconstituted annually to ensure new and growing equities are included and that the represented companies continue to reflect value characteristics.*
5
Small-cap stocks may be less liquid and subject to greater price volatility than large-cap stocks.
6
The Russell Top 200® Index measures the performance of the largest cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. The Russell Top 200® Index is a subset of the Russell 3000® Index. It includes approximately 200 of the largest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current index membership and represents approximately 71% of the total capitalization of the Russell 3000® Index. The Russell Top 200® Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive and unbiased barometer for this very large cap segment and is completely reconstituted annually to ensure new and growing equities are reflected.*
7
The Russell Midcap® Index measures the performance of the mid-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. The Russell Midcap® Index is a subset of the Russell 3000® Index. Based on market cap and current index membership, it includes approximately 800 companies in the Russell Top 200 Index and the smaller companies in the Russell 2000® Index. The Russell Midcap® Index
Annual Shareholder Report
2

represents approximately 23% of the total market capitalization of the Russell 3000® Index. The Russell Midcap® Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive and unbiased barometer for the mid-cap segment. The Russell Midcap Index is completely reconstituted annually to ensure larger stocks do not distort the performance and characteristics of the true mid-cap opportunity set.*
8
The Russell 2000® Index measures the performance of the small-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. The Russell 2000® Index is a subset of the Russell 3000® Index representing approximately 6% of the total market capitalization of that index. It includes approximately 2,000 of the smallest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current index membership. The Russell 2000® Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive and unbiased small-cap barometer and is completely reconstituted annually to ensure larger stocks do not distort the performance and characteristics of the true small-cap opportunity set.*
9
The “Magnificent 7” include Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, NVIDIA and Tesla.
*
The index is unmanaged, and it is not possible to invest directly in an index.
Annual Shareholder Report
3

FUND PERFORMANCE AND GROWTH OF A $10,000 INVESTMENT
The graph below illustrates the hypothetical investment of $10,0001 in the Federated Hermes MDT All Cap Core Fund (the “Fund”) from July 31, 2013 to July 31, 2023, compared to the Russell 3000® Index (R3000)2 and the Morningstar Large Blend Funds Average (MLBFA).3 The Average Annual Total Return table below shows returns for each class averaged over the stated periods.
Growth of a $10,000 Investment
Growth of $10,000 as of July 31, 2023
◾ Total returns shown for Class C Shares include the maximum contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00% as applicable.
The Fund offers multiple share classes whose performance may be greater than or less than its other share class(es) due to differences in sales charges and expenses. See the Average Annual Total Return table below for the returns of additional classes not shown in the line graph above.
Average Annual Total Returns for the Period Ended 7/31/2023
(returns reflect all applicable sales charges and contingent deferred sales charges as specified below in footnote #1)
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Class A Shares
8.05%
10.94%
11.63%
Class C Shares
12.50%
11.36%
11.58%
Institutional Shares
14.69%
12.53%
12.59%
Class R6 Shares4
14.73%
12.54%
12.34%
R3000
12.65%
11.45%
12.14%
MLBFA
11.44%
10.62%
11.17%
Annual Shareholder Report
4

Performance data quoted represents past performance which is no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Mutual fund performance changes over time and current performance may be lower or higher than what is stated. For current to the most recent month-end performance and after-tax returns, visit FederatedHermes.com/us or call 1-800-341-7400. Returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares. Mutual funds are not obligations of or guaranteed by any bank and are not federally insured.
1
Represents a hypothetical investment of $10,000 in the Fund after deducting applicable sales charges: for Class A Shares, the maximum sales charge of 5.50% ($10,000 investment minus $550 sales charge = $9,450); for Class C Shares, a 1.00% contingent deferred sales charge would be applied on any redemption less than one year from the purchase date. The Fund’s performance assumes the reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. The R3000 and MLBFA have been adjusted to reflect reinvestment of dividends on securities.
2
The R3000 measures the performance of the largest 3,000 U.S. companies representing approximately 98% of the investable U.S. equity market. The R3000 is constructed to provide a comprehensive, unbiased and stable barometer of the broad market and is completely reconstituted annually to ensure new and growing equities are reflected. The index is unmanaged and, unlike the Fund, is not affected by cash flows. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. The R3000 is not adjusted to reflect sales charges, expenses or other fees that the Securities and Exchange Commission requires to be reflected in the Fund’s performance.
3
Morningstar figures represent the average of the total returns reported by all the funds designated by Morningstar as falling into the respective category indicated. They do not reflect sales charges. The Morningstar figures in the Growth of a $10,000 Investment line graph are based on historical return information published by Morningstar and reflect the return of the funds comprising the category in the year of publication. Because the funds designated by Morningstar as falling into the category can change over time, the Morningstar figures in the line graph may not match the Morningstar figures in the Average Annual Total Returns table, which reflect the return of the funds that currently comprise the category.
4
Prior to September 1, 2016, Class R6 Shares were known as Class R Shares and included 12b-1 fees and certain other expenses. As of September 1, 2016, Class R6 Shares do not include such 12b-1 fees and certain other expenses, and the performance shown above for Class R6 Shares prior to September 1, 2016, reflects the higher Class R Shares expenses.
Annual Shareholder Report
5

Portfolio of Investments Summary Table (unaudited)
At July 31, 2023, the Fund’s sector composition1 was as follows:
Sector Composition
Percentage of
Total Net Assets
Information Technology
26.4%
Health Care
14.1%
Financials
14.0%
Industrials
10.2%
Consumer Discretionary
10.2%
Consumer Staples
6.9%
Communication Services
6.6%
Energy
3.5%
Real Estate
2.8%
Materials
1.7%
Utilities
1.3%
Securities Lending Collateral2
0.7%
Cash Equivalents3
2.0%
Other Assets and Liabilities—Net4
(0.4)%
TOTAL
100%
1
Except for Cash Equivalents and Other Assets and Liabilities, sector classifications are based
upon, and individual portfolio securities are assigned to, the classifications of the Global Industry
Classification Standard (GICS) except that the Adviser assigns a classification to securities not
classified by the GICS and to securities for which the Adviser does not have access to the
classification made by the GICS.
2
Represents cash collateral received for portfolio securities on loan that may be invested in
affiliated money market funds, other money market instruments and/or repurchase agreements.
3
Cash Equivalents include any investments in money market mutual funds and/or overnight
repurchase agreements other than those representing cash collateral for securities lending.
4
Assets, other than investments in securities, less liabilities. See Statement of Assets and
Liabilities.
Annual Shareholder Report
6

Portfolio of Investments
July 31, 2023
Shares
 
 
Value
          
 
COMMON STOCKS—   97.7%
 
 
 
Communication Services—   6.6%
 
74,800
1
Alphabet, Inc., Class A
$  9,927,456
341,396
1
Altice USA, Inc.
  1,157,332
145,023
1
CarGurus, Inc.
  3,286,221
65,486
1
Cars.com, Inc.
  1,493,736
15,554
 
Comcast Corp., Class A
    703,974
43,723
1
Match Group, Inc.
  2,033,557
27,414
1
Meta Platforms, Inc.
  8,734,100
2,453
1
Netflix, Inc.
  1,076,793
4,646
 
Omnicom Group, Inc.
    393,145
86,184
1
Spotify Technology SA
12,876,752
 
 
TOTAL
41,683,066
 
 
Consumer Discretionary—   10.2%
 
43,085
1
Airbnb, Inc.
  6,557,106
13,366
1
Amazon.com, Inc.
  1,786,767
564
1
AutoZone, Inc.
  1,399,690
55,165
1
Bright Horizons Family Solutions, Inc.
  5,352,660
1,303
1
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.
  2,556,851
9,020
1
DoorDash, Inc.
    818,926
8,683
1
Duolingo, Inc.
  1,347,515
47,545
 
eBay, Inc.
  2,116,228
75,294
1
Expedia Group, Inc.
  9,225,774
312,671
 
Gap (The), Inc.
  3,220,511
53,197
1
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
    855,408
9,766
 
McDonald’s Corp.
  2,863,391
2,844
 
Murphy USA, Inc.
    873,193
21,545
 
Nike, Inc., Class B
  2,378,353
1,607
1
O’Reilly Automotive, Inc.
  1,487,745
85,372
 
PVH Corp.
  7,652,746
35,520
1
Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd.
  3,875,587
17,618
 
Starbucks Corp.
  1,789,460
4,482
1
Tesla, Inc.
  1,198,621
3,527
 
Tractor Supply Co.
    790,013
11,639
1
Ulta Beauty, Inc.
  5,177,027
5,444
 
Wingstop, Inc.
    917,749
 
 
TOTAL
64,241,321
 
 
Consumer Staples—   6.9%
 
56,627
 
Albertsons Cos., Inc.
  1,230,505
28,345
 
Archer-Daniels-Midland Co.
  2,408,191
95,944
1
Hain Celestial Group, Inc.
  1,215,611
39,414
 
Hershey Foods Corp.
  9,116,852
Annual Shareholder Report
7

Shares
 
 
Value
          
 
COMMON STOCKS—   continued
 
 
 
Consumer Staples—   continued
 
9,028
 
Kellogg Co.
$    603,883
194,483
 
Kroger Co.
  9,459,653
55,859
 
Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc.
  5,788,668
63,716
 
PepsiCo, Inc.
11,944,201
8,521
 
WalMart, Inc.
  1,362,167
 
 
TOTAL
43,129,731
 
 
Energy—   3.5%
 
9,156
 
Cheniere Energy, Inc.
  1,481,990
5,293
 
ConocoPhillips
    623,092
63,055
 
Marathon Oil Corp.
  1,656,455
97,200
 
Marathon Petroleum Corp.
12,929,544
5,184
 
ONEOK, Inc.
    347,535
6,382
 
Valero Energy Corp.
    822,704
50,712
1
Weatherford International PLC
  4,214,167
 
 
TOTAL
22,075,487
 
 
Financials—   14.0%
 
27,571
 
American International Group, Inc.
  1,661,980
23,133
 
Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
  8,060,694
113,908
 
Bank of New York Mellon Corp.
  5,166,867
9,573
 
Cboe Global Markets, Inc.
  1,337,157
5,607
 
Chubb Ltd.
  1,146,127
12,954
1,2
Coinbase Global, Inc.
  1,277,394
47,662
1
Green Dot Corp.
    931,792
11,137
 
Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.
    800,528
46,999
 
Interactive Brokers Group, Inc., Class A
  4,104,423
10,660
 
Jackson Financial, Inc.
    351,993
15,590
 
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
  2,462,596
5,561
 
MarketAxess Holdings, Inc.
  1,497,132
8,306
 
Marsh & McLennan Cos., Inc.
  1,565,016
14,063
 
Mastercard, Inc.
  5,544,760
2,279
 
MSCI, Inc., Class A
  1,249,074
23,744
 
NASDAQ, Inc.
  1,198,835
38,160
 
Northern Trust Corp.
  3,057,379
101,766
1
PayPal Holdings, Inc.
  7,715,898
31,747
1
PROG Holdings, Inc.
  1,288,293
46,258
 
Progressive Corp., OH
  5,827,583
31,946
 
Prudential Financial, Inc.
  3,082,470
42,541
 
State Street Corp.
  3,081,670
36,599
 
The Travelers Cos., Inc.
  6,317,353
51,304
 
Virtu Financial, Inc.
    952,202
74,215
 
Visa, Inc., Class A
17,643,132
66,109
 
Western Union Co.
    805,208
 
 
TOTAL
88,127,556
Annual Shareholder Report
8

Shares
 
 
Value
          
 
COMMON STOCKS—   continued
 
 
 
Health Care—   14.1%
 
25,187
 
AbbVie, Inc.
$  3,767,472
27,639
1,2
AnaptysBio, Inc.
    544,765
5,262
1
Biogen, Inc.
  1,421,740
27,104
 
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.
  1,685,598
90,932
1
Centene Corp.
  6,191,560
11,543
 
CVS Health Corp.
    862,147
31,522
 
Dentsply Sirona, Inc.
  1,308,793
243,370
1
Elanco Animal Health, Inc.
  2,937,476
7,547
 
Elevance Health, Inc.
  3,559,392
20,260
 
Eli Lilly & Co.
  9,209,183
25,086
1
GE HealthCare Technologies, Inc.
  1,956,708
100,560
 
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
  7,656,638
14,193
 
Humana, Inc.
  6,483,788
72,646
 
Johnson & Johnson
12,170,384
6,451
 
McKesson Corp.
  2,595,882
55,699
 
Merck & Co., Inc.
  5,940,298
1,866
1
Molina Healthcare, Inc.
    568,178
37,635
1
Myriad Genetics, Inc.
    841,142
34,504
1
Nevro Corp.
    862,255
46,897
1
Omnicell, Inc.
  2,961,546
29,046
 
Pfizer, Inc.
  1,047,399
216,797
1
Teladoc Health, Inc.
  6,454,047
6,814
 
Teleflex, Inc.
  1,711,472
4,670
 
The Cigna Group
  1,378,117
2,274
1
United Therapeutics Corp.
    551,945
1,276
 
UnitedHealth Group, Inc.
    646,128
8,264
1
Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
  2,911,738
 
 
TOTAL
88,225,791
 
 
Industrials—   10.2%
 
37,702
 
3M Co.
  4,203,773
9,652
 
AGCO Corp.
  1,284,681
3,602
 
Allegion PLC
    420,930
36,675
 
Allison Transmission Holdings, Inc.
  2,152,456
31,041
 
Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp.
  3,758,444
17,307
 
Caterpillar, Inc.
  4,589,297
15,491
1
Ceridian HCM Holding, Inc.
  1,096,918
4,423
 
Emerson Electric Co.
    404,041
5,425
 
Lennox International, Inc.
  1,993,362
14,625
 
Manpower, Inc.
  1,153,620
28,990
1
Openlane, Inc.
    455,143
41,959
 
Paychex, Inc.
  5,264,596
39,303
 
Pentair PLC
  2,731,559
10,457
 
Robert Half, Inc.
    775,387
5,292
2
Rockwell Automation, Inc.
  1,779,647
Annual Shareholder Report
9

Shares
 
 
Value
          
 
COMMON STOCKS—   continued
 
 
 
Industrials—   continued
 
9,688
 
Ryder System, Inc.
$    989,629
19,159
1
SkyWest, Inc.
    842,804
9,872
1
SPX Technologies, Inc.
    835,270
4,949
 
Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.
    491,287
18,318
 
Trane Technologies PLC
  3,653,342
8,632
1
Trex Co., Inc.
    596,816
36,437
1
Uber Technologies, Inc.
  1,802,174
95,610
1
United Airlines Holdings, Inc.
  5,192,579
4,008
1
United Rentals, Inc.
  1,862,437
13,258
 
Verisk Analytics, Inc.
  3,035,287
10,956
 
Waste Management, Inc.
  1,794,483
70,133
 
XPO, Inc.
  4,856,009
55,452
 
Xylem, Inc.
  6,252,213
 
 
TOTAL
64,268,184
 
 
Information Technology—   26.4%
 
5,201
 
Accenture PLC
  1,645,336
8,892
1
Adobe, Inc.
  4,856,544
148,158
 
Apple, Inc.
29,105,639
20,390
1
Arista Networks, Inc.
  3,162,285
14,602
 
Broadcom, Inc.
13,122,087
26,942
1
Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
  6,304,697
21,864
1
Cirrus Logic, Inc.
  1,766,611
132,676
 
Cisco Systems, Inc.
  6,904,459
9,243
1
Commvault Systems, Inc.
    720,307
107,836
 
Dell Technologies, Inc.
  5,706,681
81,019
1
DXC Technology Co.
  2,240,175
6,106
1
F5, Inc.
    966,214
121,757
1
Fortinet, Inc.
  9,462,954
5,022
1
HubSpot, Inc.
  2,915,522
12,624
 
Microchip Technology, Inc.
  1,185,899
78,984
 
Microsoft Corp.
26,532,305
2,174
 
Motorola Solutions, Inc.
    623,134
58,613
1
Nutanix, Inc.
  1,770,113
17,895
 
NVIDIA Corp.
  8,362,155
40,118
1
Palo Alto Networks, Inc.
10,027,895
93,083
 
Pegasystems, Inc.
  4,910,128
102,219
1
Pure Storage, Inc.
  3,781,081
6,426
1
Qorvo, Inc.
    706,989
17,935
1
Salesforce, Inc.
  4,035,554
28,046
1
Semtech Corp.
    818,943
2,248
1
ServiceNow, Inc.
  1,310,584
31,542
 
Skyworks Solutions, Inc.
  3,607,459
4,694
1
Synaptics, Inc.
    423,915
2,537
1
Synopsys, Inc.
  1,146,217
Annual Shareholder Report
10

Shares
 
 
Value
          
 
COMMON STOCKS—   continued
 
 
 
Information Technology—   continued
 
5,716
1
Workday, Inc.
$  1,355,435
79,312
1
Zoom Video Communications, Inc.
  5,817,535
 
 
TOTAL
165,294,852
 
 
Materials—   1.7%
 
1,989
 
Linde PLC
    777,043
9,202
 
Mosaic Co./The
    375,073
119,921
 
Newmont Corp.
  5,147,009
9,713
 
Nucor Corp.
  1,671,510
15,653
 
Steel Dynamics, Inc.
  1,668,297
28,058
 
United States Steel Corp.
    715,479
 
 
TOTAL
10,354,411
 
 
Real Estate—   2.8%
 
21,670
 
Crown Castle, Inc.
  2,346,644
246,836
 
Kilroy Realty Corp.
  8,812,045
76,810
 
Macerich Co. (The)
    979,328
7,229
 
Public Storage
  2,036,771
7,971
 
SBA Communications Corp.
  1,745,250
42,302
2
SL Green Realty Corp.
  1,595,208
 
 
TOTAL
17,515,246
 
 
Utilities—   1.3%
 
34,694
 
Consolidated Edison Co.
  3,291,073
39,097
 
Exelon Corp.
  1,636,600
38,710
 
WEC Energy Group, Inc.
  3,478,481
 
 
TOTAL
8,406,154
 
 
TOTAL COMMON STOCKS
(IDENTIFIED COST $513,832,673)
613,321,799
 
 
INVESTMENT COMPANIES—   2.7%
 
3,971,612
 
Federated Hermes Government Obligations Fund, Premier Shares, 5.16%3
  3,971,612
12,748,795
 
Federated Hermes Institutional Prime Value Obligations Fund, Institutional
Shares, 5.32%3
12,747,520
 
 
TOTAL INVESTMENT COMPANIES
(IDENTIFIED COST $16,717,984)
16,719,132
 
 
TOTAL INVESTMENT IN SECURITIES—100.4%
(IDENTIFIED COST $530,550,657)4
630,040,931
 
 
OTHER ASSETS AND LIABILITIES - NET—(0.4)%5
(2,696,902)
 
 
TOTAL NET ASSETS—100%
$627,344,029
Annual Shareholder Report
11

An affiliated company is a company in which the Fund, alone or in combination with other funds, has ownership of at least 5% of the voting shares. Transactions with affiliated companies during the period ended July 31, 2023, were as follows:
Affiliated
Value as of
7/31/2022
Purchases
at Cost*
Proceeds
from Sales*
Health Care:
 
 
 
AnaptysBio, Inc.**
$726,639
$
$(173,056)
TOTAL OF AFFILIATED COMPANIES
TRANSACTIONS
$726,639
$
$(173,056)
Annual Shareholder Report
12

Change in
Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)*
Net
Realized Gain/
(Loss)*
Value as of
7/31/2023
Shares
Held as of
7/31/2023
Dividend
Income*
 
 
 
 
 
$(41,462)
$32,644
$544,765
27,639
$
$(41,462)
$32,644
$544,765
27,639
$
*
A portion of the amount shown may have been recorded when the Fund no longer had
ownership of at least 5% of the voting shares.
**
At July 31, 2023, the Fund no longer has ownership of at least 5% of the voting shares.
Transactions with affiliated investment companies, which are funds managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser, during the period ended July 31, 2023, were as follows:
 
Federated Hermes
Government
Obligations Fund
Premier Shares*
Federated Hermes
Institutional
Prime Value
Obligations Fund
Institutional Shares
Total of
Affiliated
Transactions
Value as of 7/31/2022
$1,540,198
$8,858,235
$10,398,433
Purchases at Cost
$67,727,134
$166,882,994
$234,610,128
Proceeds from Sales
$(65,295,720)
$(162,996,416)
$(228,292,136)
Change in Unrealized Appreciation/
Depreciation
$
$850
$850
Net Realized Gain/(Loss)
$
$1,857
$1,857
Value as of 7/31/2023
$3,971,612
$12,747,520
$16,719,132
Shares Held as of 7/31/2023
3,971,612
12,748,795
16,720,407
Dividend Income
$61,616
$462,158
$523,774
*
All or a portion of the balance/activity for the fund relates to cash collateral received on
securities lending transactions.
1
Non-income-producing security.
2
All or a portion of these securities are temporarily on loan to unaffiliated broker/dealers.
3
7-day net yield.
4
The cost of investments for federal tax purposes amounts to $533,582,555.
5
Assets, other than investments in securities, less liabilities. See Statement of Assets and
Liabilities.
Note: The categories of investments are shown as a percentage of total net assets at July 31, 2023.
Various inputs are used in determining the value of the Fund’s investments. These inputs are summarized in the three broad levels listed below:
Level 1—quoted prices in active markets for identical securities.
Level 2—other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.). Also includes securities valued at amortized cost.
Annual Shareholder Report
13

Level 3—significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments).
The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.
As of July 31, 2023, all investments of the Fund utilized Level 1 inputs in valuing the Fund’s assets carried at fair value.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
14

Financial HighlightsClass A Shares
(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)
 
Year Ended July 31,
 
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$34.32
$42.75
$31.77
$29.90
$30.01
Income From Investment Operations:
 
 
 
 
 
Net investment income (loss)1
0.19
0.08
0.08
0.13
0.16
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
4.26
(1.60)
11.90
2.69
1.81
Total From Investment Operations
4.45
(1.52)
11.98
2.82
1.97
Less Distributions:
 
 
 
 
 
Distributions from net investment income
(0.12)
(0.04)
(0.12)
(0.11)
(0.07)
Distributions from net realized gain
(3.19)
(6.87)
(0.88)
(0.84)
(2.01)
Total Distributions
(3.31)
(6.91)
(1.00)
(0.95)
(2.08)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$35.46
$34.32
$42.75
$31.77
$29.90
Total Return2
14.35%
(4.95)%
38.40%
9.66%
7.80%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:
 
 
 
 
 
Net expenses3
1.04%
1.04%
1.04%
1.04%
1.08%
Net investment income
0.57%
0.22%
0.23%
0.44%
0.57%
Expense waiver/reimbursement4
0.16%
0.16%
0.17%
0.20%
0.24%
Supplemental Data:
 
 
 
 
 
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
$138,388
$105,590
$109,747
$79,301
$69,221
Portfolio turnover5
130%
133%
63%
160%
87%
1
Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
2
Based on net asset value, which does not reflect the sales charge, redemption fee or contingent
deferred sales charge, if applicable.
3
Amount does not reflect net expenses incurred by investment companies in which the Fund
may invest.
4
This expense decrease is reflected in both the net expense and the net investment income
(loss) ratios shown above. Amount does not reflect expense waiver/reimbursement recorded by
investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
5
Securities that mature are considered sales for purposes of this calculation.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
15

Financial HighlightsClass C Shares
(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)
 
Year Ended July 31,
 
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$31.06
$39.55
$29.57
$27.99
$28.37
Income From Investment Operations:
 
 
 
 
 
Net investment income (loss)1
(0.06)
(0.19)
(0.18)
(0.08)
(0.05)
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
3.82
(1.43)
11.04
2.50
1.68
Total From Investment Operations
3.76
(1.62)
10.86
2.42
1.63
Less Distributions:
 
 
 
 
 
Distributions from net realized gain
(3.19)
(6.87)
(0.88)
(0.84)
(2.01)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$31.63
$31.06
$39.55
$29.57
$27.99
Total Return2
13.50%
(5.67)%
37.37%
8.86%
6.96%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:
 
 
 
 
 
Net expenses3
1.81%
1.81%
1.79%
1.79%
1.85%
Net investment income (loss)
(0.20)%
(0.55)%
(0.52)%
(0.31)%
(0.20)%
Expense waiver/reimbursement4
0.14%
0.14%
0.16%
0.21%
0.24%
Supplemental Data:
 
 
 
 
 
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
$35,028
$33,256
$38,028
$31,030
$32,178
Portfolio turnover5
130%
133%
63%
160%
87%
1
Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
2
Based on net asset value, which does not reflect the sales charge, redemption fee or contingent
deferred sales charge, if applicable.
3
Amount does not reflect net expenses incurred by investment companies in which the Fund
may invest.
4
This expense decrease is reflected in both the net expense and the net investment income
(loss) ratios shown above. Amount does not reflect expense waiver/reimbursement recorded by
investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
5
Securities that mature are considered sales for purposes of this calculation.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
16

Financial HighlightsInstitutional Shares
(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)
 
Year Ended July 31,
 
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$34.96
$43.40
$32.22
$30.29
$30.37
Income From Investment Operations:
 
 
 
 
 
Net investment income (loss)1
0.29
0.20
0.19
0.22
0.25
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
4.35
(1.63)
12.08
2.74
1.81
Total From Investment Operations
4.64
(1.43)
12.27
2.96
2.06
Less Distributions:
 
 
 
 
 
Distributions from net investment income
(0.21)
(0.14)
(0.21)
(0.19)
(0.13)
Distributions from net realized gain
(3.19)
(6.87)
(0.88)
(0.84)
(2.01)
Total Distributions
(3.40)
(7.01)
(1.09)
(1.03)
(2.14)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$36.20
$34.96
$43.40
$32.22
$30.29
Total Return2
14.69%
(4.67)%
38.83%
10.01%
8.08%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:
 
 
 
 
 
Net expenses3
0.74%
0.74%
0.74%
0.74%
0.78%
Net investment income
0.86%
0.52%
0.52%
0.73%
0.87%
Expense waiver/reimbursement4
0.21%
0.20%
0.21%
0.25%
0.29%
Supplemental Data:
 
 
 
 
 
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
$413,248
$291,517
$283,822
$243,490
$215,799
Portfolio turnover5
130%
133%
63%
160%
87%
1
Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
2
Based on net asset value.
3
Amount does not reflect net expenses incurred by investment companies in which the Fund
may invest.
4
This expense decrease is reflected in both the net expense and the net investment income
(loss) ratios shown above. Amount does not reflect expense waiver/reimbursement recorded by
investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
5
Securities that mature are considered sales for purposes of this calculation.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
17

Financial HighlightsClass R6 Shares
(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)
 
Year Ended July 31,
 
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$34.16
$42.56
$31.62
$29.75
$29.89
Income From Investment Operations:
 
 
 
 
 
Net investment income (loss)1
0.28
0.20
0.20
0.21
0.23
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
4.26
(1.59)
11.84
2.69
1.79
Total From Investment Operations
4.54
(1.39)
12.04
2.90
2.02
Less Distributions:
 
 
 
 
 
Distributions from net investment income
(0.22)
(0.14)
(0.22)
(0.19)
(0.15)
Distributions from net realized gain
(3.19)
(6.87)
(0.88)
(0.84)
(2.01)
Total Distributions
(3.41)
(7.01)
(1.10)
(1.03)
(2.16)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$35.29
$34.16
$42.56
$31.62
$29.75
Total Return2
14.73%
(4.66)%
38.84%
10.00%
8.08%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:
 
 
 
 
 
Net expenses3
0.73%
0.73%
0.73%
0.73%
0.81%
Net investment income
0.84%
0.53%
0.54%
0.75%
0.78%
Expense waiver/reimbursement4
0.14%
0.13%
0.15%
0.17%
0.18%
Supplemental Data:
 
 
 
 
 
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
$40,680
$16,717
$11,513
$8,571
$9,183
Portfolio turnover5
130%
133%
63%
160%
87%
1
Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
2
Based on net asset value.
3
Amount does not reflect net expenses incurred by investment companies in which the Fund
may invest.
4
This expense decrease is reflected in both the net expense and the net investment income
(loss) ratios shown above. Amount does not reflect expense waiver/reimbursement recorded by
investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
5
Securities that mature are considered sales for purposes of this calculation.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
18

Statement of Assets and Liabilities
July 31, 2023
Assets:
 
Investment in securities, at value including $3,974,270 of securities loaned and
$17,263,897 of investments in affiliated holdings*(identified cost $530,550,657,
including $17,229,184 of identified cost in affiliated holdings)
$630,040,931
Income receivable
217,870
Income receivable from affiliated holdings
62,123
Receivable for investments sold
4,644,712
Receivable for shares sold
1,593,929
Total Assets
636,559,565
Liabilities:
 
Payable for investments purchased
4,648,572
Payable for shares redeemed
344,200
Payable to bank
20,281
Payable for collateral due to broker for securities lending (Note 2)
3,971,612
Payable for investment adviser fee (Note5)
9,593
Payable for administrative fee (Note5)
1,334
Payable for Directors’/Trustees’ fees (Note5)
100
Payable for distribution services fee (Note5)
21,450
Payable for other service fees (Notes 2 and5)
53,958
Accrued expenses (Note5)
144,436
Total Liabilities
9,215,536
Net assets for 17,577,073 shares outstanding
$627,344,029
Net Assets Consist of:
 
Paid-in capital
$523,931,412
Total distributable earnings (loss)
103,412,617
Total Net Assets
$627,344,029
Annual Shareholder Report
19

Statement of Assets and Liabilitiescontinued
Net Asset Value, Offering Price and Redemption Proceeds Per Share:
 
Class A Shares:
 
Net asset value per share ($138,387,713 ÷ 3,902,689 shares outstanding), no par value,
unlimited shares authorized
$35.46
Offering price per share (100/94.50 of $35.46)
$37.52
Redemption proceeds per share
$35.46
Class C Shares:
 
Net asset value per share ($35,028,365 ÷ 1,107,503 shares outstanding), no par value,
unlimited shares authorized
$31.63
Offering price per share
$31.63
Redemption proceeds per share (99.00/100 of $31.63)
$31.31
Institutional Shares:
 
Net asset value per share ($413,247,559 ÷ 11,414,133 shares outstanding), no par
value, unlimited shares authorized
$36.20
Offering price per share
$36.20
Redemption proceeds per share
$36.20
Class R6 Shares:
 
Net asset value per share ($40,680,392 ÷ 1,152,748 shares outstanding), no par value,
unlimited shares authorized
$35.29
Offering price per share
$35.29
Redemption proceeds per share
$35.29
*
See information listed after the Fund’s Portfolio of Investments.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
20

Statement of Operations
Year Ended July 31, 2023
Investment Income:
 
Dividends (including $462,158 received from affiliated holdings*)
$7,889,707
Net income on securities loaned (includes $61,616 earned from affiliated holdings
related to cash collateral balances*) (Note 2)
23,527
TOTAL INCOME
7,913,234
Expenses:
 
Investment adviser fee (Note5)
3,452,056
Administrative fee (Note5)
387,583
Custodian fees
48,581
Transfer agent fees (Note 2)
440,391
Directors’/Trustees’ fees (Note5)
3,841
Auditing fees
29,501
Legal fees
11,666
Portfolio accounting fees
131,615
Distribution services fee (Note5)
228,046
Other service fees (Notes 2 and5)
366,525
Share registration costs
101,261
Printing and postage
37,380
Miscellaneous (Note5)
31,389
TOTAL EXPENSES
5,269,835
Waiver and Reimbursements:
 
Waiver/reimbursement of investment adviser fee (Note5)
(696,557)
Reimbursement of other operating expenses (Notes 2 and 5)
(229,899)
TOTAL WAIVER AND REIMBURSEMENTS
(926,456)
Net expenses
4,343,379
Net investment income
3,569,855
Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments:
 
Net realized gain on investments (including net realized gain of $34,501 on sales of
investments in affiliated holdings*)
9,610,946
Net change in unrealized appreciation of investments (including net change in
unrealized appreciation of $(40,612) on investments in affiliated holdings*)
59,153,515
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments
68,764,461
Change in net assets resulting from operations
$72,334,316
*
See information listed after the Fund’s Portfolio of Investments.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
21

Statement of Changes in Net Assets
Year Ended July 31
2023
2022
Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets
 
 
Operations:
 
 
Net investment income
$3,569,855
$1,684,679
Net realized gain (loss)
9,610,946
53,222,593
Net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation
59,153,515
(78,884,076)
CHANGE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS
72,334,316
(23,976,804)
Distributions to Shareholders:
 
 
Class A Shares
(10,876,001)
(18,050,522)
Class C Shares
(2,939,123)
(6,734,957)
Institutional Shares
(27,856,268)
(48,461,721)
Class R6 Shares
(1,883,465)
(2,859,720)
CHANGE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM DISTRIBUTIONS
TO SHAREHOLDERS
(43,554,857)
(76,106,920)
Share Transactions:
 
 
Proceeds from sale of shares
288,930,323
160,200,101
Net asset value of shares issued to shareholders in payment of
distributions declared
40,448,117
70,184,727
Cost of shares redeemed
(177,893,339)
(126,331,790)
CHANGE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM
SHARE TRANSACTIONS
151,485,101
104,053,038
Change in net assets
180,264,560
3,969,314
Net Assets:
 
 
Beginning of period
447,079,469
443,110,155
End of period
$627,344,029
$447,079,469
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
22

Notes to Financial Statements
July 31, 2023
1. ORGANIZATION
Federated Hermes MDT Series (the “Trust”) is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Act”), as an open-end management investment company. The Trust consists of five portfolios. The financial statements included herein are only those of Federated Hermes MDT All Cap Core Fund (the “Fund”), a diversified portfolio. The financial statements of the other portfolios are presented separately. The assets of each portfolio are segregated and a shareholder’s interest is limited to the portfolio in which shares are held. Each portfolio pays its own expenses. The Fund offers four classes of shares: Class A Shares, Class C Shares, Institutional Shares and Class R6 Shares. All shares of the Fund have equal rights with respect to voting, except on class-specific matters. The investment objective of the Fund is long-term capital appreciation.
2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
The following is a summary of significant accounting policies consistently followed by the Fund in the preparation of its financial statements. These policies are in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).
Investment Valuation
In calculating its net asset value (NAV), the Fund generally values investments as follows:

Equity securities listed on an exchange or traded through a regulated market system are valued at their last reported sale price or official closing price in their principal exchange or market.

Shares of other mutual funds or non-exchange-traded investment companies are valued based upon their reported NAVs, or NAV per share practical expedient, as applicable.

For securities that are fair valued in accordance with procedures established by and under the general supervision of Federated MDTA LLC (the “Adviser”), certain factors may be considered, such as: the last traded or purchase price of the security, information obtained by contacting the issuer or dealers, analysis of the issuer’s financial statements or other available documents, fundamental analytical data, the nature and duration of restrictions on disposition, the movement of the market in which the security is normally traded, public trading in similar securities or derivative contracts of the issuer or comparable issuers, movement of a relevant index, or other factors including but not limited to industry changes and relevant government actions.
If any price, quotation, price evaluation or other pricing source is not readily available when the NAV is calculated, if the Fund cannot obtain price evaluations from a pricing service or from more than one dealer for an investment within a reasonable period of time as set forth in the Adviser’s valuation policies and procedures for the Fund, or if information furnished by a pricing service, in the opinion of the Adviser’s valuation committee (“Valuation Committee”), is deemed not representative of the fair value of such security, the Fund uses the fair value of the investment determined in accordance
Annual Shareholder Report
23

with the procedures described below. There can be no assurance that the Fund could obtain the fair value assigned to an investment if it sold the investment at approximately the time at which the Fund determines its NAV per share, and the actual value obtained could be materially different.
Fair Valuation and Significant Events Procedures
Pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the Act, the Fund’s Board of Trustees (the “Trustees”) has designated the Adviser as the Fund’s valuation designee to perform any fair value determinations for securities and other assets held by the Fund. The Adviser is subject to the Trustees’ oversight and certain reporting and other requirements intended to provide the Trustees the information needed to oversee the Adviser’s fair value determinations.
The Adviser, acting through its Valuation Committee, is responsible for determining the fair value of investments for which market quotations are not readily available. The Valuation Committee is comprised of officers of the Adviser and certain of the Adviser’s affiliated companies and determines fair value and oversees the calculation of the NAV. The Valuation Committee is also authorized to use pricing services to provide fair value evaluations of the current value of certain investments for purposes of calculating the NAV. The Valuation Committee employs various methods for reviewing third-party pricing-service evaluations including periodic reviews of third-party pricing services’ policies, procedures and valuation methods (including key inputs, methods, models and assumptions), transactional back-testing, comparisons of evaluations of different pricing services, and review of price challenges by the Adviser based on recent market activity. In the event that market quotations and price evaluations are not available for an investment, the Valuation Committee determines the fair value of the investment in accordance with procedures adopted by the Adviser. The Trustees periodically review the fair valuations made by the Valuation Committee. The Trustees have also approved the Adviser’s fair valuation and significant events procedures as part of the Fund’s compliance program and will review any changes made to the procedures.
Factors considered by pricing services in evaluating an investment include the yields or prices of investments of comparable quality, coupon, maturity, call rights and other potential prepayments, terms and type, reported transactions, indications as to values from dealers and general market conditions. Some pricing services provide a single price evaluation reflecting the bid-side of the market for an investment (a “bid” evaluation). Other pricing services offer both bid evaluations and price evaluations indicative of a price between the prices bid and ask for the investment (a “mid” evaluation). The Fund normally uses bid evaluations for any U.S. Treasury and Agency securities, mortgage-backed securities and municipal securities. The Fund normally uses mid evaluations for any other types of fixed-income securities and any OTC derivative contracts. In the event that market quotations and price evaluations are not available for an investment, the fair value of the investment is determined in accordance with procedures adopted by the Adviser.
The Adviser has also adopted procedures requiring an investment to be priced at its fair value whenever the Valuation Committee determines that a significant event affecting the value of the investment has occurred between the time as of which the price of the investment would otherwise be determined and the time as of which the NAV is computed. An event is considered significant if there is both an affirmative expectation that the investment’s value will change in response to the event and a
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reasonable basis for quantifying the resulting change in value. Examples of significant events that may occur after the close of the principal market on which a security is traded, or after the time of a price evaluation provided by a pricing service or a dealer, include:

With respect to securities traded principally in foreign markets, significant trends in U.S. equity markets or in the trading of foreign securities index futures contracts;

Political or other developments affecting the economy or markets in which an issuer conducts its operations or its securities are traded;

Announcements concerning matters such as acquisitions, recapitalizations, litigation developments, or a natural disaster affecting the issuer’s operations or regulatory changes or market developments affecting the issuer’s industry.
The Adviser has adopted procedures whereby the Valuation Committee uses a pricing service to provide factors to update the fair value of equity securities traded principally in foreign markets from the time of the close of their respective foreign stock exchanges to the pricing time of the Fund. For other significant events, the Fund may seek to obtain more current quotations or price evaluations from alternative pricing sources. If a reliable alternative pricing source is not available, the Valuation Committee will determine the fair value of the investment in accordance with the fair valuation procedures approved by the Adviser. The Trustees periodically review fair valuations made in response to significant events.
Repurchase Agreements
The Fund may invest in repurchase agreements for short-term liquidity purposes. It is the policy of the Fund to require the other party to a repurchase agreement to transfer to the Fund’s custodian or sub-custodian eligible securities or cash with a market value (after transaction costs) at least equal to the repurchase price to be paid under the repurchase agreement. The eligible securities are transferred to accounts with the custodian or sub-custodian in which the Fund holds a “securities entitlement” and exercises “control” as those terms are defined in the Uniform Commercial Code. The Fund has established procedures for monitoring the market value of the transferred securities and requiring the transfer of additional eligible securities if necessary to equal at least the repurchase price. These procedures also allow the other party to require securities to be transferred from the account to the extent that their market value exceeds the repurchase price or in exchange for other eligible securities of equivalent market value.
The insolvency of the other party or other failure to repurchase the securities may delay the disposition of the underlying securities or cause the Fund to receive less than the full repurchase price. Under the terms of the repurchase agreement, any amounts received by the Fund in excess of the repurchase price and related transaction costs must be remitted to the other party.
The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements in which eligible securities are transferred into joint trading accounts maintained by the custodian or sub-custodian for investment companies and other clients advised by the Fund’s Adviser and its affiliates. The Fund will participate on a pro rata basis with the other investment companies and clients in its share of the securities transferred under such repurchase agreements and in its share of proceeds from any repurchase or other disposition of such securities.
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Investment Income, Gains and Losses, Expenses and Distributions
Investment transactions are accounted for on a trade-date basis. Realized gains and losses from investment transactions are recorded on an identified-cost basis. Interest income and expenses are accrued daily. Dividend income and distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Foreign dividends are recorded on the ex-dividend date or when the Fund is informed of the ex-dividend date. Distributions of net investment income, if any, are declared and paid annually. Non-cash dividends included in dividend income, if any, are recorded at fair value. Amortization/accretion of premium and discount is included in investment income. Investment income, realized and unrealized gains and losses, and certain fund-level expenses are allocated to each class based on relative average daily net assets, except that select classes will bear certain expenses unique to those classes. The detail of the total fund expense waiver and reimbursements of $926,456 is disclosed in this Note 2 and Note 5. Dividends are declared separately for each class. No class has preferential dividend rights; differences in per share dividend rates are generally due to differences in separate class expenses.
Transfer Agent Fees
For the year ended July 31, 2023, transfer agent fees for the Fund were as follows:
 
Transfer Agent
Fees Incurred
Transfer Agent
Fees Reimbursed
Class A Shares
$111,345
$(21,373)
Class C Shares
28,230
(273)
Institutional Shares
296,720
(208,253)
Class R6 Shares
4,096
TOTAL
$440,391
$(229,899)
Other Service Fees
The Fund may pay other service fees up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Fund’s Class A Shares and Class C Shares to financial intermediaries or to Federated Shareholder Services Company (FSSC) for providing services to shareholders and maintaining shareholder accounts. Subject to the terms described in the Expense Limitation note, FSSC may voluntarily reimburse the Fund for other service fees.
For the year ended July 31, 2023, other service fees for the Fund were as follows:
 
Other Service
Fees Incurred
Class A Shares
$290,510
Class C Shares
76,015
TOTAL
$366,525
Federal Taxes
It is the Fund’s policy to comply with the Subchapter M provision of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and to distribute to shareholders each year substantially all of its income. Accordingly, no provision for federal income tax is necessary. As of and during the year ended July 31, 2023, the Fund did not have a liability for any uncertain tax
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positions. The Fund recognizes interest and penalties, if any, related to tax liabilities as income tax expense in the Statement of Operations. As of July 31, 2023, tax years 2020 through 2023 remain subject to examination by the Fund’s major tax jurisdictions, which include the United States of America and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
When-Issued and Delayed-Delivery Transactions
The Fund may engage in when-issued or delayed-delivery transactions. The Fund records when-issued securities on the trade date and maintains security positions such that sufficient liquid assets will be available to make payment for the securities purchased. Securities purchased on a when-issued or delayed-delivery basis are marked to market daily and begin earning interest on the settlement date. Losses may occur on these transactions due to changes in market conditions or the failure of counterparties to perform under the contract.
Securities Lending
The Fund participates in a securities lending program providing for the lending of equity securities to qualified brokers. The term of the loans within the program is one year or less. The Fund normally receives cash collateral for securities loaned that may be invested in affiliated money market funds, other money market instruments and/or repurchase agreements. Investments in money market funds may include funds with a “floating” NAV that can impose redemption fees and liquidity gates, impose certain operational impediments to investing cash collateral, and, if the investee fund’s NAV decreases, result in the Fund recognizing losses and being required to cover the decrease in the value of the cash collateral. Collateral is maintained at a minimum level of 100% of the market value of investments loaned, plus interest, if applicable. In accordance with the Fund’s securities lending agreement, the market value of securities on loan is determined each day at the close of business and any additional collateral required to cover the value of securities on loan is delivered to the Fund on the next business day. Earnings from collateral invested in affiliated holdings as presented parenthetically on the Statement of Operations do not reflect fees and rebates and are allocated between the borrower of the security, the securities lending agent, as a fee for its services under the program and the Fund, according to agreed-upon rates. The Fund will not have the right to vote on securities while they are on loan. However, the Fund will attempt to terminate a loan in an effort to reacquire the securities in time to vote on matters that are deemed to be material by the Adviser. There can be no assurance that the Fund will have sufficient notice of such matters to be able to terminate the loan in time to vote thereon.
Securities lending transactions are subject to Master Netting Agreements which are agreements between the Fund and its counterparties that provide for the net settlement of all transactions and collateral with the Fund, through a single payment, in the event of default or termination. Amounts presented on the Portfolio of Investments and Statement of Assets and Liabilities are not net settlement amounts but gross. The chart below identifies the amount of collateral received as well as the market value of securities on loan. Additionally, the securities lending agreement executed by the Fund includes an indemnification clause. This clause stipulates that the borrower will reimburse the Fund for any losses as a result of any failure of the borrower to return equivalent securities to the Fund.
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As of July 31, 2023, securities subject to this type of arrangement and related collateral were as follows:
Fair Value of
Securities Loaned
Collateral
Received
$3,974,270
$3,971,612
Restricted Securities
The Fund may purchase securities which are considered restricted. Restricted securities are securities that either: (a) cannot be offered for public sale without first being registered, or being able to take advantage of an exemption from registration, under the Securities Act of 1933; or (b) are subject to contractual restrictions on public sales. In some cases, when a security cannot be offered for public sale without first being registered, the issuer of the restricted security has agreed to register such securities for resale, at the issuer’s expense, either upon demand by the Fund or in connection with another registered offering of the securities. Many such restricted securities may be resold in the secondary market in transactions exempt from registration. Restricted securities may be determined to be liquid under criteria established by the Trustees. The Fund will not incur any registration costs upon such resales. The Fund’s restricted securities, like other securities, are priced in accordance with procedures established by and under the general supervision of the Adviser.
Other
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts of assets, liabilities, expenses and revenues reported in the financial statements. Actual results could differ materially from those estimated. The Fund applies investment company accounting and reporting guidance.
3. SHARES OF BENEFICIAL INTEREST
The following tables summarize share activity:
 
Year Ended
7/31/2023
Year Ended
7/31/2022
Class A Shares:
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares sold
1,343,037
$43,579,194
612,974
$23,328,431
Shares issued to shareholders in payment of
distributions declared
308,624
9,607,187
454,940
17,088,464
Shares redeemed
(825,942)
(26,971,340)
(558,368)
(20,790,823)
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM CLASS A
SHARE TRANSACTIONS
825,719
$26,215,041
509,546
$19,626,072
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Year Ended
7/31/2023
Year Ended
7/31/2022
Class C Shares:
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares sold
376,353
$11,085,689
267,652
$9,556,354
Shares issued to shareholders in payment of
distributions declared
99,258
2,761,357
188,752
6,442,116
Shares redeemed
(438,795)
(12,893,326)
(347,147)
(11,592,509)
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM CLASS C
SHARE TRANSACTIONS
36,816
$953,720
109,257
$4,405,961
 
Year Ended
7/31/2023
Year Ended
7/31/2022
Institutional Shares:
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares sold
6,021,803
$201,878,159
2,935,348
$114,520,154
Shares issued to shareholders in payment of
distributions declared
836,543
26,592,484
1,163,096
44,573,724
Shares redeemed
(3,782,618)
(126,125,074)
(2,299,780)
(88,189,501)
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM
INSTITUTIONAL SHARE TRANSACTIONS
3,075,728
$102,345,569
1,798,664
$70,904,377
 
Year Ended
7/31/2023
Year Ended
7/31/2022
Class R6 Shares:
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares sold
979,784
$32,387,281
320,616
$12,795,162
Shares issued to shareholders in payment of
distributions declared
47,982
1,487,089
55,550
2,080,423
Shares redeemed
(364,328)
(11,903,599)
(157,356)
(5,758,957)
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM CLASS R6
SHARE TRANSACTIONS
663,438
$21,970,771
218,810
$9,116,628
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM TOTAL
FUND SHARE TRANSACTIONS
4,601,701
$151,485,101
2,636,277
$104,053,038
4. FEDERAL TAX INFORMATION
The accounting treatment of certain items in accordance with income tax regulations may differ from the accounting treatment in accordance with GAAP which may result in permanent differences. In the case of the Fund, such differences primarily result from fair fund payment.
For the year ended July 31, 2023, permanent differences identified and reclassified among the components of net assets were as follows:
Increase (Decrease)
Paid-In Capital
Total Distributable
Earnings (Loss)
$(10,766)
$10,766
Net assets were not affected by this reclassification.
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The tax character of distributions as reported on the Statement of Changes in Net Assets for the years ended July 31, 2023 and 2022, was as follows:
 
2023
2022
Ordinary income1
$2,533,761
$40,467,734
Long-term capital gains
$41,021,096
$35,639,186
1
For tax purposes, short-term capital gain distributions are considered ordinary
income distributions.
As of July 31, 2023, the components of distributable earnings on a tax-basis were as follows:
Undistributed ordinary income
$2,079,485
Net unrealized appreciation
$96,458,376
Undistributed long-term capital gains
$4,874,756
TOTAL
$103,412,617
At July 31, 2023, the cost of investments for federal tax purposes was $533,582,555. The net unrealized appreciation of investments for federal tax purposes was $96,458,376. This consists of unrealized appreciation from investments for those securities having an excess of value over cost of $108,120,925 and unrealized depreciation from investments for those securities having an excess of cost over value of $11,662,549. The difference between book-basis and tax-basis net unrealized appreciation is attributable to differing treatments for the deferral of losses on wash sales.
5. INVESTMENT ADVISER FEE AND OTHER TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES
Investment Adviser Fee
The advisory agreement between the Fund and the Adviser provides for an annual fee equal to 0.70% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Subject to the terms described in the Expense Limitation note, the Adviser may voluntarily choose to waive any portion of its fee and/or reimburse certain operating expenses of the Fund for competitive reasons such as to maintain the Fund’s expense ratio, or as and when appropriate, to maintain positive or zero net yields. For the year ended July 31, 2023, the Adviser voluntarily waived $684,526 of its fee and voluntarily reimbursed $229,899 of transfer agent fees. The Adviser has agreed to reimburse the Fund for certain investment adviser fees as a result of transactions in other affiliated investment companies. For the year ended July 31, 2023, the Adviser reimbursed $12,031.
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Administrative Fee
Federated Administrative Services (FAS), under the Administrative Services Agreement, provides the Fund with administrative personnel and services. For purposes of determining the appropriate rate breakpoint, “Investment Complex” is defined as all of the Federated Hermes Funds subject to a fee under the Administrative Services Agreement. The fee paid to FAS is based on the average daily net assets of the Investment Complex as specified below:
Administrative Fee
Average Daily Net Assets
of the Investment Complex
0.100%
on assets up to $50 billion
0.075%
on assets over $50 billion
Subject to the terms described in the Expense Limitation note, FAS may voluntarily choose to waive any portion of its fee. For the year ended July 31, 2023, the annualized fee paid to FAS was 0.079% of average daily net assets of the Fund.
In addition, FAS may charge certain out-of-pocket expenses to the Fund.
Distribution Services Fee
The Fund has adopted a Distribution Plan (the “Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Act. Under the terms of the Plan, the Fund will compensate Federated Securities Corp. (FSC), the principal distributor, from the daily net assets of the Fund’s Class A Shares and Class C Shares to finance activities intended to result in the sale of these shares. The Plan provides that the Fund may incur distribution expenses at the following percentages of average daily net assets annually, to compensate FSC:
 
Percentage of Average Daily
Net Assets of Class
Class A Shares
0.05%
Class C Shares
0.75%
Subject to the terms described in the Expense Limitation note, FSC may voluntarily choose to waive any portion of its fee. For the year ended July 31, 2023, distribution services fees for the Fund were as follows:
 
Distribution Services
Fees Incurred
Class C Shares
$228,046
When FSC receives fees, it may pay some or all of them to financial intermediaries whose customers purchase shares.
For the year ended July 31, 2023, FSC retained $33,877 of fees paid by the Fund. For the year ended July 31, 2023, the Fund’s Class A Shares did not incur a distribution services fee; however, it may begin to incur this fee upon approval of the Trustees.
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Sales Charges
Front-end sales charges and contingent deferred sales charges (CDSC) do not represent expenses of the Fund. They are deducted from the proceeds of sales of Fund shares prior to investment or from redemption proceeds prior to remittance, as applicable. For the year ended July 31, 2023, FSC retained $42,779 in sales charges from the sale of Class A Shares. FSC also retained $5,187 of CDSC relating to redemptions of Class A Shares and $3,393 relating to redemptions of Class C Shares, respectively.
Other Service Fees
For the year ended July 31, 2023, FSSC received $7,154 of the other service fees disclosed in Note 2.
Expense Limitation
The Adviser and certain of its affiliates (which may include FSSC, FAS and FSC) on their own initiative have agreed to waive certain amounts of their respective fees and/or reimburse expenses. Total annual fund operating expenses (as shown in the financial highlights, excluding interest expense, extraordinary expenses and proxy-related expenses paid by the Fund, if any) paid by the Fund’s Class A Shares, Class C Shares, Institutional Shares and Class R6 Shares (after the voluntary waivers and/or reimbursements) will not exceed 1.04%, 1.83%, 0.74% and 0.73% (the “Fee Limit”), respectively, up to but not including the later of (the “Termination Date”): (a) October 1, 2024; or (b) the date of the Fund’s next effective Prospectus. While the Adviser and its affiliates currently do not anticipate terminating or increasing these arrangements prior to the Termination Date, these arrangements may only be terminated or the Fee Limit increased prior to the Termination Date with the agreement of the Trustees.
Directors’/Trustees’ and Miscellaneous Fees
Certain Officers and Trustees of the Fund are Officers and Directors or Trustees of certain of the above companies. To efficiently facilitate payment, Independent Directors’/Trustees’ fees and certain expenses related to conducting meetings of the Directors/Trustees and other miscellaneous expenses are paid by an affiliate of the Adviser which in due course are reimbursed by the Fund. These expenses related to conducting meetings of the Directors/Trustees and other miscellaneous expenses may be included in Accrued and Miscellaneous Expenses on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Statement of Operations, respectively.
6. INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS
Purchases and sales of investments, excluding long-term U.S. government securities and short-term obligations, for the year ended July 31, 2023, were as follows:
Purchases
$739,833,804
Sales
$632,811,005
7. CONCENTRATION OF RISK
The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in securities of companies that are deemed by the Fund’s management to be classified in similar business sectors. Economic developments may have an effect on the liquidity and volatility of the portfolio securities.
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A substantial portion of the Fund’s portfolio may be comprised of entities in the Information Technology sector. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to any economic, business, political or other developments which generally affect these entities.
8. LINE OF CREDIT
The Fund participates with certain other Federated Hermes Funds, on a several basis, in an up to $500,000,000 unsecured, 364-day, committed, revolving line of credit (LOC) agreement dated June 21, 2023. The LOC was made available to temporarily finance the repurchase or redemption of shares of the Fund, failed trades, payment of dividends, settlement of trades and for other short-term, temporary or emergency general business purposes. The Fund cannot borrow under the LOC if an inter-fund loan is outstanding. The Fund’s ability to borrow under the LOC also is subject to the limitations of the Act and various conditions precedent that must be satisfied before the Fund can borrow. Loans under the LOC are charged interest at a fluctuating rate per annum equal to (a) the highest, on any day, of (i) the federal funds effective rate, (ii) the published secured overnight financing rate plus an assigned percentage, and (iii) 0.0%, plus (b) a margin. Any fund eligible to borrow under the LOC pays its pro rata share of a commitment fee based on the amount of the lenders’ commitment that has not been utilized, quarterly in arrears and at maturity. As of July 31, 2023, the Fund had no outstanding loans. During the year ended July 31, 2023, the Fund did not utilize the LOC.
9. INTERFUND LENDING
Pursuant to an Exemptive Order issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Fund, along with other funds advised by subsidiaries of Federated Hermes, Inc., may participate in an interfund lending program. This program provides an alternative credit facility allowing the Fund to borrow from other participating affiliated funds. As of July 31, 2023, there were no outstanding loans. During the year ended July 31, 2023, the program was not utilized.
10. INDEMNIFICATIONS
Under the Fund’s organizational documents, its Officers and Directors/Trustees are indemnified against certain liabilities arising out of the performance of their duties to the Fund (other than liabilities arising out of their willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of their duties to the Fund). In addition, in the normal course of business, the Fund provides certain indemnifications under arrangements with third parties. Typically, obligations to indemnify a third party arise in the context of an arrangement entered into by the Fund under which the Fund agrees to indemnify such third party for certain liabilities arising out of actions taken pursuant to the arrangement, provided the third party’s actions are not deemed to have breached an agreed-upon standard of care (such as willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of their duties under the contract). The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Fund that have not yet arisen. The Fund does not anticipate any material claims or losses pursuant to these arrangements at this time, and accordingly expects the risk of loss to be remote.
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11. OTHER MATTERS
An outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus was first detected in China in late 2019 and subsequently spread globally. As of the date of the issuance of these financial statements, this coronavirus has resulted in, and may continue to result in, closed borders, enhanced health screenings, disruptions to healthcare service preparation and delivery, quarantines, cancellations, and disruptions to supply chains, workflow operations and consumer activity, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The impact of this coronavirus has resulted in substantial economic volatility. Health crises caused by outbreaks, such as the coronavirus outbreak, may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks. The impact of this outbreak, and other epidemics and pandemics that may arise in the future, could continue to negatively affect the worldwide economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, individual companies (including certain Fund service providers and issuers of the Fund’s investments) and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. In addition, governments, their regulatory agencies, or self-regulatory organizations may take actions in response to the pandemic, including significant fiscal and monetary policy changes, that may affect the instruments in which the Fund invests or the issuers of such investments. Any such impact could adversely affect the Fund’s performance.
12. FEDERAL TAX INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)
For the year ended July 31, 2023, the amount of long-term capital gains designated by the Fund was $41,021,096.
Of the ordinary income distributions made by the Fund during the year ended July 31, 2023, 100% qualify for the dividend received deduction available to corporate shareholders.
For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2023, 100% of total ordinary income distributions made by the Fund are qualifying dividends which may be subject to a maximum tax rate of 15%, as provided for by the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Act of 2003. Complete information is reported in conjunction with the reporting of your distributions on Form 1099-DIV.
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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF FEDERATED HERMES MDT SERIES AND SHAREHOLDERS OF FEDERATED HERMES MDT ALL CAP CORE FUND:
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities of Federated Hermes MDT All Cap Core Fund (the “Fund”) (one of the portfolios constituting Federated Hermes MDT Series (the “Trust”)), including the portfolio of investments, as of July 31, 2023, and the related statement of operations for the year then ended, the statement of changes in net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended, the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Fund (one of the portfolios constituting Federated Hermes MDT Series), at July 31, 2023, the results of its operations for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended and its financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Trust’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Fund’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Trust in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
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We conducted our audits in accordance with standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Trust is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of the Trust’s internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Trust’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of July 31, 2023, by correspondence with the custodian, brokers, and others; when replies were not received from brokers or others, we performed other auditing procedures. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
We have served as the auditor of one or more Federated Hermes investment companies since 1979.
Boston, Massachusetts
September 25, 2023
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Shareholder Expense Example (unaudited)
As a shareholder of the Fund, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads) on purchase or redemption payments; and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees and to the extent applicable, distribution (12b-1) fees and/or other service fees and other Fund expenses. This Example is intended to help you to understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds. It is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period from February 1, 2023 to July 31, 2023.
ACTUAL EXPENSES
The first section of the table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this section, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you incurred over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first section under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses attributable to your investment during this period.
HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLE FOR COMPARISON PURPOSES
The second section of the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. Thus, you should not use the hypothetical account values and expenses to estimate the actual ending account balance or your expenses for the period. Rather, these figures are required to be provided to enable you to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund with other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.
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Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transaction costs, such as sales charges (loads) on purchase or redemption payments. Therefore, the second section of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transaction costs were included, your costs would have been higher.
 
Beginning
Account Value
2/1/2023
Ending
Account Value
7/31/2023
Expenses Paid
During Period1
Actual:
 
 
 
Class A Shares
$1,000
$1,066.80
$5.33
Class C Shares
$1,000
$1,062.80
$9.26
Institutional Shares
$1,000
$1,068.20
$3.79
Class R6 Shares
$1,000
$1,068.10
$3.74
Hypothetical (assuming a 5% return
before expenses):
 
 
 
Class A Shares
$1,000
$1,019.64
$5.21
Class C Shares
$1,000
$1,015.82
$9.05
Institutional Shares
$1,000
$1,021.12
$3.71
Class R6 Shares
$1,000
$1,021.17
$3.66
1
Expenses are equal to the Fund’s annualized net expense ratios, multiplied by the average
account value over the period, multiplied by 181/365 (to reflect the one-half-year period). The
annualized net expense ratios are as follows:
Class A Shares
1.04%
Class C Shares
1.81%
Institutional Shares
0.74%
Class R6 Shares
0.73%
Annual Shareholder Report
38

Board of Trustees and Trust Officers
The Board of Trustees is responsible for managing the Trust’s business affairs and for exercising all the Trust’s powers except those reserved for the shareholders. The following tables give information about each Trustee and the senior officers of the Fund. Where required, the tables separately list Trustees who are “interested persons” of the Fund (i.e., “Interested” Trustees) and those who are not (i.e., “Independent” Trustees). Unless otherwise noted, the address of each person listed is 1001 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779. The address of all Independent Trustees listed is 4000 Ericsson Drive, Warrendale, PA 15086-7561; Attention: Mutual Fund Board. As of December 31, 2022, the Trust comprised five portfolio(s), and the Federated Hermes Fund Family consisted of 33 investment companies (comprising 102 portfolios). Unless otherwise noted, each Officer is elected annually. Unless otherwise noted, each Trustee oversees all portfolios in the Federated Hermes Fund Family and serves for an indefinite term. The Fund’s Statement of Additional Information includes additional information about Trust Trustees and is available, without charge and upon request, by calling 1-800-341-7400, Option #4.
Interested TRUSTEES Background
Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held and Previous Position(s)
J. Christopher Donahue*
Birth Date: April 11, 1949
President and Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: May 2006
Principal Occupations: Principal Executive Officer and President of
certain of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Fund Family; Director or
Trustee of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Fund Family; President,
Chief Executive Officer and Director, Federated Hermes, Inc.;
Chairman and Trustee, Federated Investment Management Company;
Trustee, Federated Investment Counseling; Chairman and Director,
Federated Global Investment Management Corp.; Chairman and
Trustee, Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania;
Trustee, Federated Shareholder Services Company; Director,
Federated Services Company.
Previous Positions: President, Federated Investment Counseling;
President and Chief Executive Officer, Federated Investment
Management Company, Federated Global Investment Management
Corp. and Passport Research, Ltd; Chairman, Passport Research, Ltd.
Annual Shareholder Report
39

Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held and Previous Position(s)
John B. Fisher*
Birth Date: May 16, 1956
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: May 2016
Principal Occupations: Principal Executive Officer and President of
certain of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Fund Family; Director or
Trustee of certain of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Fund Family;
Director and Vice President, Federated Hermes, Inc.; President,
Director/Trustee and CEO, Federated Advisory Services Company,
Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania, Federated
Global Investment Management Corp., Federated Investment
Counseling, Federated Investment Management Company, and
Federated MDTA LLC; Director, Federated Investors Trust Company.
Previous Positions: President and Director of the Institutional Sales
Division of Federated Securities Corp.; President and CEO of Passport
Research, Ltd.; Director and President, Technology, Federated
Services Company.
*
Reasons for “interested” status: J. Christopher Donahue and John B. Fisher are interested due to their beneficial ownership of shares of Federated Hermes, Inc. and due to positions they hold with Federated Hermes, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES Background
Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
John T. Collins
Birth Date: January 24, 1947
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: October 2013
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee, and Chair of the Board
of Directors or Trustees, of the Federated Hermes Fund Family;
formerly, Chairman and CEO, The Collins Group, Inc. (a private equity
firm) (Retired).
Other Directorships Held: Director, KLX Energy Services Holdings,
Inc. (oilfield services); former Director of KLX Corp. (aerospace).
Qualifications: Mr. Collins has served in several business and financial
management roles and directorship positions throughout his career.
Mr. Collins previously served as Chairman and CEO of The Collins
Group, Inc. (a private equity firm) and as a Director of KLX Corp.
Mr. Collins serves as Chairman Emeriti, Bentley University. Mr. Collins
previously served as Director and Audit Committee Member, Bank of
America Corp.; Director, FleetBoston Financial Corp.; and Director,
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Harvard University
Affiliate Hospital).
Annual Shareholder Report
40

Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
G. Thomas Hough
Birth Date: February 28, 1955
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: August 2015
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee, Chair of the Audit
Committee of the Federated Hermes Fund Family; formerly, Vice
Chair, Ernst & Young LLP (public accounting firm) (Retired).
Other Directorships Held: Director, Chair of the Audit Committee,
Equifax, Inc.; Lead Director, Member of the Audit and Nominating and
Corporate Governance Committees, Haverty Furniture Companies,
Inc.; formerly, Director, Member of Governance and Compensation
Committees, Publix Super Markets, Inc.
Qualifications: Mr. Hough has served in accounting, business
management and directorship positions throughout his career.
Mr. Hough most recently held the position of Americas Vice Chair of
Assurance with Ernst & Young LLP (public accounting firm). Mr. Hough
serves on the President’s Cabinet and Business School Board of
Visitors for the University of Alabama. Mr. Hough previously served on
the Business School Board of Visitors for Wake Forest University, and
he previously served as an Executive Committee member of the
United States Golf Association.
Maureen Lally-Green
Birth Date: July 5, 1949
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: August 2009
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Fund Family; Adjunct Professor Emerita of Law, Duquesne University
School of Law; formerly, Dean of the Duquesne University School of
Law and Professor of Law and Interim Dean of the Duquesne
University School of Law; formerly, Associate General Secretary and
Director, Office of Church Relations, Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Other Directorships Held: Director, CNX Resources Corporation
(natural gas).
Qualifications: Judge Lally-Green has served in various legal and
business roles and directorship positions throughout her career. Judge
Lally-Green previously held the position of Dean of the School of Law
of Duquesne University (as well as Interim Dean). Judge Lally-Green
previously served as Associate General Secretary of the Diocese of
Pittsburgh, a member of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania and as a
Professor of Law, Duquesne University School of Law. Judge Lally-
Green was appointed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to serve
on the Supreme Court’s Board of Continuing Judicial Education and
the Supreme Court’s Appellate Court Procedural Rules Committee.
Judge Lally-Green also currently holds the positions on not for profit
or for profit boards of directors as follows: Director and Chair, UPMC
Mercy Hospital; Regent, Saint Vincent Seminary; Member,
Pennsylvania State Board of Education (public); Director, Catholic
Charities, Pittsburgh; and Director CNX Resources Corporation
(natural gas). Judge Lally-Green has held the positions of: Director,
Auberle; Director, Epilepsy Foundation of Western and Central
Pennsylvania; Director, Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh; Director, Saint
Thomas More Society; Director and Chair, Catholic High Schools of
the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Inc.; Director, Pennsylvania Bar Institute;
Director, St. Vincent College; Director and Chair, North Catholic High
School, Inc.; Director and Vice Chair, Our Campaign for the Church
Alive!, Inc.; and Director and Vice Chair, Saint Francis University.
Annual Shareholder Report
41

Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
Thomas M. O’Neill
Birth Date: June 14, 1951
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: August 2006
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Fund Family; Sole Proprietor, Navigator Management Company
(investment and strategic consulting).
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Mr. O’Neill has served in several business, mutual fund
and financial management roles and directorship positions throughout
his career. Mr. O’Neill serves as Director, Medicines for Humanity.
Mr. O’Neill previously served as Chief Executive Officer and President,
Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer, Fleet Investment
Advisors; President and Chief Executive Officer, Aeltus Investment
Management, Inc.; General Partner, Hellman, Jordan Management
Co., Boston, MA; Chief Investment Officer, The Putnam Companies,
Boston, MA; Credit Analyst and Lending Officer, Fleet Bank; Director
and Consultant, EZE Castle Software (investment order management
software); Director, Midway Pacific (lumber); and Director, The
Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples, Florida.
Madelyn A. Reilly
Birth Date: February 2, 1956
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving:
November 2020
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Fund Family; formerly, Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs,
General Counsel and Secretary of Board of Directors, Duquesne
University (Retired).
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Ms. Reilly has served in various business and legal
management roles throughout her career. Ms. Reilly previously served
as Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs, General Counsel and
Secretary of Board of Directors and Director of Risk Management and
Associate General Counsel, Duquesne University. Prior to her work at
Duquesne University, Ms. Reilly served as Assistant General Counsel
of Compliance and Enterprise Risk as well as Senior Counsel of
Environment, Health and Safety, PPG Industries. Ms. Reilly currently
serves as a member of the Board of Directors of UPMC
Mercy Hospital.
Annual Shareholder Report
42

Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
P. Jerome Richey
Birth Date: February 23, 1949
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: October 2013
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Fund Family; Retired; formerly, Senior Vice Chancellor and Chief Legal
Officer, University of Pittsburgh and Executive Vice President and
Chief Legal Officer, CONSOL Energy Inc. (now split into two separate
publicly traded companies known as CONSOL Energy Inc. and CNX
Resources Corp.).
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Mr. Richey has served in several business and legal
management roles and directorship positions throughout his career.
Mr. Richey most recently held the positions of Senior Vice Chancellor
and Chief Legal Officer, University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Richey previously
served as Chairman of the Board, Epilepsy Foundation of Western
Pennsylvania and Chairman of the Board, World Affairs Council of
Pittsburgh. Mr. Richey previously served as Chief Legal Officer and
Executive Vice President, CONSOL Energy Inc. and CNX Gas
Company; and Board Member, Ethics Counsel and Shareholder,
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC (a law firm).
John S. Walsh
Birth Date:
November 28, 1957
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: June 2006
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Fund Family; President and Director, Heat Wagon, Inc. (manufacturer
of construction temporary heaters); President and Director,
Manufacturers Products, Inc. (distributor of portable construction
heaters); President, Portable Heater Parts, a division of Manufacturers
Products, Inc.
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Mr. Walsh has served in several business management
roles and directorship positions throughout his career. Mr. Walsh
previously served as Vice President, Walsh & Kelly, Inc.
(paving contractors).
Annual Shareholder Report
43

OFFICERS
Name
Birth Date
Address
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years
and Previous Position(s)
Lori A. Hensler
Birth Date: January 6, 1967
TREASURER
Officer since: April 2013
Principal Occupations: Principal Financial Officer and Treasurer of the
Federated Hermes Fund Family; Senior Vice President, Federated
Administrative Services; Financial and Operations Principal for
Federated Securities Corp.; and Assistant Treasurer, Federated
Investors Trust Company. Ms. Hensler has received the Certified
Public Accountant designation.
Previous Positions: Controller of Federated Hermes, Inc.; Senior Vice
President and Assistant Treasurer, Federated Investors Management
Company; Treasurer, Federated Investors Trust Company; Assistant
Treasurer, Federated Administrative Services, Federated
Administrative Services, Inc., Federated Securities Corp., Edgewood
Services, Inc., Federated Advisory Services Company, Federated
Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania, Federated Global
Investment Management Corp., Federated Investment Counseling,
Federated Investment Management Company, Passport Research,
Ltd., and Federated MDTA, LLC; Financial and Operations Principal for
Federated Securities Corp., Edgewood Services, Inc. and Southpointe
Distribution Services, Inc.
Peter J. Germain
Birth Date:
September 3, 1959
CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER,
SECRETARY and EXECUTIVE
VICE PRESIDENT
Officer since: June 2006
Principal Occupations: Mr. Germain is Chief Legal Officer, Secretary
and Executive Vice President of the Federated Hermes Fund Family.
He is General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer, Secretary and Executive
Vice President, Federated Hermes, Inc.; Trustee and Senior Vice
President, Federated Investors Management Company; Trustee and
President, Federated Administrative Services; Director and President,
Federated Administrative Services, Inc.; Director and Vice President,
Federated Securities Corp.; Director and Secretary, Federated Private
Asset Management, Inc.; Secretary, Federated Shareholder Services
Company; and Secretary, Retirement Plan Service Company of
America. Mr. Germain joined Federated Hermes, Inc. in 1984 and is a
member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.
Previous Positions: Deputy General Counsel, Special Counsel,
Managing Director of Mutual Fund Services, Federated Hermes, Inc.;
Senior Vice President, Federated Services Company; and Senior
Corporate Counsel, Federated Hermes, Inc.
Stephen F. Auth
Birth Date:
September 13, 1956
101 Park Avenue
41st Floor
New York, NY 10178
CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER
Officer since: June 2012
Principal Occupations: Stephen F. Auth is Chief Investment Officer of
various Funds in the Federated Hermes Fund Family; Executive Vice
President, Federated Investment Counseling, Federated Global
Investment Management Corp. and Federated Equity Management
Company of Pennsylvania.
Previous Positions: Executive Vice President, Federated Investment
Management Company and Passport Research, Ltd. (investment
advisory subsidiary of Federated); Senior Vice President, Global
Portfolio Management Services Division; Senior Vice President,
Federated Investment Management Company and Passport
Research, Ltd.; Senior Managing Director and Portfolio Manager,
Prudential Investments.
Annual Shareholder Report
44

Name
Birth Date
Address
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years
and Previous Position(s)
Stephen Van Meter
Birth Date: June 5, 1975
CHIEF COMPLIANCE
OFFICER AND SENIOR
VICE PRESIDENT
Officer since: July 2015
Principal Occupations: Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance
Officer of the Federated Hermes Fund Family; Vice President and
Chief Compliance Officer of Federated Hermes, Inc. and Chief
Compliance Officer of certain of its subsidiaries. Mr. Van Meter joined
Federated Hermes, Inc. in October 2011. He holds FINRA licenses
under Series 3, 7, 24 and 66.
Previous Positions: Mr. Van Meter previously held the position of
Compliance Operating Officer, Federated Hermes, Inc. Prior to joining
Federated Hermes, Inc., Mr. Van Meter served at the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission in the positions of Senior
Counsel, Office of Chief Counsel, Division of Investment Management
and Senior Counsel, Division of Enforcement.
Annual Shareholder Report
45

Evaluation and Approval of Advisory ContractMay 2023
Federated Hermes MDT All Cap Core Fund (the “Fund”)
At its meetings in May 2023 (the “May Meetings”), the Fund’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”), including those Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Fund, as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Independent Trustees”), reviewed and unanimously approved the continuation of the investment advisory contract between the Fund and Federated MDTA LLC (the “Adviser”) with respect to the Fund (the “Contract”) for an additional one-year term. The Board’s determination to approve the continuation of the Contract reflects the exercise of its business judgment after considering all of the information and factors believed to be relevant and appropriate on whether to approve the continuation of the existing arrangement. The information, factors and conclusions that formed the basis for the Board’s approval are summarized below.
Information Received and Review Process
At the request of the Independent Trustees, the Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer (the “CCO”) furnished to the Board in advance of its May Meetings an independent written evaluation of the Fund’s management fee (the “CCO Fee Evaluation Report”). The Board considered the CCO Fee Evaluation Report, along with other information, in evaluating the reasonableness of the Fund’s management fee and in determining to approve the continuation of the Contract. The CCO, in preparing the CCO Fee Evaluation Report, has the authority to retain consultants, experts or staff as reasonably necessary to assist in the performance of his duties, reports directly to the Board, and can be terminated only with the approval of a majority of the Independent Trustees. At the request of the Independent Trustees, the CCO Fee Evaluation Report followed the same general approach and covered the same topics as that of the report that had previously been delivered by the CCO in his capacity as “Senior Officer” prior to the elimination of the Senior Officer position in December 2017.
In addition to the extensive materials that comprise and accompany the CCO Fee Evaluation Report, the Board considered information specifically prepared in connection with the approval of the continuation of the Contract that was presented at the May Meetings. In this regard, in the months preceding the May Meetings, the Board requested and reviewed written responses and supporting materials prepared by the Adviser and its affiliates (collectively, “Federated Hermes”) in response to requests posed to Federated Hermes by independent legal counsel on behalf of the Independent Trustees encompassing a wide variety of topics, including those summarized below. The Board also considered such additional matters as the Independent Trustees deemed
Annual Shareholder Report
46

reasonably necessary to evaluate the Contract, which included detailed information about the Fund and Federated Hermes furnished to the Board at its meetings throughout the year and in between regularly scheduled meetings on particular matters as the need arose.
The Board’s consideration of the Contract included review of materials and information covering the following matters, among others: the nature, quality and extent of the advisory and other services provided to the Fund by Federated Hermes; Federated Hermes’ business and operations; the Adviser’s investment philosophy, personnel and processes; the Fund’s investment objectives and strategies; the Fund’s short-term and long-term performance (in absolute terms, both on a gross basis and net of expenses, and relative to the Fund’s particular investment program and a group of its peer funds and/or its benchmark, as appropriate); the Fund’s fees and expenses, including the advisory fee and the overall expense structure of the Fund (both in absolute terms and relative to a group of its peer funds), with due regard for contractual or voluntary expense limitations (if any); the financial condition of Federated Hermes; the Adviser’s profitability with respect to managing the Fund; distribution and sales activity for the Fund; and the use and allocation of brokerage commissions derived from trading the Fund’s portfolio securities (if any).
The Board also considered judicial decisions allegedly excessive investment advisory fees charged to other registered funds in evaluating the Contract. Using these judicial decisions as a guide, the Board observed that the following factors may be relevant to an adviser’s fiduciary duty with respect to its receipt of compensation from a fund: (1) the nature and quality of the services provided by the adviser to the fund and its shareholders, including the performance of the fund, its benchmark and comparable funds; (2) the adviser’s cost of providing the services and the profitability to the adviser of providing advisory services to the fund; (3) the extent to which the adviser may realize “economies of scale” as the fund grows larger and, if such economies of scale exist, whether they have been appropriately shared with the fund and its shareholders or the family of funds; (4) any “fall-out” benefits that accrue to the adviser because of its relationship with the fund, including research services received from brokers that execute fund trades and any fees paid to affiliates of the adviser for services rendered to the fund; (5) comparative fee and expense structures, including a comparison of management fees paid to the adviser with those paid by similar funds managed by the same adviser or other advisers as well as management fees charged to institutional and other advisory clients of the same adviser for what might be viewed as like services; and (6) the extent of care, conscientiousness and independence with which the fund’s board members perform their duties and their expertise, including whether they are fully informed about all facts the board deems relevant to its consideration of the adviser’s services and fees. The Board noted that the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) disclosure requirements
Annual Shareholder Report
47

regarding the basis for a fund board’s approval of the fund’s investment advisory contract generally align with the factors listed above. The Board was guided by these factors in its review of the Contract to the extent it considered them to be appropriate and relevant, as discussed further below. The Board considered and weighed these factors in light of its substantial accumulated experience in governing the Fund and working with Federated Hermes on matters relating to the oversight of the other funds advised by Federated Hermes (each, a “Federated Hermes Fund” and, collectively, the “Federated Hermes Funds”).
In addition, the Board considered the preferences and expectations of Fund shareholders and the potential disruptions of the Fund’s operations and various risks, uncertainties and other effects that could occur as a result of a decision to terminate or not renew the Contract. In particular, the Board recognized that many shareholders likely have invested in the Fund based on the strength of Federated Hermes’ industry standing and reputation and with the expectation that Federated Hermes will have a continuing role in providing advisory services to the Fund. Thus, the Board observed that there are a range of investment options available to the Fund’s shareholders and such shareholders in the marketplace, having had the opportunity to consider other investment options, have effectively selected Federated Hermes by virtue of investing in the Fund.
In determining to approve the continuation of the Contract, the members of the Board reviewed and evaluated information and factors they believed to be relevant and appropriate through the exercise of their reasonable business judgment. While individual members of the Board may have weighed certain factors differently, the Board’s determination to approve the continuation of the Contract was based on a comprehensive consideration of all information provided to the Board throughout the year and specifically with respect to the continuation of the Contract. The Board recognized that its evaluation process is evolutionary and that the factors considered and emphasis placed on relevant factors may change in recognition of changing circumstances in the registered fund marketplace. The Independent Trustees were assisted throughout the evaluation process by independent legal counsel. In connection with their deliberations at the May Meetings, the Independent Trustees met separately in executive session with their independent legal counsel and without management present to review the relevant materials and consider their responsibilities under applicable laws. In addition, senior management representatives of Federated Hermes also met with the Independent Trustees and their independent legal counsel to discuss the materials and presentations furnished to the Board at the May Meetings. The Board considered the approval of the Contract for the Fund as part of its consideration of agreements for funds across the family of Federated Hermes Funds, but its approvals were made on a fund-by-fund basis.
Annual Shareholder Report
48

Nature, Extent and Quality of Services
The Board considered the nature, extent and quality of the services provided to the Fund by the Adviser and the resources of Federated Hermes dedicated to the Fund. In this regard, the Board evaluated, among other things, the terms of the Contract and the range of services provided to the Fund by Federated Hermes. The Board considered the Adviser’s personnel, investment philosophy and process, investment research capabilities and resources, trade operations capabilities, experience and performance track record. The Board reviewed the qualifications, backgrounds and responsibilities of the portfolio management team primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and Federated Hermes’ ability and experience in attracting and retaining qualified personnel to service the Fund. The Board considered the trading operations by the Adviser, including the execution of portfolio transactions and the selection of brokers for those transactions. The Board also considered the Adviser’s ability to deliver competitive investment performance for the Fund when compared to the Fund’s Performance Peer Group (as defined below), which was deemed by the Board to be a useful indicator of how the Adviser is executing the Fund’s investment program.
In addition, the Board considered the financial resources and overall reputation of Federated Hermes and its willingness to consider and make investments in personnel, infrastructure, technology, cybersecurity, business continuity planning and operational enhancements that are designed to benefit the Federated Hermes Funds. The Board noted that the significant acquisition of Hermes Fund Managers Limited by Federated Hermes has deepened Federated Hermes’ investment management expertise and capabilities and expanded its access to analytical resources related to environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) factors and issuer engagement on ESG matters. The Board considered Federated Hermes’ oversight of the securities lending program for the Federated Hermes Funds that engage in securities lending and noted the income earned by the Federated Hermes Funds that participate in such program. In addition, the Board considered the quality of Federated Hermes’ communications with the Board and responsiveness to Board inquiries and requests made from time to time with respect to the Federated Hermes Funds. The Board also considered that Federated Hermes is responsible for providing the Federated Hermes Funds’ officers.
The Board received and evaluated information regarding Federated Hermes’ regulatory and compliance environment. The Board considered Federated Hermes’ compliance program and compliance history and reports from the CCO about Federated Hermes’ compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including responses to regulatory developments and any compliance or other issues raised by regulatory agencies. The Board also noted Federated Hermes’ support of the Federated Hermes Funds’ compliance control structure and the compliance-related resources devoted by Federated Hermes in support of the Fund’s obligations pursuant to Rule 38a-1 under the
Annual Shareholder Report
49

Investment Company Act of 1940, including Federated Hermes’ commitment to respond to rulemaking and other regulatory initiatives of the SEC. The Board considered Federated Hermes’ approach to internal audits and risk management with respect to the Federated Hermes Funds and its day-to-day oversight of the Federated Hermes Funds’ compliance with their investment objectives and policies as well as with applicable laws and regulations, noting that regulatory and other developments had over time led, and continue to lead, to an increase in the scope of Federated Hermes’ oversight in this regard, including in connection with the implementation of new rules on derivatives risk management and fair valuation.
The Board also considered the implementation of Federated Hermes’ business continuity plans. In addition, the Board noted Federated Hermes’ commitment to maintaining high quality systems and expending substantial resources to prepare for and respond to ongoing changes due to the market, regulatory and control environments in which the Fund and its service providers operate.
The Board considered Federated Hermes’ efforts to provide shareholders in the Federated Hermes Funds with a comprehensive array of funds with different investment objectives, policies and strategies. The Board considered the expenses that Federated Hermes had incurred, as well as the entrepreneurial and other risks assumed by Federated Hermes, in sponsoring and providing on-going services to new funds to expand these opportunities for shareholders. The Board noted the benefits to shareholders of being part of the family of Federated Hermes Funds, which include the general right to exchange investments between the same class of shares without the incurrence of additional sales charges.
Based on these considerations, the Board concluded that it was satisfied with the nature, extent and quality of the services provided by the Adviser to the Fund.
Fund Investment Performance
The Board considered the investment performance of the Fund. In evaluating the Fund’s investment performance, the Board considered performance results in light of the Fund’s investment objective, strategies and risks. The Board considered detailed investment reports on, and the Adviser’s analysis of, the Fund’s performance over different time periods that were provided to the Board throughout the year and in connection with the May Meetings. These reports included, among other items, information on the Fund’s gross and net returns, the Fund’s investment performance compared to one or more relevant categories or groups of peer funds and the Fund’s benchmark index, performance attribution information and commentary on the effect of market conditions. The Board considered that, in its evaluation of investment performance at meetings throughout the year, it focused particular attention on information indicating less favorable performance of certain
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50

Federated Hermes Funds for specific time periods and discussed with Federated Hermes the reasons for such performance as well as any specific actions Federated Hermes had taken, or had agreed to take, to seek to enhance Fund investment performance and the results of those actions.
The Board also reviewed comparative information regarding the performance of other registered funds in the category of peer funds selected by Morningstar, Inc. (the “Morningstar”), an independent fund ranking organization (the “Performance Peer Group”). The Board noted the CCO’s view that comparisons to fund peer groups may be helpful, though not conclusive, in evaluating the performance of the Adviser in managing the Fund. The Board considered the CCO’s view that, in evaluating such comparisons, in some cases there may be differences in the funds’ objectives or investment management techniques, or the costs to implement the funds, even within the same Performance Peer Group. In this connection, the Board considered that the quantitative focus of the management of the Fund makes fee and expense comparisons particularly difficult as the funds in the Performance Peer Group varied widely in terms of the complexity of their management, and the management of the Fund is among the more complex relative to its Performance Peer Group. The Board also considered a report comparing the performance of the Fund solely to other funds with a quantitative focus in the Performance Peer Group.
The Board considered that for the one-year, three-year and five-year periods ended December 31, 2022, the Fund’s performance was above the median of the Performance Peer Group. In addition, the Board was informed by the Adviser that, for the same periods, the Fund outperformed its benchmark index for the one-year, three-year and five-year periods.
Based on these considerations, the Board concluded that it had continued confidence in the Adviser’s overall capabilities to manage the Fund.
Fund Expenses
The Board considered the advisory fee, and overall expense structure of the Fund and the comparative fee and expense information that had been provided in connection with the May Meetings. In this regard, the Board was presented with, and considered, information regarding the contractual advisory fee rates, net advisory fee rates, total expense ratios and each element of the Fund’s total expense ratio (i.e., gross and net advisory fees, administrative fees, custody fees, portfolio accounting fees and transfer agency fees) relative to an appropriate group of peer funds compiled by Federated Hermes from the category of peer funds selected by Morningstar (the “Expense Peer Group”). The Board received a description of the methodology used to select the Expense Peer Group from the overall Morningstar category. The Board also reviewed comparative information regarding the fees and expenses of the broader group of funds in the overall Morningstar category.
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While mindful that courts have cautioned against giving too much weight to comparative information concerning fees charged to funds by other advisers, the use of comparisons between the Fund and its Expense Peer Group assisted the Board in its evaluation of the Fund’s fees and expenses. The Board focused on comparisons with other registered funds with comparable investment programs more heavily than non-registered fund products or services because such comparisons are believed to be more relevant. The Board considered that other registered funds are the products most like the Fund, in that they are readily available to Fund shareholders as alternative investment vehicles, and they are the type of investment vehicle, in fact, chosen and maintained by the Fund’s shareholders. The Board noted that the range of such other registered funds’ fees and expenses, therefore, appears to be a relevant indicator of what investors have found to be reasonable in the marketplace in which the Fund competes.
The Board reviewed the contractual advisory fee rate, net advisory fee rate and other expenses of the Fund and noted the position of the Fund’s fee rates relative to its Expense Peer Group. In this regard, the Board noted that the contractual advisory fee rate was above the median of the Expense Peer Group, but the Board noted the applicable waivers and reimbursements, and that the overall expense structure of the Fund remained competitive in the context of other factors considered by the Board. In this regard, the Board considered that, while comparisons to the Fund’s Expense Peer Group are relevant in judging the reasonableness of advisory fees, the quantitative focus of the management of the Fund makes fee and expense comparisons to the Expense Group particularly difficult. The Board further considered that, although the Fund’s advisory fee was above the median of the Expense Peer Group, the funds in the Expense Peer Group varied widely in terms of the complexity of their management, and the management of the Fund is among the more complex funds relative to the Expense Peer Group.
The Board also received and considered information about the nature and extent of services offered and fees charged by Federated Hermes to other types of clients with investment strategies similar to those of the Federated Hermes Funds, including non-registered fund clients (such as institutional separate accounts) and third-party unaffiliated registered funds for which any of the Adviser or its affiliates serve as sub-adviser. The Board noted the CCO’s conclusion that non-registered fund clients are inherently different products due to the following differences, among others: (i) different types of targeted investors; (ii) different applicable laws and regulations; (iii) different legal structures; (iv) different average account sizes and portfolio management techniques made necessary by different cash flows and different associated costs; (v) the time spent by portfolio managers and their teams (among other personnel across various departments, including legal, compliance and risk management) in reviewing securities pricing and fund liquidity; (vi) different administrative responsibilities; (vii) different degrees of risk associated with
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management; and (viii) a variety of different costs. The Board also considered information regarding the differences in the nature of the services required for Federated Hermes to manage its proprietary registered fund business versus managing a discrete pool of assets as a sub-adviser to another institution’s registered fund, noting the CCO’s view that Federated Hermes generally performs significant additional services and assumes substantially greater risks in managing the Fund and other Federated Hermes Funds than in its role as sub-adviser to an unaffiliated third-party registered fund. The Board noted that the CCO did not consider the fees for providing advisory services to other types of clients to be determinative in judging the appropriateness of the Federated Hermes Funds’ advisory fees.
Based on these considerations, the Board concluded that the fees and total operating expenses of the Fund, in conjunction with other matters considered, are reasonable in light of the services provided.
Profitability
The Board received and considered profitability information furnished by Federated Hermes Such profitability information included revenues reported on a fund-by-fund basis and estimates of the allocation of expenses made on a fund-by-fund basis, using allocation methodologies specified by the CCO and described to the Board. The Board considered the CCO’s view that, while these cost allocation reports apply consistent allocation processes, the inherent difficulties in allocating costs on a fund-by-fund basis continues to cause the CCO to question the precision of the process and to conclude that such reports may be unreliable because a single change in an allocation estimate may dramatically alter the resulting estimate of cost and/or profitability of a Federated Hermes Fund and may produce unintended consequences. In addition, the Board considered the CCO’s view that the allocation methodologies used by Federated Hermes in estimating profitability for purposes of reporting to the Board in connection with the continuation of the Contract are consistent with the methodologies previously reviewed by an independent consultant. The Board noted that the independent consultant had previously conducted a review of the allocation methodologies and reported to the Board that, although there is no single best method to allocate expenses, the methodologies used by Federated Hermes are reasonable. The Board considered the CCO’s view that the estimated profitability to the Adviser from its relationship with the Fund was not unreasonable in relation to the services provided.
The Board also reviewed information compiled by Federated Hermes comparing its profitability information to other publicly held fund management companies, including information regarding profitability trends over time. The Board recognized that profitability comparisons among fund management companies are difficult because of the variation in the type of comparative information that is publicly available, and the profitability of any fund
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management company is affected by numerous factors. The Board considered the CCO’s conclusion that, based on such profitability information, Federated Hermes’ profit margins did not appear to be excessive. The Board also considered the CCO’s view that Federated Hermes appeared financially sound, with the resources necessary to fulfill its obligations under its contracts with the Federated Hermes Funds.
Economies of Scale
The Board received and considered information about the notion of possible realization of “economies of scale” as a fund grows larger, the difficulties of determining economies of scale at an individual fund level, and the extent to which potential scale benefits are shared with shareholders. In this regard, the Board considered that Federated Hermes has made significant and long-term investments in areas that support all of the Federated Hermes Funds, such as: portfolio management, investment research and trading operations; shareholder services; compliance; business continuity, cybersecurity and information security programs; internal audit and risk management functions; and technology and use of data. The Board noted that Federated Hermes’ investments in these areas are extensive and are designed to provide enhanced services to the Federated Hermes Funds and their shareholders. The Board considered that the benefits of these investments are likely to be shared with the family of Federated Hermes Funds as a whole. In addition, the Board considered that fee waivers and expense reimbursements are another means for potential economies of scale to be shared with shareholders and can provide protection from an increase in expenses if a Federated Hermes Fund’s assets decline. The Board considered that, in order for the Federated Hermes Funds to remain competitive in the marketplace, Federated Hermes has frequently waived fees and/or reimbursed expenses for the Federated Hermes Funds and has disclosed to shareholders and/or reported to the Board its intention to do so (or continue to do so) in the future. The Board also considered that Federated Hermes has been active in managing expenses of the Federated Hermes Funds in recent years, which has resulted in benefits being realized by shareholders.
The Board also received and considered information on adviser-paid fees (commonly referred to as “revenue sharing” payments) that was provided to the Board throughout the year and in connection with the May Meetings. The Board considered that Federated Hermes and the CCO believe that this information is relevant to considering whether Federated Hermes had an incentive to either not apply breakpoints, or to apply breakpoints at higher levels, but should not be considered when evaluating the reasonableness of advisory fees. The Board also noted the absence of any applicable regulatory or industry guidelines on economies of scale, which is compounded by the lack of any uniform methodology or pattern with respect to structuring fund advisory fees with breakpoints that serve to reduce the fees as a fund attains a certain size.
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Other Benefits
The Board considered information regarding the compensation and other ancillary (or “fall-out”) benefits that Federated Hermes derived from its relationships with the Federated Hermes Funds. The Board noted that, in addition to receiving advisory fees under the Federated Hermes Funds’ investment advisory contracts, Federated Hermes’ affiliates also receive fees for providing other services to the Federated Hermes Funds under separate service contracts including for serving as the Federated Hermes Funds’ administrator and distributor. In this regard, the Board considered that certain of Federated Hermes’ affiliates provide distribution and shareholder services to the Federated Hermes Funds, for which they may be compensated through distribution and servicing fees paid pursuant to Rule 12b-1 plans or otherwise. The Board also received and considered information detailing the benefits, if any, that Federated Hermes may derive from its receipt of research services from brokers who execute portfolio trades for the Federated Hermes Funds.
Conclusions
The Board considered: (i) the CCO’s conclusion that his observations and the information accompanying the CCO Fee Evaluation Report show that the management fee for the Fund is reasonable; and (ii) the CCO’s recommendation that the Board approve the management fee. The Board noted that, under these circumstances, no changes were recommended to, and no objection was raised to the continuation of, the Contract by the CCO. The CCO also recognized that the Board’s evaluation of the Federated Hermes Funds’ advisory and sub-advisory arrangements is a continuing and ongoing process that is informed by the information that the Board requests and receives from management throughout the course of the year and, in this regard, the CCO noted certain items for future reporting to the Board or further consideration by management as the Board continues its ongoing oversight of the Federated Hermes Funds.
On the basis of the information and factors summarized above, among other information and factors deemed relevant by the Board, and the evaluation thereof, the Board, including the Independent Trustees, unanimously voted to approve the continuation of the Contract. The Board based its determination to approve the Contract on the totality of the circumstances and relevant factors and with a view of past and future long-term considerations. Not all of the factors and considerations identified above were necessarily deemed to be relevant to the Fund, nor did the Board consider any one of them to be determinative.
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Liquidity Risk Management Program
Annual Evaluation of Adequacy and Effectiveness
In accordance with Rule 22e-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Liquidity Rule”), Federated Hermes MDT Series (the “Trust”) has adopted and implemented a liquidity risk management program (the “Program”) for Federated Hermes MDT All Cap Core Fund (the “Fund” and, collectively with the other non-money market open-end funds advised by Federated Hermes, the “Federated Hermes Funds”). The Program seeks to assess and manage the Fund’s liquidity risk. “Liquidity risk” is defined under the Liquidity Rule as the risk that the Fund is unable to meet redemption requests without significantly diluting remaining investors’ interests in the Fund. The Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) has approved the designation of each Federated Hermes Fund’s investment adviser as the administrator for the Program (the “Administrator”) with respect to that Fund. The Administrator, in turn, has delegated day-to-day responsibility for the administration of the Program to multiple Liquidity Risk Management Committees, which are comprised of representatives from certain divisions within Federated Hermes.
The Program is comprised of various components designed to support the assessment and/or management of liquidity risk, including: (1) the periodic assessment (no less frequently than annually) of certain factors that influence the Fund’s liquidity risk; (2) the periodic classification (no less frequently than monthly) of the Fund’s investments into one of four liquidity categories that reflect an estimate of their liquidity under current market conditions; (3) a 15% limit on the acquisition of “illiquid investments” (as defined under the Liquidity Rule); (4) to the extent a Fund does not invest primarily in “highly liquid investments” (as defined under the Liquidity Rule), the determination of a minimum percentage of the Fund’s assets that generally will be invested in highly liquid investments (an “HLIM”); (5) if a Fund has established an HLIM, the periodic review (no less frequently than annually) of the HLIM and the adoption of policies and procedures for responding to a shortfall of the Fund’s highly liquid investments below its HLIM; and (6) periodic reporting to the Board.
At its meetings in May 2023, the Board received and reviewed a written report (the “Report”) from the Federated Hermes Funds’ Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Risk Officer, on behalf of the Administrator, concerning the operation of the Program for the period from April 1, 2022 through March 31, 2023 (the “Period”). The Report addressed the operation of the Program and assessed the adequacy and effectiveness of its implementation, including, where applicable, the operation of any HLIM established for a Federated Hermes Fund. There were no material changes to the Program during the Period. The Report summarized the operation of the Program and
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the information and factors considered by the Administrator in assessing whether the Program has been adequately and effectively implemented with respect to the Federated Hermes Funds. Such information and factors included, among other things:
◾ confirmation that it was not necessary for the Fund to utilize, and the Fund did not utilize, any alternative funding sources that were available to the Federated Hermes Funds during the Period, such as the Federated Hermes Funds’ interfund lending facility, redemptions in-kind, reverse repurchase agreement transactions, redemptions delayed beyond the normal T+1 settlement but within seven days of the redemption request, and committed lines of credit;
◾ the periodic classifications of the Fund’s investments into one of four liquidity categories and the methodologies and inputs used to classify the investments, including the Fund’s reasonably anticipated trade size;
◾ the analysis received from a third-party liquidity assessment vendor that is taken into account in the process of determining the liquidity classifications of the Fund’s investments, and the results of the Administrator’s evaluation of the services performed by the vendor in support of this process, including the Administrator’s view that the methodologies utilized by the vendor continue to be appropriate;
◾ the fact that the Fund invested primarily in highly liquid investments during the Period and, therefore, was not required to establish, and has not established, an HLIM and the operation of the procedures for monitoring the status of the Fund as investing primarily in highly liquid investments;
◾ the fact that the Fund invested no more than 15% of its assets in illiquid investments during the Period, and the operation of the procedures for monitoring this limit;
◾ the fact that there were no liquidity events during the Period that materially affected the Fund’s liquidity risk;
◾ the impact on liquidity and management of liquidity risk, if any, caused by extended non-U.S. market closures and confirmation that there were no issues for any of the affected Federated Hermes Funds in meeting shareholder redemptions at any time during these temporary non-U.S. market closures.
Based on this review, the Administrator concluded that the Program is operating effectively to assess and manage the Fund’s liquidity risk, and that the Program has been and continues to be adequately and effectively implemented to monitor and, as applicable, respond to the Fund’s liquidity developments.
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Voting Proxies on Fund Portfolio Securities
A description of the policies and procedures that the Fund uses to determine how to vote proxies, if any, relating to securities held in the Fund’s portfolio is available, without charge and upon request, by calling 1-800-341-7400, Option #4. A report on “Form N-PX” of how the Fund voted any such proxies during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available via the Proxy Voting Record (Form N-PX) link associated with the Fund and share class name at FederatedHermes.com/us/FundInformation. Form N-PX filings are also available at the SEC’s website at sec.gov.
Quarterly Portfolio Schedule
Each fiscal quarter, the Fund will file with the SEC a complete schedule of its monthly portfolio holdings on “Form N-PORT.” The Fund’s holdings as of the end of the third month of every fiscal quarter, as reported on Form N-PORT, will be publicly available on the SEC’s website at sec.gov within 60 days of the end of the fiscal quarter upon filing. You may also access this information via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedHermes.com/us.
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Mutual funds are not bank deposits or obligations, are not guaranteed by any bank and are not insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board or any other government agency. Investment in mutual funds involves investment risk, including the possible loss of principal.
This Report is authorized for distribution to prospective investors only when preceded or accompanied by the Fund’s Prospectus, which contains facts concerning its objective and policies, management fees, expenses and other information.
Federated Hermes MDT All Cap Core Fund
Federated Hermes Funds
4000 Ericsson Drive
Warrendale, PA 15086-7561
Contact us at FederatedHermes.com/us
or call 1-800-341-7400.
Federated Securities Corp., Distributor
CUSIP 31421R106
CUSIP 31421R205
CUSIP 31421R304
CUSIP 31421R718
37309 (9/23)
© 2023 Federated Hermes, Inc.

Annual Shareholder Report
July 31, 2023
Share Class  | Ticker
A | QABGX
C | QCBGX
Institutional | QIBGX
R6 | QKBGX

Federated Hermes MDT Balanced Fund
Fund Established 2002

A Portfolio of Federated Hermes MDT Series
Dear Valued Shareholder,
We are pleased to present the Annual Shareholder Report for your fund covering the period from August 1, 2022 through July 31, 2023. This report includes Management’s Discussion of Fund Performance, a complete listing of your fund’s holdings, performance information and financial statements along with other important fund information.
As a global leader in active, responsible investment management, Federated Hermes is guided by our conviction that responsible investing is the best way to create wealth over the long term. The company provides capabilities across a wide range of asset classes to investors around the world.
In addition, FederatedHermes.com/us offers quick and easy access to valuable resources that include timely fund updates, economic and market insights from our investment strategists and financial planning tools. You can also access many of those insights by following us on Twitter (@FederatedHermes) and LinkedIn.
Thank you for investing with us. We hope you find this information useful and look forward to keeping you informed.
Sincerely,
J. Christopher Donahue, President

Not FDIC Insured ▪ May Lose Value ▪ No Bank Guarantee

Management’s Discussion of Fund Performance (unaudited)
Federated Hermes MDT Balanced Fund’s (the “Fund”) total return, based on net asset value, for the 12-month reporting period ended July 31, 2023, was 6.28% for Class A Shares, 5.45% for Class C Shares, 6.57% for Institutional Shares and 6.59% for Class R6 Shares. Over the same period, the Fund’s custom blended benchmark (“Blended Index”),1 which consists of a 60%/40% blend of the S&P 500 Index(S&P 500)2 and the Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond Index (BAB),3 returned 6.43%. The total return of the Morningstar Moderate Allocation Funds Average (MA),4 a peer group average for the Fund, was 5.57% during the period. The Fund’s and the MA’s total return for the most recently completed fiscal year reflected actual cash flows, transaction costs and expenses, which were not reflected in the total return of the Blended Index.
During the reporting period, the Fund’s investment strategy focused on equity security selection, duration and sector positioning within the fixed income segment of the portfolio, and overall asset allocation. These were the most significant factors affecting the Fund’s performance relative to the Blended Index during the period.
The following discussion will focus on the performance of the Fund’s R6 Shares relative to the Blended Index.
MArket Overview
The reporting period began with three sharp market turns in the first six months (August 2022 January 2023), leaving the Russell 3000 Index (R3000)5 with a fiscal year-to-date return of 0.06% at the end of January. There was one more downturn in February (R3000 at -2.34% for the month), but then inflation numbers started declining, employment numbers held steady, and the R3000 turned weakly positive. In June and July there were more favorable macroeconomic reports and the market began to think that the Federal Reserve (the “Fed”) might actually be able to engineer a “soft landing”, so the R3000 strengthened. For the full fiscal year, the R3000 returned 12.65%. Growth stocks outran value stocks (the Russell 3000 Growth Index (R3000G)6 returned 16.97% while the Russell 3000 Value Index7 returned 8.03%), and large-cap stocks outran small-cap stocks8 (the mega-cap Russell Top 200 Index (RT200)9 returned 14.39% while the Russell Midcap Index10 returned 8.75% and the small-cap Russell 2000 Index11 returned 7.91%). The higher returns of the R3000G and the RT200 were largely attributable to the very high returns of the “Magnificent 7”12 technology stocks, which, by themselves, provided 5.04% of the R3000’s 12.65% return.
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International equities13 in developed markets had a solid result outperforming the domestic equity market during the reporting period with the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Europe, Australasia and Far East (EAFE) Index14 returning 16.79%. Emerging market15 equity results were more challenged, with the MSCI Emerging Markets Index16 returning 8.35%.
Interest rates increased across the maturity spectrum but most significantly at the short end of the curve as the Fed continued on an aggressive rate hiking campaign to confront the spike in inflation resulting in a loss of -3.37% for the BAB during the reporting period.17
security selection
Domestic equity investments finished ahead of their benchmark, the S&P 500, during the reporting period. Investments in the Communication Services, Consumer Discretionary and Industrials sectors were the most significant positive factors, while investments in the Information Technology, Financials and Materials sectors were the most significant negative contributors to relative results.
Fixed Income
Both sector allocation and a short duration position early in the reporting period contributed to positive relative results as these investments outperformed their benchmark.
ASSET ALLOCATION
An underweight allocation to equities was a drag on relative performance as equity markets outperformed fixed income markets. Conversely, an underweight allocation to fixed income (and overweight position in cash) contributed positively to relative performance.
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1
The Fund’s Blended Index, which reflects 60% of the S&P 500 and 40% of the BAB, is being used for comparison purposes because, although it is not the Fund’s broad-based securities market index, the Fund’s Adviser believes it is more reflective of the Fund’s balanced investment style.
2
Please see the footnotes to the line graph below for definitions of, and further information about, the S&P 500 Index, one of the Fund’s broad-based securities market indices. The S&P 500’s return for the 12-month reporting period was 13.02%.
3
Please see the footnotes to the line graph below for definitions of, and further information about, the BAB, one of the Fund’s broad-based securities market indices. The BAB’s return for the 12-month reporting period was -3.37%.
4
Please see the footnotes to the line graph below for definitions of, and further information about, the Morningstar peer group.
5
The Russell 3000® Index measures the performance of the largest 3,000 U.S. companies representing approximately 98% of the investable U.S. equity market. The Russell 3000® Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive, unbiased and stable barometer of the broad market and is completely reconstituted annually to ensure new and growing equities are reflected.*
6
The Russell 3000® Growth Index measures the performance of the broad growth segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 3000® Index companies with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth values. The Russell 3000® Growth Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive, unbiased and stable barometer of the broad growth market. The Russell 3000® Growth Index is completely reconstituted annually to ensure new and growing equities are included and that the represented companies continue to reflect growth characteristics.*
7
The Russell 3000® Value Index measures the performance of the broad value segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 3000® Index companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower forecasted growth values. The Russell 3000® Value Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive, unbiased and stable barometer of the broad value market. The Russell 3000® Value Index is completely reconstituted annually to ensure new and growing equities are included and that the represented companies continue to reflect value characteristics.*
8
Small-cap stocks may be less liquid and subject to greater price volatility than large-cap stocks.
9
The Russell Top 200® Index measures the performance of the largest cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. The Russell Top 200® Index is a subset of the Russell 3000® Index. It includes approximately 200 of the largest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current index membership and represents approximately 68% of the capitalization of the U.S. market. The Russell Top 200® Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive and unbiased barometer for this very large cap segment and is completely reconstituted annually to ensure new and growing equities are reflected.*
10
The Russell Midcap® Index measures the performance of the mid-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. The Russell Midcap® Index is a subset of the Russell 1000® Index. It includes approximately 800 of the smallest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current index membership. The Russell Midcap® index represents approximately 26% of the total market capitalization of the Russell 1000® companies.The Russell Midcap® Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive and unbiased barometer for the mid-cap segment and is completely reconstituted annually to ensure larger stocks do not distort the performance and characteristics of the true mid-cap opportunity set.*
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11
The Russell 2000® Index measures the performance of the small-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. The Russell 2000® Index is a subset of the Russell 3000® Index representing approximately 10% of the total market capitalization of that index. It includes approximately 2000 of the smallest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current index membership. The Russell 2000® Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive and unbiased small-cap barometer and is completely reconstituted annually to ensure larger stocks do not distort the performance and characteristics of the true small-cap opportunity set.*
12
The “Magnificent 7” includes Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, NVIDIA and Tesla.
13
International investing involves special risks including currency risk, increased volatility of foreign securities, political risks and differences in auditing and other financial standards.
14
The MSCI EAFE Index measures international equity performance. It comprises 21 MSCI country indices, representing the developed markets outside of North America.*
15
Prices of emerging markets securities can be significantly more volatile than the prices of securities in developed countries, and currency risks and political risks are accentuated in emerging markets.
16
The MSCI Emerging Markets Index is an unmanaged index consisting of 24 emerging market countries.*
17
Bond prices are sensitive to changes in interest rates and a rise in interest rates can cause a decline in their prices.
*
The index is unmanaged, and it is not possible to invest directly in an index.
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FUND PERFORMANCE AND GROWTH OF A $10,000 INVESTMENT
The graph below illustrates the hypothetical investment of $10,0001 in the Federated Hermes MDT Balanced Fund (the “Fund”) from July 31, 2013 to July 31, 2023, compared to the S&P 500 Index (S&P 500),2 the Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond Index (BAB),3 60% S&P 500/40% BAB (Blended Index) and the Morningstar Moderate Allocation Funds Average (MA).4 The Average Annual Total Return table below shows returns for each class averaged over the stated periods.
Growth of a $10,000 Investment
Growth of $10,000 as of July 31, 2023
◾ Total returns shown for Class C Shares include the maximum contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00% as applicable.
The Fund offers multiple share classes whose performance may be greater than or less than its other share class(es) due to differences in sales charges and expenses. See the Average Annual Total Return table below for the returns of additional classes not shown in the line graph above.
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Average Annual Total Returns for the Periods Ended 7/31/2023
(returns reflect all applicable sales charges and contingent deferred sales charges as specified below in footnote #1)
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Class A Shares
0.43%
5.74%
6.77%
Class C Shares
4.46%
6.14%
6.73%
Institutional Shares
6.57%
7.22%
7.64%
Class R6 Shares5
6.59%
7.22%
7.48%
S&P 500
13.02%
12.20%
12.66%
BAB
-3.37%
0.75%
1.50%
Blended Index
6.43%
7.87%
8.33%
MA
5.57%
5.73%
6.33%
Performance data quoted represents past performance which is no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Mutual fund performance changes over time and current performance may be lower or higher than what is stated. For current to the most recent month-end performance and after-tax returns, visit FederatedHermes.com/us or call 1-800-341-7400. Returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares. Mutual funds are not obligations of or guaranteed by any bank and are not federally insured.
1
Represents a hypothetical investment of $10,000 in the Fund after deducting applicable sales charges: for Class A Shares, the maximum sales charge of 5.50% ($10,000 investment minus $550 sales charge = $9,450); for Class C Shares, a 1.00% contingent deferred sales charge would be applied on any redemption less than one year from the purchase date. The Fund’s performance assumes the reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. The S&P 500, BAB and MA have been adjusted to reflect reinvestment of dividends on securities in the indexes and average.
2
The S&P 500 Index, a broad-based securities market index of the Fund, is an unmanaged capitalization-weighted index of 500 stocks designed to measure performance of the broad domestic economy through changes in the aggregate market value of 500 stocks representing all major industries. The S&P 500 is unmanaged and, unlike the Fund, is not affected by cash flows. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. The S&P 500 is not adjusted to reflect sales charges, expenses or other fees that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires to be reflected in the Fund’s performance.
3
The BAB, a broad-based securities market index of the Fund, is a broad-based benchmark that measures the investment-grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market. The BAB is unmanaged and, unlike the Fund, is not affected by cash flows. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. The BAB is not adjusted to reflect sales charges, expenses or other fees that the SEC requires to be reflected in the Fund’s performance.
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4
Morningstar figures represent the average of the total returns reported by all the funds designated by Morningstar as falling into the respective category indicated. They do not reflect sales charges. The Morningstar figures in the Growth of a $10,000 Investment line graph are based on historical return information published by Morningstar and reflect the return of the funds comprising the category in the year of publication. Because the funds designated by Morningstar as falling into the category can change over time, the Morningstar figures in the line graph may not match the Morningstar figures in the Average Annual Total Returns table, which reflect the return of the funds that currently comprise the category.
5
Prior to September 1, 2016, Class R6 Shares were known as Class R Shares and included 12b-1 fees and certain other expenses. As of September 1, 2016, Class R6 does not include such 12b-1 fees and certain other expenses, and the performance shown above for Class R6 prior to September 1, 2016, reflects the higher Class R expenses.
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Portfolio of Investments Summary Tables (unaudited)
At July 31, 2023, the Fund’s portfolio composition1 was as follows:
Portfolio Composition
Percentage of
Total Net Assets
Domestic Equity Securities
53.1%
Corporate Debt Securities
11.9%
Mortgage Backed Securities
10.1%
International Equity Securities (including International Exchange-Traded Funds)
9.4%
U.S. Treasury Securities2
5.5%
Asset-Backed Securities
2.8%
Project and Trade Finance Core Fund
2.2%
Collateralized Mortgage Obligations
1.0%
High Yield Bond Core Fund
1.0%
Emerging Markets Core Fund
0.9%
Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities
0.5%
Government Agency
0.1%
Municipal Bond3
0.0%
Bank Loan Core Fund3
0.0%
Securities Lending Collateral4
0.2%
Cash Equivalents5
1.6%
Derivative Contracts6
(0.1)%
Other Assets and Liabilities—Net7
(0.2)%
TOTAL
100%
Annual Shareholder Report
8

At July 31, 2023, the Fund’s sector composition8 for its equity securities (excluding exchange-traded funds) was as follows:
Sector Composition
Percentage of
Equity Securities
Information Technology
25.7%
Health Care
13.6%
Financials
13.5%
Consumer Discretionary
11.1%
Industrials
10.5%
Consumer Staples
6.6%
Communication Services
6.5%
Real Estate
5.7%
Energy
3.5%
Materials
2.1%
Utilities
1.2%
Total
100%
1
See the Fund’s Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information for a description of the
types of securities in which the Fund invests. As of the date specified above, the Fund owned
shares of one or more affiliated investment companies. For purposes of this table, affiliated
investment companies (other than an affiliated money market mutual fund) in which the Fund
invested greater than 10% of its net assets are not treated as a single portfolio security, but
rather the Fund is treated as owning a pro rata portion of each security and each other asset and
liability owned by the affiliated investment company. Accordingly, the percentages of total net
assets shown in the table will differ from those presented on the Portfolio of Investments.
Affiliated investment companies (other than an affiliated money market mutual fund) in which the
Fund invested less than 10% of its net assets are listed individually in the table.
2
Includes U.S. Treasuries pledged as collateral to ensure the Fund is able to satisfy the obligations
of its outstanding long futures contracts.
3
Represents less than 0.1%.
4
Represents cash collateral received for portfolio securities on loan that may be invested in
affiliated money market funds, other money market instruments and/or repurchase agreements.
5
Cash Equivalents include any investments in money market mutual funds and/or overnight
repurchase agreements other than those representing securities lending collateral.
6
Based upon net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) or value of the derivative contracts as
applicable. Derivative contracts may consist of futures, forwards, options and swaps. The impact
of a derivative contract on the Fund’s performance may be larger than its unrealized
appreciation (depreciation) or value may indicate. In many cases, the notional value or amount of
a derivative contract may provide a better indication of the contract’s significance to the
portfolio. More complete information regarding the Fund’s direct investments in derivative
contracts, including unrealized appreciation (depreciation), value and notional values or amounts
of such contracts, can be found in the table at the end of the Portfolio of Investments included
in this Report.
7
Assets, other than investments in securities and derivative contracts, less liabilities. See
Statement of Assets and Liabilities.
8
Sector classifications are based upon, and individual portfolio securities are assigned to, the
classifications of the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) except that the Adviser
assigns a classification to securities not classified by the GICS and to securities for which the
Adviser does not have access to the classification made by the GICS.
Annual Shareholder Report
9

Portfolio of Investments
July 31, 2023
Shares or
Principal
Amount
 
 
Value
         
 
COMMON STOCKS—   54.2%
 
 
 
Communication Services—   3.5%
 
6,351
1
Alphabet, Inc., Class A
$    842,905
83,798
1
Altice USA, Inc.
    284,075
19,336
1
CarGurus, Inc.
    438,154
21,112
1
Cars.com, Inc.
    481,565
223
1
Charter Communications, Inc.
     90,357
2,819
 
Comcast Corp., Class A
    127,588
986
 
Electronic Arts, Inc.
    134,441
2,733
1
Match Group, Inc.
    127,112
4,941
1
Meta Platforms, Inc.
  1,574,203
957
1
Netflix, Inc.
    420,094
13,884
1
Spotify Technology SA
  2,074,408
4,875
1
Trade Desk, Inc./The
    444,892
 
 
TOTAL
7,039,794
 
 
Consumer Discretionary—   6.0%
 
6,846
1
Airbnb, Inc.
  1,041,893
2,290
1
Amazon.com, Inc.
    306,127
171
1
AutoZone, Inc.
    424,374
9,742
1
Bright Horizons Family Solutions, Inc.
    945,266
230
1
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.
    451,324
1,520
1
DoorDash, Inc.
    138,001
5,475
 
eBay, Inc.
    243,692
15,111
1
Expedia Group, Inc.
  1,851,551
22,641
 
Ford Motor Co.
    299,088
52,227
 
Gap (The), Inc.
    537,938
2,617
 
Genuine Parts Co.
    407,519
15,297
1
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
    245,976
644
 
Murphy USA, Inc.
    197,727
2,354
 
Nike, Inc., Class B
    259,858
344
1
O’Reilly Automotive, Inc.
    318,472
14,295
 
PVH Corp.
  1,281,404
7,061
1
Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd.
    770,426
6,316
 
Starbucks Corp.
    641,516
651
1
Tesla, Inc.
    174,097
1,489
1
Ulta Beauty, Inc.
    662,307
12,680
1
Under Armour, Inc., Class A
    102,201
904
1
Wayfair, Inc.
     70,394
878
 
Wingstop, Inc.
    148,013
3,356
 
Yum! Brands, Inc.
    462,021
 
 
TOTAL
11,981,185
Annual Shareholder Report
10

Shares or
Principal
Amount
 
 
Value
         
 
COMMON STOCKS—   continued
 
 
 
Consumer Staples—   3.6%
 
11,638
 
Albertsons Cos., Inc.
$    252,894
3,155
 
Archer-Daniels-Midland Co.
    268,049
271
 
Coca-Cola Bottling Co.
    171,654
228
 
Costco Wholesale Corp.
    127,833
20,502
1
Hain Celestial Group, Inc.
    259,760
6,634
 
Hershey Foods Corp.
  1,534,511
36,347
 
Kroger Co.
  1,767,918
4,407
 
Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc.
    456,697
10,886
 
PepsiCo, Inc.
  2,040,690
925
 
Procter & Gamble Co.
    144,577
743
 
WalMart, Inc.
    118,776
 
 
TOTAL
7,143,359
 
 
Energy—   1.9%
 
1,395
 
Cheniere Energy, Inc.
    225,795
21,158
 
Marathon Oil Corp.
    555,821
16,604
 
Marathon Petroleum Corp.
  2,208,664
1,849
 
Valero Energy Corp.
    238,354
7,194
1
Weatherford International PLC
    597,821
 
 
TOTAL
3,826,455
 
 
Financials—   7.3%
 
3,362
 
Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
  1,171,489
22,746
 
Bank of New York Mellon Corp.
  1,031,759
1,512
 
Cboe Global Markets, Inc.
    211,196
776
 
Chubb Ltd.
    158,622
2,452
1,2
Coinbase Global, Inc.
    241,792
9,581
1
Green Dot Corp.
    187,309
15,952
 
Huntington Bancshares, Inc.
    195,252
9,784
 
Interactive Brokers Group, Inc., Class A
    854,437
2,882
 
Jackson Financial, Inc.
     95,164
2,035
 
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
    321,449
904
 
Marketaxess Holdings, Inc.
    243,375
1,091
 
Marsh & McLennan Cos., Inc.
    205,566
3,301
 
Mastercard, Inc.
  1,301,518
367
 
MSCI, Inc., Class A
    201,145
5,615
 
NASDAQ, Inc.
    283,501
8,990
 
Northern Trust Corp.
    720,279
11,049
1
PayPal Holdings, Inc.
    837,735
6,767
 
Progressive Corp., OH
    852,507
6,244
 
Prudential Financial, Inc.
    602,484
3,660
 
State Street Corp.
    265,130
7,648
 
The Travelers Cos., Inc.
  1,320,121
12,645
 
Virtu Financial, Inc.
    234,691
Annual Shareholder Report
11

Shares or
Principal
Amount
 
 
Value
         
 
COMMON STOCKS—   continued
 
 
 
Financials—   continued
 
11,425
 
Visa, Inc., Class A
$  2,716,065
31,056
 
Western Union Co.
    378,262
 
 
TOTAL
14,630,848
 
 
Health Care—   7.3%
 
3,796
 
AbbVie, Inc.
    567,806
7,913
1
AnaptysBio, Inc.
    155,965
3,666
 
Baxter International, Inc.
    165,813
1,145
1
Biogen, Inc.
    309,368
4,372
 
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.
    271,895
15,959
1
Centene Corp.
  1,086,648
15,524
1
Community Health Systems, Inc.
     68,150
4,235
 
CVS Health Corp.
    316,312
2,423
 
Dentsply Sirona, Inc.
    100,603
51,357
1
Elanco Animal Health, Inc.
    619,879
719
 
Elevance Health, Inc.
    339,102
3,353
 
Eli Lilly & Co.
  1,524,106
4,291
1
GE HealthCare Technologies, Inc.
    334,698
16,311
 
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
  1,241,920
2,999
 
Humana, Inc.
  1,370,033
3,044
1
Incyte Genomics, Inc.
    193,964
11,608
 
Johnson & Johnson
  1,944,688
918
 
McKesson Corp.
    369,403
8,738
 
Merck & Co., Inc.
    931,908
407
1
Molina Healthcare, Inc.
    123,927
6,587
1
Myriad Genetics, Inc.
    147,220
6,280
1
Nevro Corp.
    156,937
8,669
1
Omnicell, Inc.
    547,447
1,966
 
Pfizer, Inc.
     70,894
28,291
1
Teladoc Health, Inc.
    842,223
724
 
Teleflex, Inc.
    181,847
596
 
The Cigna Group
    175,880
412
 
UnitedHealth Group, Inc.
    208,625
807
1
Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
    284,338
 
 
TOTAL
14,651,599
 
 
Industrials—   5.7%
 
6,053
 
3M Co.
    674,910
1,710
 
AGCO Corp.
    227,601
1,571
 
Allegion PLC
    183,587
3,700
 
Allison Transmission Holdings, Inc.
    217,153
5,504
 
Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp.
    666,424
2,242
 
Caterpillar, Inc.
    594,511
602
 
Honeywell International, Inc.
    116,866
Annual Shareholder Report
12

Shares or
Principal
Amount
 
 
Value
         
 
COMMON STOCKS—   continued
 
 
 
Industrials—   continued
 
2,095
 
Lennox International, Inc.
$    769,787
343
 
Lockheed Martin Corp.
    153,105
1,342
 
Manpower, Inc.
    105,857
1,946
 
Otis Worldwide Corp.
    177,008
9,954
 
Paychex, Inc.
  1,248,928
5,915
 
Pentair PLC
    411,093
17,484
 
Pitney Bowes, Inc.
     68,887
1,351
 
Robert Half, Inc.
    100,177
592
2
Rockwell Automation, Inc.
    199,084
984
 
Ryder System, Inc.
    100,516
6,476
1
SPX Technologies, Inc.
    547,934
2,020
 
Trane Technologies PLC
    402,869
1,458
1
TriNet Group, Inc.
    153,425
12,099
1
Uber Technologies, Inc.
    598,417
13,664
1
United Airlines Holdings, Inc.
    742,092
259
1
United Rentals, Inc.
    120,352
3,832
 
Verisk Analytics, Inc.
    877,298
1,861
 
Waste Management, Inc.
    304,813
1,443
1
Willscot Corp.
     69,192
7,809
1
XPO, Inc.
    540,695
8,430
 
Xylem, Inc.
    950,482
 
 
TOTAL
11,323,063
 
 
Information Technology—   13.9%
 
470
 
Accenture PLC
    148,685
3,300
1
Adobe, Inc.
  1,802,361
28,087
 
Apple, Inc.
  5,517,691
2,884
1
Arista Networks, Inc.
    447,280
2,290
1
Box, Inc.
     71,563
2,160
 
Broadcom, Inc.
  1,941,084
3,897
1
Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
    911,937
3,677
1
Cerence, Inc.
    102,257
4,701
1
Cirrus Logic, Inc.
    379,841
17,337
 
Cisco Systems, Inc.
    902,217
2,931
1
Commvault Systems, Inc.
    228,413
4,264
1
Confluent, Inc.
    147,279
14,810
 
Dell Technologies, Inc.
    783,745
14,042
1
DXC Technology Co.
    388,261
945
1
F5, Inc.
    149,537
20,000
1
Fortinet, Inc.
  1,554,400
14,151
 
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co.
    245,944
866
1
HubSpot, Inc.
    502,756
11,167
 
Microsoft Corp.
  3,751,219
Annual Shareholder Report
13

Shares or
Principal
Amount
 
 
Value
         
 
COMMON STOCKS—   continued
 
 
 
Information Technology—   continued
 
3,820
1
Nutanix, Inc.
$    115,364
3,059
 
NVIDIA Corp.
  1,429,440
5,551
1
Palo Alto Networks, Inc.
  1,387,528
18,478
 
Pegasystems, Inc.
    974,714
18,409
1
Pure Storage, Inc.
    680,949
3,548
1
Salesforce, Inc.
    798,335
3,694
1
Semtech Corp.
    107,865
432
1
ServiceNow, Inc.
    251,856
4,307
 
Skyworks Solutions, Inc.
    492,592
523
1
Synopsys, Inc.
    236,291
7,238
 
Vishay Intertechnology, Inc.
    203,750
9,197
 
Xerox Holdings Corp.
    146,968
12,555
1
Zoom Video Communications, Inc.
    920,909
 
 
TOTAL
27,723,031
 
 
Materials—   1.2%
 
2,792
1
Berry Global Group, Inc.
    183,071
352
 
Linde PLC
    137,516
29,644
 
Newmont Corp.
  1,272,320
1,951
 
Nucor Corp.
    335,748
2,236
 
Steel Dynamics, Inc.
    238,313
5,688
 
United States Steel Corp.
    145,044
 
 
TOTAL
2,312,012
 
 
Real Estate—   3.1%
 
2,500
 
Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.
    314,200
11,100
 
American Homes 4 Rent
    416,028
1,300
 
Avalonbay Communities, Inc.
    245,245
6,500
 
Brixmor Property Group, Inc.
    147,810
2,700
 
Digital Realty Trust, Inc.
    336,474
2,750
 
EastGroup Properties, Inc.
    487,245
7,700
 
EPR PPTYS
    343,728
700
 
Equinix, Inc.
    566,944
1,600
 
Equity Residential Properties Trust
    105,504
11,400
 
Invitation Homes, Inc.
    404,700
9,000
 
Kite Realty Group Trust
    205,920
3,400
 
NNN REIT, Inc.
    145,112
3,800
 
ProLogis, Inc.
    474,050
1,250
 
Public Storage
    352,188
3,500
 
Rexford Industrial Realty, Inc.
    192,815
3,900
 
Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc.
    371,631
2,500
 
UDR, Inc.
    102,200
12,900
 
VICI Properties, Inc.
    406,092
Annual Shareholder Report
14

Shares or
Principal
Amount
 
 
Value
         
 
COMMON STOCKS—   continued
 
 
 
Real Estate—   continued
 
6,000
 
Welltower, Inc.
$    492,900
 
 
TOTAL
6,110,786
 
 
Utilities—   0.7%
 
3,971
 
Consolidated Edison Co.
    376,689
10,793
 
Exelon Corp.
    451,795
5,659
 
WEC Energy Group, Inc.
    508,518
 
 
TOTAL
1,337,002
 
 
TOTAL COMMON STOCKS
(IDENTIFIED COST $90,682,208)
108,079,134
 
 
CORPORATE BONDS—   11.9%
 
 
 
Basic Industry - Chemicals—   0.0%
 
$   10,000
 
DuPont de Nemours, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.319%, 11/15/2038
      9,929
 
 
Basic Industry - Metals & Mining—   0.1%
 
  200,000
 
Anglo American Capital PLC, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 5.500%, 5/2/2033
    196,464
   15,000
 
Anglogold Ashanti Holdings PLC, Sr. Note, 6.500%, 4/15/2040
     14,872
   20,000
 
Southern Copper Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 6.750%, 4/16/2040
     22,315
 
 
TOTAL
233,651
 
 
Capital Goods - Aerospace & Defense—   0.7%
 
  200,000
 
BAE Systems PLC, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 3.000%, 9/15/2050
    135,979
  275,000
 
Boeing Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.875%, 5/1/2025
    271,647
  110,000
 
Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series WI,
3.844%, 5/1/2025
    106,432
  300,000
 
Leidos, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series WI, 2.300%, 2/15/2031
    240,302
  170,000
 
Leidos, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series WI, 3.625%, 5/15/2025
    163,526
  400,000
 
Lockheed Martin Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.750%, 2/15/2034
    397,764
   15,000
 
Spirit AeroSystems, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.600%, 6/15/2028
     12,777
   40,000
3
Textron Financial Corp., Jr. Sub. Note, 144A, 7.055% (3-month USLIBOR
+1.735%), 2/15/2042
     30,079
   50,000
 
Textron, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.000%, 3/15/2026
     48,260
   50,000
 
Textron, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.300%, 3/1/2024
     49,495
 
 
TOTAL
1,456,261
 
 
Capital Goods - Building Materials—   0.1%
 
  200,000
 
Allegion US Holdings Co., Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.200%, 10/1/2024
    193,381
 
 
Capital Goods - Construction Machinery—   0.2%
 
  205,000
 
Ashtead Capital, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 5.550%, 5/30/2033
    199,570
  255,000
 
CNH Industrial Capital America LLC, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.550%, 4/10/2028
    247,656
 
 
TOTAL
447,226
 
 
Capital Goods - Diversified Manufacturing—   0.1%
 
   60,000
 
Lennox International, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 1.700%, 8/1/2027
     52,546
  175,000
 
Roper Technologies, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.000%, 6/30/2030
    143,905
 
 
TOTAL
196,451
Annual Shareholder Report
15

Shares or
Principal
Amount
 
 
Value
 
 
CORPORATE BONDS—   continued
 
 
 
Communications - Cable & Satellite—   0.2%
 
$  300,000
 
Charter Communications Operating, LLC / Charter Communications
Operating Capital Corp., Sec. Fac. Bond, 2.250%, 1/15/2029
$    248,952
  145,000
 
Comcast Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.800%, 1/15/2051
     94,801
   15,000
 
Comcast Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.900%, 3/1/2038
     12,976
   10,000
 
Comcast Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.400%, 8/15/2035
      9,405
 
 
TOTAL
366,134
 
 
Communications - Media & Entertainment—   0.0%
 
   30,000
 
Grupo Televisa S.A., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 6.125%, 1/31/2046
     30,003
 
 
Communications - Telecom Wireless—   0.6%
 
  150,000
 
Crown Castle, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.700%, 6/15/2026
    142,928
  350,000
 
Crown Castle, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.100%, 5/1/2033
    341,306
  300,000
 
T-Mobile USA, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.050%, 7/15/2033
    293,708
  400,000
 
T-Mobile USA, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.650%, 1/15/2053
    402,240
 
 
TOTAL
1,180,182
 
 
Communications - Telecom Wirelines—   0.2%
 
   12,000
 
AT&T, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.500%, 9/15/2053
      8,145
  300,000
 
AT&T, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.650%, 6/1/2051
    212,246
   11,000
 
AT&T, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.650%, 9/15/2059
      7,367
    5,000
 
AT&T, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.500%, 5/15/2035
      4,514
  150,000
 
Telefonica Emisiones SAU, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.520%, 3/1/2049
    136,294
   90,000
 
Verizon Communications, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.150%, 3/22/2030
     79,397
 
 
TOTAL
447,963
 
 
Consumer Cyclical - Automotive—   0.2%
 
  175,000
 
General Motors Financial Co., Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.100%, 1/12/2032
    143,152
   10,000
 
General Motors Financial Co., Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.950%, 4/13/2024
      9,861
  175,000
 
General Motors Financial Co., Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.850%, 4/6/2030
    174,900
   10,000
 
Mercedes-Benz Finance NA, LLC Co. Guarantee, 8.500%, 1/18/2031
     12,378
 
 
TOTAL
340,291
 
 
Consumer Cyclical - Retailers—   0.4%
 
  170,000
 
AutoNation, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.750%, 6/1/2030
    160,110
  250,000
 
AutoZone, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.250%, 4/15/2025
    240,613
  135,000
 
Tractor Supply Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.250%, 5/15/2033
    133,530
  250,000
 
WalMart, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.500%, 4/15/2053
    241,327
 
 
TOTAL
775,580
 
 
Consumer Cyclical - Services—   0.1%
 
  125,000
 
Amazon.com, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.800%, 12/5/2024
    122,963
   15,000
 
Expedia Group, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series WI, 3.250%, 2/15/2030
     13,207
   10,000
 
University of Southern California, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.250%, 10/1/2111
      9,815
   70,000
 
Visa, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.150%, 12/14/2025
     67,142
   15,000
 
Visa, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.150%, 12/14/2035
     14,267
 
 
TOTAL
227,394
Annual Shareholder Report
16

Shares or
Principal
Amount
 
 
Value
 
 
CORPORATE BONDS—   continued
 
 
 
Consumer Non-Cyclical - Food/Beverage—   0.5%
 
$   30,000
 
Anheuser-Busch Cos LLC / Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide, Inc., Sr.
Unsecd. Note, 4.700%, 2/1/2036
$     29,113
  300,000
 
Constellation Brands, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.900%, 5/1/2033
    293,347
  300,000
 
Danone SA, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 2.947%, 11/2/2026
    282,748
   80,000
 
General Mills, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.000%, 2/1/2051
     55,982
  270,000
 
Heineken NV, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 3.500%, 1/29/2028
    257,258
   15,000
 
Kraft Heinz Foods Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.200%, 7/15/2045
     14,201
   50,000
 
Mead Johnson Nutrition Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.125%, 11/15/2025
     48,874
 
 
TOTAL
981,523
 
 
Consumer Non-Cyclical - Health Care—   0.3%
 
  135,000
 
Agilent Technologies, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.750%, 9/15/2029
    117,762
   15,000
 
CVS Health Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.100%, 3/25/2025
     14,711
  105,000
 
GE Healthcare Holding LLC, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 6.377%, 11/22/2052
    116,352
  300,000
 
HCA, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.500%, 6/1/2033
    298,819
 
 
TOTAL
547,644
 
 
Consumer Non-Cyclical - Pharmaceuticals—   0.2%
 
  500,000
 
AbbVie, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.250%, 11/21/2049
    429,335
   15,000
 
Amgen, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.400%, 5/1/2045
     12,883
   10,000
 
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series WI, 4.125%, 6/15/2039
      8,993
   15,000
 
Johnson & Johnson, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.550%, 3/1/2036
     13,447
 
 
TOTAL
464,658
 
 
Consumer Non-Cyclical - Tobacco—   0.2%
 
  450,000
 
Philip Morris International, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.750%, 11/17/2032
    460,424
 
 
Energy - Independent—   0.2%
 
  250,000
 
Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.900%, 2/1/2025
    242,535
  125,000
 
Cimarex Energy Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.900%, 5/15/2027
    106,852
   20,000
 
EQT Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.900%, 10/1/2027
     18,767
 
 
TOTAL
368,154
 
 
Energy - Integrated—   0.5%
 
  135,000
 
BP Capital Markets America, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.119%, 5/4/2026
    128,690
  300,000
 
BP Capital Markets America, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.937%, 9/21/2028
    287,482
  170,000
 
BP Capital Markets America, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.893%, 9/11/2033
    168,072
    5,000
 
ConocoPhillips Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.025%, 3/15/2062
      4,037
  270,000
 
Exxon Mobil Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.992%, 3/19/2025
    260,698
  240,000
 
Husky Energy, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.400%, 4/15/2029
    221,024
 
 
TOTAL
1,070,003
 
 
Energy - Midstream—   0.4%
 
  125,000
 
Boardwalk Pipeline Partners LP, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.600%, 9/1/2032
    106,706
  115,000
 
Energy Transfer LP, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.050%, 3/15/2025
    112,061
   75,000
 
Energy Transfer LP, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.900%, 2/1/2024
     74,455
   20,000
 
Energy Transfer LP, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.500%, 6/1/2027
     20,000
   10,000
 
Energy Transfer LP, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 6.125%, 12/15/2045
      9,580
Annual Shareholder Report
17

Shares or
Principal
Amount
 
 
Value
 
 
CORPORATE BONDS—   continued
 
 
 
Energy - Midstream—   continued
 
$  170,000
 
Enterprise Products Operating LLC, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.950%, 2/15/2027
$    164,171
   20,000
 
Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP, Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series MTN,
6.950%, 1/15/2038
     21,811
   40,000
 
MPLX LP, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.125%, 3/1/2027
     38,468
    5,000
 
MPLX LP, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.500%, 4/15/2038
      4,316
  190,000
 
ONEOK, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 6.100%, 11/15/2032
    194,183
   70,000
 
Targa Resources, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.200%, 2/1/2033
     62,571
   10,000
 
Western Gas Partners LP, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.750%, 8/15/2028
      9,584
 
 
TOTAL
817,906
 
 
Energy - Oil Field Services—   0.1%
 
  125,000
 
Ovintiv, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 7.100%, 7/15/2053
    133,441
 
 
Energy - Refining—   0.0%
 
   15,000
 
HF Sinclair Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.875%, 4/1/2026
     15,069
   15,000
 
Marathon Petroleum Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.500%, 4/1/2048
     11,886
   10,000
 
Marathon Petroleum Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 6.500%, 3/1/2041
     10,369
   15,000
 
Valero Energy Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.350%, 6/1/2028
     14,473
 
 
TOTAL
51,797
 
 
Financial Institution - Banking—   2.3%
 
  350,000
 
Bank of America Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.288%, 4/25/2034
    347,466
  300,000
 
Bank of America Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series GMTN, 3.500%, 4/19/2026
    288,146
  200,000
 
Bank of America Corp., Sub. Note, Series L, 3.950%, 4/21/2025
    193,791
   15,000
 
Bank of America Corp., Sub. Note, Series MTN, 4.200%, 8/26/2024
     14,766
   15,000
 
Bank of America Corp., Sub., Series MTN, 4.450%, 3/3/2026
     14,609
   20,000
 
Bank of New York Mellon, N.A., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.400%, 5/15/2024
     19,633
  165,000
 
Citigroup, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.057%, 1/25/2033
    137,857
  250,000
 
Citigroup, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.300%, 4/27/2025
    241,471
  170,000
 
Citigroup, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.400%, 5/1/2026
    161,792
  300,000
 
Citigroup, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.785%, 3/17/2033
    265,261
  370,000
 
Citigroup, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.610%, 9/29/2026
    369,373
   15,000
 
Citigroup, Inc., Sub. Note, 4.450%, 9/29/2027
     14,437
   30,000
 
Comerica, Inc., 3.800%, 7/22/2026
     27,848
   75,000
 
Fifth Third Bancorp, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.650%, 1/25/2024
     74,175
  250,000
 
FNB Corp. (PA), Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.150%, 8/25/2025
    244,026
  150,000
 
Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 6.250%, 2/1/2041
    161,126
   10,000
4
JPMorgan Chase & Co., Jr. Sub. Deb., Series X, 6.100%, 10/1/2024
      9,952
   25,000
4
JPMorgan Chase & Co., Jr. Sub. Note, Series FF, 5.000%, 8/1/2024
     24,459
   15,000
 
JPMorgan Chase & Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.882%, 7/24/2038
     12,966
  400,000
 
JPMorgan Chase & Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.350%, 6/1/2034
    403,030
  100,000
 
Morgan Stanley, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.943%, 1/21/2033
     83,270
  180,000
 
Morgan Stanley, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.250%, 4/21/2034
    177,755
   15,000
 
Morgan Stanley, Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series GMTN, 4.000%, 7/23/2025
     14,618
  240,000
 
PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.582%, 6/12/2029
    240,590
Annual Shareholder Report
18

Shares or
Principal
Amount
 
 
Value
 
 
CORPORATE BONDS—   continued
 
 
 
Financial Institution - Banking—   continued
 
$  300,000
 
State Street Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.159%, 5/18/2034
$    294,676
   10,000
 
State Street Corp., Sub. Deb., 3.031%, 11/1/2034
      8,660
  300,000
 
Truist Financial Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series MTN, 5.867%, 6/8/2034
    302,809
  300,000
 
US Bancorp, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.836%, 6/12/2034
    304,321
  250,000
 
US Bancorp, Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series MTN, 1.375%, 7/22/2030
    192,610
   10,000
 
Wells Fargo & Co., Series MTN, 4.100%, 6/3/2026
      9,606
   10,000
 
Westpac Banking Corp., Sub., Series GMTN, 4.322%, 11/23/2031
      9,335
 
 
TOTAL
4,664,434
 
 
Financial Institution - Broker/Asset Mgr/Exchange—   0.1%
 
   80,000
 
Invesco Finance PLC, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.750%, 1/15/2026
     77,227
   70,000
 
Nuveen LLC, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 4.000%, 11/1/2028
     66,060
 
 
TOTAL
143,287
 
 
Financial Institution - Finance Companies—   0.2%
 
  150,000
 
AerCap Ireland Capital Ltd. / AerCap Global Aviation Trust, Sr. Unsecd.
Note, 4.875%, 1/16/2024
    149,122
  220,000
 
Air Lease Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.850%, 12/15/2027
    221,993
 
 
TOTAL
371,115
 
 
Financial Institution - Insurance - Health—   0.2%
 
  300,000
 
UnitedHealth Group, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.750%, 5/15/2052
    282,818
 
 
Financial Institution - Insurance - Life—   0.3%
 
  400,000
 
AIA Group Ltd., Sub., 144A, 3.200%, 9/16/2040
    297,675
   15,000
 
MetLife, Inc., Jr. Sub. Note, 6.400%, 12/15/2036
     15,017
   10,000
 
MetLife, Inc., Jr. Sub. Note, 10.750%, 8/1/2039
     12,944
  250,000
 
MetLife, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.600%, 4/10/2024
    245,955
   15,000
 
Penn Mutual Life Insurance Co., Sr. Note, 144A, 7.625%, 6/15/2040
     16,057
   50,000
 
Prudential Financial, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series MTN, 6.200%, 11/15/2040
     53,528
 
 
TOTAL
641,176
 
 
Financial Institution - Insurance - P&C—   0.2%
 
  300,000
 
American International Group, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.125%, 3/27/2033
    295,167
   10,000
 
Berkshire Hathaway Finance Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.200%, 8/15/2048
      9,009
   55,000
 
Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co., Sub., 144A, 4.350%, 4/30/2050
     41,596
 
 
TOTAL
345,772
 
 
Financial Institution - REIT - Apartment—   0.1%
 
  200,000
 
UDR, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series MTN, 2.100%, 8/1/2032
    151,791
   70,000
 
UDR, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series MTN, 2.950%, 9/1/2026
     64,358
 
 
TOTAL
216,149
 
 
Financial Institution - REIT - Healthcare—   0.1%
 
  185,000
 
Welltower, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.700%, 2/15/2027
    170,322
 
 
Financial Institution - REIT - Office—   0.0%
 
   70,000
 
Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.950%, 1/15/2028
     65,673
 
 
Financial Institution - REIT - Other—   0.0%
 
   75,000
 
WP Carey, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.600%, 4/1/2024
     74,419
Annual Shareholder Report
19

Shares or
Principal
Amount
 
 
Value
 
 
CORPORATE BONDS—   continued
 
 
 
Financial Institution - REITs—   0.0%
 
$   60,000
 
Camden Property Trust, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.800%, 5/15/2030
$     52,361
 
 
Technology—   0.7%
 
   10,000
 
Apple, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.850%, 5/4/2043
      8,892
   70,000
 
Broadcom, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 3.750%, 2/15/2051
     51,171
  220,000
 
Broadcom, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 4.150%, 4/15/2032
    199,043
   20,000
 
Corning, Inc., Unsecd. Note, 4.750%, 3/15/2042
     18,194
  240,000
 
Dell International LLC / EMC Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 6.020%, 6/15/2026
    243,405
  110,000
 
Fiserv, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.500%, 7/1/2029
    101,288
  265,000
 
Intel Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.400%, 3/25/2025
    257,706
    7,000
 
Microsoft Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.921%, 3/17/2052
      5,120
    8,000
 
Microsoft Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.450%, 8/8/2036
      7,230
  500,000
 
Oracle Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 6.250%, 11/9/2032
    528,958
 
 
TOTAL
1,421,007
 
 
Technology Services—   0.0%
 
    5,000
 
Global Payments, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.200%, 8/15/2029
      4,410
 
 
Transportation - Airlines—   0.1%
 
   30,000
 
Delta Air Lines, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.900%, 10/28/2024
     28,847
  110,000
 
Southwest Airlines Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.250%, 5/4/2025
    109,404
 
 
TOTAL
138,251
 
 
Transportation - Railroads—   0.1%
 
  225,000
 
Canadian Pacific Railway Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.125%, 6/1/2026
    210,197
 
 
Transportation - Services—   0.2%
 
   15,000
 
Enterprise Rent-A-Car USA Finance Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A,
5.625%, 3/15/2042
     15,024
   20,000
 
FedEx Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.900%, 2/1/2035
     17,652
  210,000
 
Penske Truck Leasing Co. LP & PTL Finance Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A,
5.550%, 5/1/2028
    206,920
  125,000
 
United Parcel Service, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.900%, 4/1/2025
    122,419
 
 
TOTAL
362,015
 
 
Utility - Electric—   1.6%
 
  200,000
 
Alabama Power Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.000%, 3/15/2052
    135,128
   90,000
 
Ameren Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 1.950%, 3/15/2027
     80,757
   70,000
 
Electricite de France SA, Note, 144A, 5.600%, 1/27/2040
     66,588
  300,000
 
Electricite de France SA, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 4.500%, 9/21/2028
    286,735
  140,000
 
Emera US Finance LP, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.750%, 6/15/2046
    112,680
  170,000
 
EverSource Energy, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.350%, 3/15/2026
    161,152
  200,000
 
Exelon Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.400%, 4/15/2026
    190,841
  110,000
 
National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corp., Sr. Sub. Note,
5.250%, 4/20/2046
    103,760
   25,000
 
National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series
MTNC, 8.000%, 3/1/2032
     29,304
  600,000
 
NextEra Energy Capital Holdings, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.250%, 2/28/2053
    574,715
  300,000
 
Oncor Electric Delivery Co. LLC, Sec. Fac. Bond, 4.950%, 9/15/2052
    287,408
Annual Shareholder Report
20

Shares or
Principal
Amount
 
 
Value
 
 
CORPORATE BONDS—   continued
 
 
 
Utility - Electric—   continued
 
$  250,000
 
PPL Capital Funding, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.100%, 5/15/2026
$    236,443
  175,000
 
Southern Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.250%, 7/1/2026
    165,568
  250,000
 
Virginia Electric & Power Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.450%, 4/1/2053
    251,851
  300,000
 
WEC Energy Group, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 1.800%, 10/15/2030
    238,251
  170,000
 
WEC Energy Group, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.150%, 10/1/2027
    170,043
 
 
TOTAL
3,091,224
 
 
Utility - Natural Gas—   0.3%
 
  445,000
 
National Fuel Gas Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.500%, 1/15/2026
    439,685
  230,000
 
ONE Gas, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.250%, 9/1/2032
    216,484
    5,000
 
TransCanada PipeLines Ltd., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 6.200%, 10/15/2037
      5,151
 
 
TOTAL
661,320
 
 
Utility - Other—   0.1%
 
  125,000
 
National Grid-SP PLC, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.602%, 6/12/2028
    125,588
 
 
TOTAL CORPORATE BONDS
(IDENTIFIED COST $25,329,780)
23,841,534
 
 
U.S. TREASURIES—   5.5%
 
 
 
U.S. Treasury Bond—   1.2%
 
1,200,000
5
United States Treasury Bond, 2.000%, 8/15/2051
    791,659
  880,000
 
United States Treasury Bond, 2.250%, 2/15/2052
    616,562
  125,000
 
United States Treasury Bond, 3.000%, 8/15/2052
    103,171
   50,000
 
United States Treasury Bond, 3.250%, 5/15/2042
     43,654
  225,000
 
United States Treasury Bond, 3.375%, 8/15/2042
    199,745
  175,000
 
United States Treasury Bond, 3.625%, 2/15/2053
    162,951
  400,000
 
United States Treasury Bond, 3.625%, 5/15/2053
    373,687
 
 
TOTAL
2,291,429
 
 
U.S. Treasury Note—   4.3%
 
  325,000
 
United States Treasury Note, 1.250%, 12/31/2026
    292,779
  250,000
 
United States Treasury Note, 1.875%, 2/28/2027
    229,320
1,025,000
 
United States Treasury Note, 2.375%, 3/31/2029
    932,662
  275,000
 
United States Treasury Note, 2.500%, 3/31/2027
    257,727
  725,000
 
United States Treasury Note, 2.750%, 4/30/2027
    684,671
  400,000
 
United States Treasury Note, 2.750%, 7/31/2027
    376,995
  500,000
 
United States Treasury Note, 2.750%, 5/31/2029
    463,594
  850,000
 
United States Treasury Note, 2.875%, 4/30/2029
    793,948
  550,000
 
United States Treasury Note, 3.125%, 8/31/2029
    519,932
  500,000
 
United States Treasury Note, 3.250%, 6/30/2029
    476,189
  675,000
 
United States Treasury Note, 3.625%, 5/31/2028
    658,863
  600,000
 
United States Treasury Note, 3.750%, 5/31/2030
    588,000
  550,000
 
United States Treasury Note, 4.000%, 6/30/2028
    545,574
  100,000
 
United States Treasury Note, 4.000%, 2/28/2030
     99,367
  500,000
 
United States Treasury Note, 4.125%, 1/31/2025
    492,289
  600,000
 
United States Treasury Note, 4.125%, 9/30/2027
    595,736
Annual Shareholder Report
21

Shares or
Principal
Amount
 
 
Value
 
 
U.S. TREASURIES—   continued
 
 
 
U.S. Treasury Note—   continued
 
$  600,000
 
United States Treasury Note, 4.625%, 2/28/2025
$    595,477
 
 
TOTAL
8,603,123
 
 
TOTAL U.S. TREASURIES
(IDENTIFIED COST $11,847,008)
10,894,552
 
 
ASSET-BACKED SECURITIES—   2.5%
 
 
 
Auto Receivables—   1.0%
 
  273,945
 
Santander Bank Auto Credit-Linked Notes 2022-B, Class D,
6.793%, 8/16/2032
    269,916
  300,000
 
Santander Drive Auto Receivables Trust 2023-1, Class C, 5.090%, 5/15/2030
    293,818
  250,000
 
Santander Drive Auto Receivables Trust 2023-3, Class C,
5.770%, 11/15/2030
    250,563
  225,000
 
SFS Auto Receivables Securitization Trust 2023-1A, Class C,
5.970%, 2/20/2031
    224,151
  250,000
 
Tesla Auto Lease Trust 2023-A, Class B, 6.410%, 7/20/2027
    249,431
  250,000
 
Toyota Auto Loan Extended Note 2023-1A, Class A, 4.930%, 6/25/2036
    248,754
  400,000
 
Toyota Auto Receivables Owner Trust 2020-B, Class A4, 1.660%, 9/15/2025
    393,100
   90,000
 
World Omni Auto Receivables Trust 2021-A, Class C, 0.890%, 8/16/2027
     82,360
 
 
TOTAL
2,012,093
 
 
Credit Card—   0.4%
 
  345,000
 
First National Master Note Trust 2023-1, Class A, 5.130%, 4/15/2029
    340,186
  400,000
 
Master Credit Card Trust 2022-2A, Class C, 2.730%, 7/21/2028
    351,888
 
 
TOTAL
692,074
 
 
Equipment Lease—   0.7%
 
  200,000
 
Dell Equipment Finance Trust 2023-2, Class C, 6.060%, 1/22/2029
    200,233
  200,000
 
DLLMT LLC 2023-1A, Class A4, 5.350%, 3/20/2031
    198,410
  500,000
 
HPEFS Equipment Trust 2022-1A, Class C, 1.960%, 5/21/2029
    472,422
  300,000
 
Kubota Credit Owner Trust 2023-2A, Class A4, 5.230%, 6/15/2028
    298,369
  300,000
 
MMAF Equipment Finance LLC 2023-A, Class A4, 5.500%, 12/13/2038
    303,922
 
 
TOTAL
1,473,356
 
 
Other—   0.3%
 
  450,000
 
PFS Financing Corp. 2020-G, Class A, 0.970%, 2/15/2026
    439,220
  225,000
 
PFS Financing Corp. 2023-B, Class A, 5.270%, 5/15/2028
    222,572
 
 
TOTAL
661,792
 
 
Student Loans—   0.1%
 
  204,580
 
Navient Student Loan Trust 2021-A, Class A, 0.840%, 5/15/2069
    177,586
 
 
TOTAL ASSET-BACKED SECURITIES
(IDENTIFIED COST $5,162,670)
5,016,901
 
 
COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES—   0.5%
 
 
 
Commercial Mortgage—   0.2%
 
  200,000
 
BMO Mortgage Trust 2023-5C1, Class A3, 6.534%, 8/15/2056
    206,359
  200,000
 
BMO Mortgage Trust 2023-C4, Class A5, 5.116%, 2/15/2056
    197,730
 
 
TOTAL
404,089
Annual Shareholder Report
22

Shares or
Principal
Amount
 
 
Value
 
 
COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES—   continued
 
 
 
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation—   0.3%
 
$   20,942
 
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. REMIC, Series K055, Class A1,
2.263%, 4/25/2025
$     20,411
  383,850
 
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. REMIC, Series K106, Class A1,
1.783%, 10/25/2029
    336,521
  350,000
 
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. REMIC, Series K737, Class A2,
2.525%, 10/25/2026
    325,328
 
 
TOTAL
682,260
 
 
TOTAL COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES
(IDENTIFIED COST $1,179,603)
1,086,349
 
 
COLLATERALIZED MORTGAGE OBLIGATIONS—   0.3%
 
 
 
Commercial Mortgage—   0.2%
 
  190,000
 
Bank, Class A4, 3.488%, 11/15/2050
    174,377
  200,000
 
JPMDB Commercial Mortgage Securities Trust 2016-C4, Class A3,
3.141%, 12/15/2049
    182,670
 
 
TOTAL
357,047
 
 
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation—   0.0%
 
    1,681
 
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. REMIC, Series 2497, Class JH,
6.000%, 9/15/2032
      1,708
 
 
Federal National Mortgage Association—   0.0%
 
      251
 
FNMA REMIC, Series 2003-35, Class UC, 3.750%, 5/25/2033
        244
 
 
Non-Agency Mortgage—   0.1%
 
       24
6
Bear Stearns Mortgage Securities, Inc. 1997-6, Class 1A, 6.725%, 3/25/2031
         24
  388,945
 
GS Mortgage-Backed Securities Trust 2023-PJ1, Class A4,
3.500%, 2/25/2053
    336,710
 
 
TOTAL
336,734
 
 
TOTAL COLLATERALIZED MORTGAGE OBLIGATIONS
(IDENTIFIED COST $753,522)
695,733
 
 
MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES—   0.2%
 
 
 
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation—   0.0%
 
   20,544
 
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., Pool G07801, 4.000%, 10/1/2044
     19,635
 
 
Federal National Mortgage Association—   0.2%
 
    5,231
 
Federal National Mortgage Association, Pool 357761, 5.500%, 5/1/2035
      5,299
      561
 
Federal National Mortgage Association, Pool 728709, 5.500%, 7/1/2033
        565
   21,080
 
Federal National Mortgage Association, Pool 932864, 4.000%, 12/1/2040
     20,244
   36,585
 
Federal National Mortgage Association, Pool AB7859, 3.500%, 2/1/2043
     33,976
   27,627
 
Federal National Mortgage Association, Pool AD6938, 4.500%, 6/1/2040
     27,077
   12,820
 
Federal National Mortgage Association, Pool AQ0945, 3.000%, 11/1/2042
     11,560
   15,543
 
Federal National Mortgage Association, Pool AT2127, 3.000%, 4/1/2043
     14,020
    9,008
 
Federal National Mortgage Association, Pool AT7861, 3.000%, 6/1/2028
      8,617
   14,944
 
Federal National Mortgage Association, Pool BM4388, 4.000%, 8/1/2048
     14,177
    8,166
 
Federal National Mortgage Association, Pool BM5024, 3.000%, 11/1/2048
      7,250
   10,727
 
Federal National Mortgage Association, Pool BM5246, 3.500%, 11/1/2048
      9,838
   12,934
 
Federal National Mortgage Association, Pool CA0833, 3.500%, 12/1/2047
     11,866
    9,825
 
Federal National Mortgage Association, Pool CA4427, 3.000%, 10/1/2049
      8,630
Annual Shareholder Report
23

Shares or
Principal
Amount
 
 
Value
 
 
MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES—   continued
 
 
 
Federal National Mortgage Association—   continued
 
$    7,451
 
Federal National Mortgage Association, Pool FM0008, 3.500%, 8/1/2049
$      6,838
   21,316
 
Federal National Mortgage Association, Pool FM1000, 3.000%, 4/1/2047
     19,000
    9,721
 
Federal National Mortgage Association, Pool FM1221, 3.500%, 7/1/2049
      8,939
   15,358
 
Federal National Mortgage Association, Pool MA0500, 5.000%, 8/1/2040
     15,392
   18,167
 
Federal National Mortgage Association, Pool MA0666, 4.500%, 3/1/2041
     17,816
   21,952
 
Federal National Mortgage Association, Pool MA1430, 3.000%, 5/1/2043
     19,783
   21,176
 
Federal National Mortgage Association, Pool MA2803, 2.500%, 11/1/2031
     19,717
 
 
TOTAL
280,604
 
 
Government National Mortgage Association—   0.0%
 
   12,531
 
Government National Mortgage Association, Pool MA0625,
3.500%, 12/20/2042
     11,744
    8,009
 
Government National Mortgage Association, Pool MA1376,
4.000%, 10/20/2043
      7,718
 
 
TOTAL
19,462
 
 
TOTAL MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES
(IDENTIFIED COST $348,452)
319,701
 
 
GOVERNMENT AGENCY—   0.1%
 
 
 
Federal National Mortgage Association—   0.1%
 
  250,000
 
Federal National Mortgage Association Notes, 0.625%, 4/22/2025
(IDENTIFIED COST $249,820)
    231,617
 
 
MUNICIPAL BOND—   0.0%
 
   30,000
 
Texas State Transportation Commission - State Highway Fund, 5.178%,
4/1/2030
(IDENTIFIED COST $32,803)
     30,272
 
 
EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS—   8.4%
 
40,700
 
iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF
  2,125,761
196,000
 
iShares MSCI EAFE ETF
14,594,160
 
 
Total Exchange-Traded Funds
(IDENTIFIED COST $15,117,066)
16,719,921
 
 
INVESTMENT COMPANIES—   16.5%
 
1,339
 
Bank Loan Core Fund
     11,640
221,813
 
Emerging Markets Core Fund
  1,790,027
404,597
 
Federated Hermes Government Obligations Fund, Premier Shares, 5.16%7
    404,597
2,602,708
 
Federated Hermes Institutional Prime Value Obligations Fund, Institutional
Shares, 5.32%7
  2,602,447
357,246
 
High Yield Bond Core Fund
  1,929,131
2,599,067
 
Mortgage Core Fund
21,650,227
507,527
 
Project and Trade Finance Core Fund
  4,440,858
 
 
TOTAL INVESTMENT COMPANIES
(IDENTIFIED COST $35,150,846)
32,828,927
 
 
TOTAL INVESTMENT IN SECURITIES—100.1%
(IDENTIFIED COST $185,853,778)8
199,744,641
 
 
OTHER ASSETS AND LIABILITIES - NET—(0.1)%9
(254,313)
 
 
TOTAL NET ASSETS—100%
$199,490,328
Annual Shareholder Report
24

At July 31, 2023, the Fund had the following outstanding futures contracts:
Description
Number of
Contracts
Notional
Value
Expiration
Date
Value and
Unrealized
(Depreciation)
Long Futures:
 
 
 
 
United States Treasury Notes 2-Year
Long Futures
70
$14,212,188
September 2023
$(20,497)
United States Treasury Notes 10-Year
Long Futures
21
$2,339,531
September 2023
$(13,530)
United States Treasury Notes 5-Year
Long Futures
52
$5,554,656
September 2023
$(97,154)
United States Treasury Long Bond
Long Futures
2
$248,875
September 2023
$(3,926)
Short Futures:
 
 
 
 
United States Treasury Notes 10-Year
Ultra Short Futures
17
$1,988,734
September 2023
$(13,317)
NET UNREALIZED DEPRECIATION ON FUTURES CONTRACTS
$(148,424)
Net Unrealized Depreciation on Futures Contracts is included in “Other Assets and Liabilities—Net.”
Annual Shareholder Report
25

Transactions with affiliated investment companies, which are funds managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser, during the period ended July 31, 2023, were as follows:
Affiliates
Value as of
7/31/2022
Purchases
at Cost
Proceeds
from Sales
Bank Loan Core Fund
$174,026
$12,941
$(170,000)
Emerging Markets Core Fund
$2,048,880
$2,350,630
$(2,748,850)
Federated Hermes Government Obligations Fund,
Premier Shares*
$7,041,989
$266,731,476
$(273,368,868)
Federated Hermes Institutional Prime Value Obligations
Fund, Institutional Shares
$21,788,196
$49,174,509
$(68,365,308)
High Yield Bond Core Fund
$1,960,618
$1,516,800
$(1,480,900)
Mortgage Core Fund
$15,133,883
$12,978,274
$(5,224,000)
Project and Trade Finance Core Fund
$3,586,221
$794,336
$
TOTAL OF AFFILIATED TRANSACTIONS
$51,733,813
$333,558,966
$(351,357,926)
Annual Shareholder Report
26

Change in
Unrealized
Appreciation/
Depreciation
Net
Realized
Gain/
(Loss)
Value as of
7/31/2023
Shares
Held as of
7/31/2023
Dividend
Income
$10,270
$(15,597)
$11,640
1,339
$13,719
$411,327
$(271,960)
$1,790,027
221,813
$189,662
$
$
$404,597
404,597
$199,740
$480
$4,570
$2,602,447
2,602,708
$494,738
$178,089
$(245,476)
$1,929,131
357,246
$128,066
$(1,055,963)
$(181,967)
$21,650,227
2,599,067
$722,207
$60,301
$
$4,440,858
507,527
$293,499
$(395,496)
$(710,430)
$32,828,927
6,694,297
$2,041,631
*
All or a portion of the balance/activity for the fund relates to cash collateral received on
securities lending transactions.
1
Non-income-producing security.
2
All or a portion of these securities are temporarily on loan to unaffiliated broker/dealers.
3
Floating/variable note with current rate and current maturity or next reset date shown.
4
Perpetual Bond Security. The maturity date reflects the next call date.
5
All or a portion of this security is pledged as collateral to ensure the Fund is able to satisfy the
obligations of its outstanding futures contracts.
6
JPMorgan Chase & Co. has fully and unconditionally guaranteed Bear Stearns’ outstanding
registered debt securities.
7
7-day net yield.
8
The cost of investments for federal tax purposes amounts to $186,750,556.
9
Assets, other than investments in securities, less liabilities. See Statement of Assets and
Liabilities.
Note: The categories of investments are shown as a percentage of total net assets at July 31, 2023.
Various inputs are used in determining the value of the Fund’s investments. These inputs are summarized in the three broad levels listed below:
Level 1—quoted prices in active markets for identical securities.
Level 2—other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.). Also includes securities valued at amortized cost.
Level 3—significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments).
The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.
Annual Shareholder Report
27


The following is a summary of the inputs used, as of July 31, 2023, in valuing the Fund’s assets carried at fair value:
Valuation Inputs
 
Level 1—
Quoted
Prices
Level 2—
Other
Significant
Observable
Inputs
Level 3—
Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
Total
Equity Securities:
 
 
 
 
Common Stocks
 
 
 
 
Domestic
$105,601,857
$
$
$105,601,857
International
2,477,277
2,477,277
Debt Securities:
 
 
 
 
Corporate Bonds
23,841,534
23,841,534
U.S. Treasuries
10,894,552
10,894,552
Asset-Backed Securities
5,016,901
5,016,901
Commercial Mortgage-Backed
Securities
1,086,349
1,086,349
Collateralized Mortgage Obligations
695,733
695,733
Mortgage-Backed Securities
319,701
319,701
Government Agency
231,617
231,617
Municipal Bond
30,272
30,272
Exchange-Traded Funds
16,719,921
16,719,921
Investment Companies1
28,388,069
32,828,927
TOTAL SECURITIES
$150,709,847
$44,593,936
$
$199,744,641
Other Financial Instruments:2
 
 
 
 
Liabilities
$(148,424)
$
$
$(148,424)
TOTAL OTHER
FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
$(148,424)
$
$
$(148,424)
1
As permitted by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), an Investment Company
valued at $4,440,858 is measured at fair value using the net asset value (NAV) per share practical
expedient and has not been categorized in the chart above, but is included in the Total column.
The amount included herein is intended to permit reconciliation of the fair value classifications to
the amounts presented on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. The price of shares redeemed
of Project and Trade Finance Core Fund may be determined as of the closing NAV of the fund up
to twenty-four days after receipt of a shareholder redemption request.
2
Other financial instruments are futures contracts.
The following acronym(s) are used throughout this portfolio:
 
ETF
—Exchange-Traded Fund
FNMA
—Federal National Mortgage Association
GMTN
—Global Medium Term Note
LIBOR
—London Interbank Offered Rate
MTN
—Medium Term Note
REIT
—Real Estate Investment Trust
REMIC
—Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduit
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
28

Financial HighlightsClass A Shares
(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)
 
Year Ended July 31,
 
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$19.57
$23.18
$19.59
$18.71
$19.59
Income From Investment Operations:
 
 
 
 
 
Net investment income (loss)1
0.28
0.16
0.16
0.19
0.25
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
0.85
(1.60)
4.30
1.46
0.57
Total From Investment Operations
1.13
(1.44)
4.46
1.65
0.82
Less Distributions:
 
 
 
 
 
Distributions from net investment income
(0.09)
(0.13)
(0.07)
(0.24)
(0.19)
Distributions from net realized gain
(1.10)
(2.04)
(0.80)
(0.53)
(1.51)
Total Distributions
(1.19)
(2.17)
(0.87)
(0.77)
(1.70)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$19.51
$19.57
$23.18
$19.59
$18.71
Total Return2
6.28%
(7.05)%
23.31%
9.08%
5.28%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:
 
 
 
 
 
Net expenses3
1.31%
1.30%
1.31%
1.31%
1.31%
Net investment income
1.48%
0.73%
0.77%
1.04%
1.35%
Expense waiver/reimbursement4
0.04%
0.01%
0.04%
0.07%
0.08%
Supplemental Data:
 
 
 
 
 
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
$115,519
$114,889
$124,559
$95,559
$84,243
Portfolio turnover5
104%
110%
61%
152%
92%
1
Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
2
Based on net asset value, which does not reflect the sales charge, redemption fee or contingent
deferred sales charge, if applicable.
3
Amount does not reflect net expenses incurred by investment companies in which the Fund
may invest.
4
This expense decrease is reflected in both the net expense and the net investment income
(loss) ratios shown above. Amount does not reflect expense waiver/reimbursement recorded by
investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
5
Securities that mature are considered sales for purposes of this calculation.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
29

Financial HighlightsClass C Shares
(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)
 
Year Ended July 31,
 
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$19.16
$22.78
$19.35
$18.50
$19.31
Income From Investment Operations:
 
 
 
 
 
Net investment income (loss)1
0.14
(0.01)
0.002
0.05
0.11
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
0.82
(1.57)
4.23
1.43
0.59
Total From Investment Operations
0.96
(1.58)
4.23
1.48
0.70
Less Distributions:
 
 
 
 
 
Distributions from net investment income
(0.10)
(0.00)2
Distributions from net realized gain
(1.10)
(2.04)
(0.80)
(0.53)
(1.51)
Total Distributions
(1.10)
(2.04)
(0.80)
(0.63)
(1.51)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$19.02
$19.16
$22.78
$19.35
$18.50
Total Return3
5.45%
(7.76)%
22.37%
8.25%
4.54%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:
 
 
 
 
 
Net expenses4
2.10%
2.06%
2.06%
2.06%
2.06%
Net investment income (loss)
0.69%
(0.05)%
0.01%
0.29%
0.60%
Expense waiver/reimbursement5
0.01%
0.01%
0.05%
0.09%
0.10%
Supplemental Data:
 
 
 
 
 
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
$11,890
$13,503
$16,941
$15,043
$15,492
Portfolio turnover6
104%
110%
61%
152%
92%
1
Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
2
Represents less than $0.01.
3
Based on net asset value, which does not reflect the sales charge, redemption fee or contingent
deferred sales charge, if applicable.
4
Amount does not reflect net expenses incurred by investment companies in which the Fund
may invest.
5
This expense decrease is reflected in both the net expense and the net investment income
(loss) ratios shown above. Amount does not reflect expense waiver/reimbursement recorded by
investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
6
Securities that mature are considered sales for purposes of this calculation.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
30

Financial HighlightsInstitutional Shares
(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)
 
Year Ended July 31,
 
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$19.67
$23.28
$19.67
$18.78
$19.64
Income From Investment Operations:
 
 
 
 
 
Net investment income (loss)1
0.33
0.21
0.22
0.24
0.30
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
0.86
(1.60)
4.30
1.46
0.58
Total From Investment Operations
1.19
(1.39)
4.52
1.70
0.88
Less Distributions:
 
 
 
 
 
Distributions from net investment income
(0.14)
(0.18)
(0.11)
(0.28)
(0.23)
Distributions from net realized gain
(1.10)
(2.04)
(0.80)
(0.53)
(1.51)
Total Distributions
(1.24)
(2.22)
(0.91)
(0.81)
(1.74)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$19.62
$19.67
$23.28
$19.67
$18.78
Total Return2
6.57%
(6.82)%
23.59%
9.33%
5.61%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:
 
 
 
 
 
Net expenses3
1.06%
1.06%
1.06%
1.06%
1.06%
Net investment income
1.74%
0.97%
1.02%
1.29%
1.62%
Expense waiver/reimbursement4
0.04%
0.01%
0.04%
0.07%
0.08%
Supplemental Data:
 
 
 
 
 
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
$69,433
$65,157
$73,997
$54,440
$53,035
Portfolio turnover5
104%
110%
61%
152%
92%
1
Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
2
Based on net asset value.
3
Amount does not reflect net expenses incurred by investment companies in which the Fund
may invest.
4
This expense decrease is reflected in both the net expense and the net investment income
(loss) ratios shown above. Amount does not reflect expense waiver/reimbursement recorded by
investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
5
Securities that mature are considered sales for purposes of this calculation.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
31

Financial HighlightsClass R6 Shares
(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)
 
Year Ended July 31,
 
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$19.63
$23.24
$19.61
$18.74
$19.62
Income From Investment Operations:
 
 
 
 
 
Net investment income (loss)1
0.32
0.22
0.22
0.24
0.27
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
0.87
(1.61)
4.31
1.44
0.60
Total From Investment Operations
1.19
(1.39)
4.53
1.68
0.87
Less Distributions:
 
 
 
 
 
Distributions from net investment income
(0.16)
(0.18)
(0.10)
(0.28)
(0.24)
Distributions from net realized gain
(1.10)
(2.04)
(0.80)
(0.53)
(1.51)
Total Distributions
(1.26)
(2.22)
(0.90)
(0.81)
(1.75)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$19.56
$19.63
$23.24
$19.61
$18.74
Total Return2
6.59%
(6.81)%
23.70%
9.26%
5.56%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:
 
 
 
 
 
Net expenses3
1.04%
1.01%
1.05%
1.05%
1.05%
Net investment income
1.76%
1.05%
1.03%
1.29%
1.40%
Expense waiver/reimbursement4
0.01%
0.01%
0.01%
0.03%
0.06%
Supplemental Data:
 
 
 
 
 
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
$2,648
$2,286
$1,836
$1,516
$3,165
Portfolio turnover5
104%
110%
61%
152%
92%
1
Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
2
Based on net asset value.
3
Amount does not reflect net expenses incurred by investment companies in which the Fund
may invest.
4
This expense decrease is reflected in both the net expense and the net investment income
(loss) ratios shown above. Amount does not reflect expense waiver/reimbursement recorded by
investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
5
Securities that mature are considered sales for purposes of this calculation.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
32

Statement of Assets and Liabilities
July 31, 2023
Assets:
 
Investment in securities, at value including $406,316 of securities loaned and
$32,828,927 of investments in affiliated holdings*(identified cost $185,853,778,
including $35,150,846 of identified cost in affiliated holdings)
$199,744,641
Income receivable
436,291
Income receivable from affiliated holdings
143,413
Receivable for investments sold
451,381
Receivable for shares sold
208,626
Receivable for variation margin on futures contracts
7,747
Total Assets
200,992,099
Liabilities:
 
Payable for investments purchased
817,917
Payable for shares redeemed
53,813
Payable to bank
25,731
Payable for collateral due to broker for securities lending (Note 2)
404,597
Payable for investment adviser fee (Note5)
4,077
Payable for administrative fee (Note5)
424
Payable for auditing fees
36,530
Payable for share registration costs
18,633
Payable for transfer agent fees (Note 2)
31,403
Payable for distribution services fee (Note5)
7,467
Payable for other service fees (Notes 2 and5)
51,108
Accrued expenses (Note5)
50,071
Total Liabilities
1,501,771
Net assets for 10,219,881 shares outstanding
$199,490,328
Net Assets Consist of:
 
Paid-in capital
$185,780,260
Total distributable earnings (loss)
13,710,068
Total Net Assets
$199,490,328
Annual Shareholder Report
33

Statement of Assets and Liabilitiescontinued
Net Asset Value, Offering Price and Redemption Proceeds Per Share:
 
Class A Shares:
 
Net asset value per share ($115,519,121 ÷ 5,920,275 shares outstanding), no par value,
unlimited shares authorized
$19.51
Offering price per share (100/94.50 of $19.51)
$20.65
Redemption proceeds per share
$19.51
Class C Shares:
 
Net asset value per share ($11,890,143 ÷ 625,035 shares outstanding), no par value,
unlimited shares authorized
$19.02
Offering price per share
$19.02
Redemption proceeds per share (99.00/100 of $19.02)
$18.83
Institutional Shares:
 
Net asset value per share ($69,433,045 ÷ 3,539,200 shares outstanding), no par value,
unlimited shares authorized
$19.62
Offering price per share
$19.62
Redemption proceeds per share
$19.62
Class R6 Shares:
 
Net asset value per share ($2,648,019 ÷ 135,371 shares outstanding), no par value,
unlimited shares authorized
$19.56
Offering price per share
$19.56
Redemption proceeds per share
$19.56
*
See information listed after the Fund’s Portfolio of Investments.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
34

Statement of Operations
Year Ended July 31, 2023
Investment Income:
 
Dividends (including $1,841,891 received from affiliated holdings* and net of foreign
taxes withheld of $100)
$3,781,982
Interest
1,636,880
Net income on securities loaned (includes $199,740 earned from an affiliated holding
related to cash collateral balances*) (Note 2)
10,532
TOTAL INCOME
5,429,394
Expenses:
 
Investment adviser fee (Note5)
1,454,734
Administrative fee (Note5)
157,526
Custodian fees
53,250
Transfer agent fees (Note 2)
196,953
Directors’/Trustees’ fees (Note5)
2,454
Auditing fees
38,730
Legal fees
12,462
Portfolio accounting fees
108,072
Distribution services fee (Note5)
91,890
Other service fees (Notes 2 and5)
300,649
Share registration costs
67,641
Printing and postage
28,168
Miscellaneous (Note5)
31,680
TOTAL EXPENSES
2,544,209
Waiver and Reimbursements:
 
Waiver/reimbursement of investment adviser fee (Note5)
(16,678)
Reimbursement of other operating expenses (Notes 2 and 5)
(55,373)
TOTAL WAIVER AND REIMBURSEMENTS
(72,051)
Net expenses
2,472,158
Net investment income
2,957,236
Annual Shareholder Report
35

Statement of Operationscontinued
Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments, Foreign Currency Transactions
and Futures Contracts:
 
Net realized gain on investments (including net realized loss of $(710,430) on sales of
investments in affiliated holdings*)
$663,874
Net realized loss on futures contracts
(489,711)
Net change in unrealized appreciation of investments (including net change in
unrealized depreciation of $(395,496) on investments in affiliated holdings*)
9,037,679
Net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation of translation of assets and
liabilities in foreign currency
99
Net change in unrealized depreciation of futures contracts
(142,706)
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments, foreign currency transactions
and futures contracts
9,069,235
Change in net assets resulting from operations
$12,026,471
*
See information listed after the Fund’s Portfolio of Investments.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
36

Statement of Changes in Net Assets
Year Ended July 31
2023
2022
Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets
 
 
Operations:
 
 
Net investment income
$2,957,236
$1,611,997
Net realized gain (loss)
174,163
15,639,630
Net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation
8,895,072
(32,815,373)
CHANGE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS
12,026,471
(15,563,746)
Distributions to Shareholders:
 
 
Class A Shares
(6,948,203)
(11,860,120)
Class C Shares
(731,258)
(1,532,399)
Institutional Shares
(4,265,616)
(7,174,769)
Class R6 Shares
(142,729)
(217,778)
CHANGE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM DISTRIBUTIONS
TO SHAREHOLDERS
(12,087,806)
(20,785,066)
Share Transactions:
 
 
Proceeds from sale of shares
39,221,885
32,654,133
Net asset value of shares issued to shareholders in payment of
distributions declared
11,678,828
19,978,864
Cost of shares redeemed
(47,183,872)
(37,782,492)
CHANGE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM
SHARE TRANSACTIONS
3,716,841
14,850,505
Change in net assets
3,655,506
(21,498,307)
Net Assets:
 
 
Beginning of period
195,834,822
217,333,129
End of period
$199,490,328
$195,834,822
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
37

Notes to Financial Statements
July 31, 2023
1. ORGANIZATION
Federated Hermes MDT Series (the “Trust”) is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Act”), as an open-end management investment company. The Trust consists of five portfolios. The financial statements included herein are only those of Federated Hermes MDT Balanced Fund (the “Fund”), a diversified portfolio. The financial statements of the other portfolios are presented separately. The assets of each portfolio are segregated and a shareholder’s interest is limited to the portfolio in which shares are held. Each portfolio pays its own expenses. The Fund offers four classes of shares: Class A Shares, Class C Shares, Institutional Shares and Class R6 Shares. All shares of the Fund have equal rights with respect to voting, except on class-specific matters. The investment objective of the Fund is the possibility of long-term growth of capital and income.
2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
The following is a summary of significant accounting policies consistently followed by the Fund in the preparation of its financial statements. These policies are in conformity with GAAP.
Investment Valuation
In calculating its NAV, the Fund generally values investments as follows:

Equity securities listed on an exchange or traded through a regulated market system are valued at their last reported sale price or official closing price in their principal exchange or market.

Fixed-income securities are fair valued using price evaluations provided by a pricing service approved by Federated MDTA LLC (the “Adviser”).

Shares of other mutual funds or non-exchange-traded investment companies are valued based upon their reported NAVs, or NAV per share practical expedient, as applicable.

Derivative contracts listed on exchanges are valued at their reported settlement or closing price, except that options are valued at the mean of closing bid and ask quotations.

Over-the-counter (OTC) derivative contracts are fair valued using price evaluations provided by a pricing service approved by the Adviser.

For securities that are fair valued in accordance with procedures established by and under the general supervision of the Adviser, certain factors may be considered, such as: the last traded or purchase price of the security, information obtained by contacting the issuer or dealers, analysis of the issuer’s financial statements or other available documents, fundamental analytical data, the nature and duration of restrictions on disposition, the movement of the market in which the security is normally traded, public trading in similar securities or derivative contracts of the issuer or comparable issuers, movement of a relevant index, or other factors including but not limited to industry changes and relevant government actions.
Annual Shareholder Report
38

If any price, quotation, price evaluation or other pricing source is not readily available when the NAV is calculated, if the Fund cannot obtain price evaluations from a pricing service or from more than one dealer for an investment within a reasonable period of time as set forth in the Adviser’s valuation policies and procedures for the Fund, or if information furnished by a pricing service, in the opinion of the Adviser’s valuation committee (“Valuation Committee”), is deemed not representative of the fair value of such security, the Fund uses the fair value of the investment determined in accordance with the procedures described below. There can be no assurance that the Fund could obtain the fair value assigned to an investment if it sold the investment at approximately the time at which the Fund determines its NAV per share, and the actual value obtained could be materially different.
Fair Valuation and Significant Events Procedures
Pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the Act, the Fund’s Board of Trustees (the “Trustees”) has designated the Adviser as the Fund’s valuation designee to perform any fair value determinations for securities and other assets held by the Fund. The Adviser is subject to the Trustees’ oversight and certain reporting and other requirements intended to provide the Trustees the information needed to oversee the Adviser’s fair value determinations.
The Adviser, acting through its Valuation Committee, is responsible for determining the fair value of investments for which market quotations are not readily available. The Valuation Committee is comprised of officers of the Adviser and certain of the Adviser’s affiliated companies and determines fair value and oversees the calculation of the NAV. The Valuation Committee is also authorized to use pricing services to provide fair value evaluations of the current value of certain investments for purposes of calculating the NAV. The Valuation Committee employs various methods for reviewing third-party pricing-service evaluations including periodic reviews of third-party pricing services’ policies, procedures and valuation methods (including key inputs, methods, models and assumptions), transactional back-testing, comparisons of evaluations of different pricing services, and review of price challenges by the Adviser based on recent market activity. In the event that market quotations and price evaluations are not available for an investment, the Valuation Committee determines the fair value of the investment in accordance with procedures adopted by the Adviser. The Trustees periodically review the fair valuations made by the Valuation Committee. The Trustees have also approved the Adviser’s fair valuation and significant events procedures as part of the Fund’s compliance program and will review any changes made to the procedures.
Factors considered by pricing services in evaluating an investment include the yields or prices of investments of comparable quality, coupon, maturity, call rights and other potential prepayments, terms and type, reported transactions, indications as to values from dealers and general market conditions. Some pricing services provide a single price evaluation reflecting the bid-side of the market for an investment (a “bid” evaluation). Other pricing services offer both bid evaluations and price evaluations indicative of a price between the prices bid and ask for the investment (a “mid” evaluation). The Fund normally uses bid evaluations for any U.S. Treasury and Agency securities, mortgage-backed securities and municipal securities. The Fund normally uses
Annual Shareholder Report
39

mid evaluations for any other types of fixed-income securities and any OTC derivative contracts. In the event that market quotations and price evaluations are not available for an investment, the fair value of the investment is determined in accordance with procedures adopted by the Adviser.
The Adviser has also adopted procedures requiring an investment to be priced at its fair value whenever the Valuation Committee determines that a significant event affecting the value of the investment has occurred between the time as of which the price of the investment would otherwise be determined and the time as of which the NAV is computed. An event is considered significant if there is both an affirmative expectation that the investment’s value will change in response to the event and a reasonable basis for quantifying the resulting change in value. Examples of significant events that may occur after the close of the principal market on which a security is traded, or after the time of a price evaluation provided by a pricing service or a dealer, include:

With respect to securities traded principally in foreign markets, significant trends in U.S. equity markets or in the trading of foreign securities index futures contracts;

Political or other developments affecting the economy or markets in which an issuer conducts its operations or its securities are traded;

Announcements concerning matters such as acquisitions, recapitalizations, litigation developments, or a natural disaster affecting the issuer’s operations or regulatory changes or market developments affecting the issuer’s industry.
The Adviser has adopted procedures whereby the Valuation Committee uses a pricing service to provide factors to update the fair value of equity securities traded principally in foreign markets from the time of the close of their respective foreign stock exchanges to the pricing time of the Fund. For other significant events, the Fund may seek to obtain more current quotations or price evaluations from alternative pricing sources. If a reliable alternative pricing source is not available, the Valuation Committee will determine the fair value of the investment in accordance with the fair valuation procedures approved by the Adviser. The Trustees periodically review fair valuations made in response to significant events.
Repurchase Agreements
The Fund may invest in repurchase agreements for short-term liquidity purposes. It is the policy of the Fund to require the other party to a repurchase agreement to transfer to the Fund’s custodian or sub-custodian eligible securities or cash with a market value (after transaction costs) at least equal to the repurchase price to be paid under the repurchase agreement. The eligible securities are transferred to accounts with the custodian or sub-custodian in which the Fund holds a “securities entitlement” and exercises “control” as those terms are defined in the Uniform Commercial Code. The Fund has established procedures for monitoring the market value of the transferred securities and requiring the transfer of additional eligible securities if necessary to equal at least the repurchase price. These procedures also allow the other party to require securities to be transferred from the account to the extent that their market value exceeds the repurchase price or in exchange for other eligible securities of equivalent market value.
Annual Shareholder Report
40

The insolvency of the other party or other failure to repurchase the securities may delay the disposition of the underlying securities or cause the Fund to receive less than the full repurchase price. Under the terms of the repurchase agreement, any amounts received by the Fund in excess of the repurchase price and related transaction costs must be remitted to the other party.
The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements in which eligible securities are transferred into joint trading accounts maintained by the custodian or sub-custodian for investment companies and other clients advised by the Fund’s Adviser and its affiliates. The Fund will participate on a pro rata basis with the other investment companies and clients in its share of the securities transferred under such repurchase agreements and in its share of proceeds from any repurchase or other disposition of such securities.
Investment Income, Gains and Losses, Expenses and Distributions
Investment transactions are accounted for on a trade-date basis. Realized gains and losses from investment transactions are recorded on an identified-cost basis. Interest income and expenses are accrued daily. Dividend income and distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Foreign dividends are recorded on the ex-dividend date or when the Fund is informed of the ex-dividend date. Amortization/accretion of premium and discount is included in investment income. Gains and losses realized on principal payment of mortgage-backed securities (paydown gains and losses) are classified as part of investment income. Positive or negative inflation adjustments on Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities are included in interest income. Distributions of net investment income, if any, are declared and paid annually. Non-cash dividends included in dividend income, if any, are recorded at fair value. Investment income, realized and unrealized gains and losses, and certain fund-level expenses are allocated to each class based on relative average daily net assets, except that select classes will bear certain expenses unique to those classes. The detail of the total fund expense waiver and reimbursement of $72,051 is disclosed in various locations in this Note 2 and Note 5. Dividends are declared separately for each class. No class has preferential dividend rights; differences in per share dividend rates are generally due to differences in separate class expenses.
Transfer Agent Fees
For the year ended July 31, 2023, transfer agent fees for the Fund were as follows:
 
Transfer Agent
Fees Incurred
Transfer Agent
Fees Reimbursed
Class A Shares
$115,527
$(31,322)
Class C Shares
12,696
(460)
Institutional Shares
67,669
(23,591)
Class R6 Shares
1,061
TOTAL
$196,953
$(55,373)
Annual Shareholder Report
41

Other Service Fees
The Fund may pay other service fees up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Fund’s Class A Shares and Class C Shares to financial intermediaries or to Federated Shareholder Services Company (FSSC) for providing services to shareholders and maintaining shareholder accounts. Subject to the terms described in the Expense Limitation note, FSSC may voluntarily reimburse the Fund for other service fees.
For the year ended July 31, 2023, other service fees for the Fund were as follows:
 
Other Service
Fees Incurred
Class A Shares
$270,091
Class C Shares
30,558
TOTAL
$300,649
Federal Taxes
It is the Fund’s policy to comply with the Subchapter M provision of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and to distribute to shareholders each year substantially all of its income. Accordingly, no provision for federal income tax is necessary. As of and during the year ended July 31, 2023, the Fund did not have a liability for any uncertain tax positions. The Fund recognizes interest and penalties, if any, related to tax liabilities as income tax expense in the Statement of Operations. As of July 31, 2023, tax years 2020 through 2023 remain subject to examination by the Fund’s major tax jurisdictions, which include the United States of America and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The Fund may be subject to taxes imposed by governments of countries in which it invests. Such taxes are generally based on either income or gains earned or repatriated. The Fund accrues and applies such taxes to net investment income, net realized gains and net unrealized gains as income and/or gains are earned.
When-Issued and Delayed-Delivery Transactions
The Fund may engage in when-issued or delayed-delivery transactions. The Fund records when-issued securities on the trade date and maintains security positions such that sufficient liquid assets will be available to make payment for the securities purchased. Securities purchased on a when-issued or delayed-delivery basis are marked to market daily and begin earning interest on the settlement date. Losses may occur on these transactions due to changes in market conditions or the failure of counterparties to perform under the contract.
Futures Contracts
The Fund purchases and sells financial futures contracts to seek to increase return and to manage currency, duration, market, sector/asset class and yield curve risks. Upon entering into a financial futures contract with a broker, the Fund is required to deposit with a broker, either U.S. government securities or a specified amount of cash, which is shown as due from broker in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Futures contracts are valued daily and unrealized gains or losses are recorded in a “variation margin” account. The Fund receives from or pays to the broker a specified amount of cash based upon changes in the variation margin account. When a contract is closed, the Fund recognizes a realized gain or loss. Futures contracts have market risks, including the risk that the change in the value of the contract may not correlate with the changes in the
Annual Shareholder Report
42

value of the underlying securities. There is minimal counterparty risk to the Fund since futures contracts are exchange traded and the exchange’s clearinghouse, as counterparty to all exchange traded futures contracts, guarantees the futures contracts against default.
Futures contracts outstanding at period end are listed after the Fund’s Portfolio of Investments.
The average notional value of long and short futures contracts held by the Fund throughout the period was $12,042,570 and $2,911,166, respectively. This is based on amounts held as of each month-end throughout the fiscal period.
Foreign Currency Translation
The accounting records of the Fund are maintained in U.S. dollars. All assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars based on the rates of exchange of such currencies against U.S. dollars on the date of valuation. Purchases and sales of securities, income and expenses are translated at the rate of exchange quoted on the respective date that such transactions are recorded. The Fund does not isolate that portion of the results of operations resulting from changes in foreign exchange rates on investments from the fluctuations arising from changes in market prices of securities held. Such fluctuations are included with the net realized and unrealized gain or loss from investments.
Reported net realized foreign exchange gains or losses arise from sales of foreign currencies, currency gains or losses realized between the trade and settlement dates on securities transactions, the difference between the amounts of dividends, interest and foreign withholding taxes recorded on the Fund’s books, and the U.S. dollar equivalent of the amounts actually received or paid. Net unrealized foreign exchange gains and losses arise from changes in the value of assets and liabilities other than investments in securities at fiscal year end, resulting from changes in the exchange rate.
Securities Lending
The Fund participates in a securities lending program providing for the lending of equity securities to qualified brokers. The term of the loans within the program is one year or less. The Fund normally receives cash collateral for securities loaned that may be invested in affiliated money market funds, other money market instruments and/or repurchase agreements. Investments in money market funds may include funds with a “floating” NAV that can impose redemption fees and liquidity gates, impose certain operational impediments to investing cash collateral, and, if the investee fund’s NAV decreases, result in the Fund recognizing losses and being required to cover the decrease in the value of the cash collateral. Collateral is maintained at a minimum level of 100% of the market value of investments loaned, plus interest, if applicable. In accordance with the Fund’s securities lending agreement, the market value of securities on loan is determined each day at the close of business and any additional collateral required to cover the value of securities on loan is delivered to the Fund on the next business day. Earnings from collateral invested in affiliated holdings as presented parenthetically on the Statement of Operations do not reflect fees and rebates and are allocated between the borrower of the security, the securities lending agent, as a fee for its services under the program and the Fund, according to agreed-upon rates. The Fund will not have the right to vote on securities while they are on loan. However, the Fund
Annual Shareholder Report
43

will attempt to terminate a loan in an effort to reacquire the securities in time to vote on matters that are deemed to be material by the Adviser. There can be no assurance that the Fund will have sufficient notice of such matters to be able to terminate the loan in time to vote thereon.
Securities lending transactions are subject to Master Netting Agreements which are agreements between the Fund and its counterparties that provide for the net settlement of all transactions and collateral with the Fund, through a single payment, in the event of default or termination. Amounts presented on the Portfolio of Investments and Statement of Assets and Liabilities are not net settlement amounts but gross. The chart below identifies the amount of collateral received as well as the market value of securities on loan. Additionally, the securities lending agreement executed by the Fund includes an indemnification clause. This clause stipulates that the borrower will reimburse the Fund for any losses as a result of any failure of the borrower to return equivalent securities to the Fund.
As of July 31, 2023, securities subject to this type of arrangement and related collateral were as follows:
Fair Value of
Securities Loaned
Collateral
Received
$406,316
$404,597
Restricted Securities
The Fund may purchase securities which are considered restricted. Restricted securities are securities that either: (a) cannot be offered for public sale without first being registered, or being able to take advantage of an exemption from registration, under the Securities Act of 1933; or (b) are subject to contractual restrictions on public sales. In some cases, when a security cannot be offered for public sale without first being registered, the issuer of the restricted security has agreed to register such securities for resale, at the issuer’s expense, either upon demand by the Fund or in connection with another registered offering of the securities. Many such restricted securities may be resold in the secondary market in transactions exempt from registration. Restricted securities may be determined to be liquid under criteria established by the Trustees. The Fund will not incur any registration costs upon such resales. The Fund’s restricted securities, like other securities, are priced in accordance with procedures established by and under the general supervision of the Adviser.
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44

Additional Disclosure Related to Derivative Instruments
Fair Value of Derivative Instruments
 
Assets
 
Statement of
Assets and
Liabilities
Location
Fair
Value
Derivatives not accounted for as hedging
instruments under ASC Topic 815
 
 
Interest rate contracts
Receivable for variation margin on
futures contracts
$(148,424)*
*
Includes cumulative net depreciation of futures contracts as reported in the footnotes to the
Portfolio of Investments. Only the current day’s variation margin is reported within the Statement
of Assets and Liabilities.
The Effect of Derivative Instruments on the Statement of Operations for the Year Ended July 31, 2023
Amount of Realized Gain or (Loss) on Derivatives Recognized in Income
 
Futures
Contracts
Interest rate contracts
$(489,711)
Change in Unrealized Appreciation or (Depreciation) on Derivatives Recognized in Income
 
Futures
Contracts
Interest rate contracts
$(142,706)
Other
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts of assets, liabilities, expenses and revenues reported in the financial statements. Actual results could differ materially from those estimated. The Fund applies investment company accounting and reporting guidance.
3. SHARES OF BENEFICIAL INTEREST
The following tables summarize share activity:
 
Year Ended
7/31/2023
Year Ended
7/31/2022
Class A Shares:
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares sold
749,068
$13,965,347
857,601
$18,515,772
Shares issued to shareholders in payment of
distributions declared
364,911
6,649,533
521,906
11,255,032
Shares redeemed
(1,064,941)
(19,945,102)
(882,053)
(18,462,673)
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM CLASS A
SHARE TRANSACTIONS
49,038
$669,778
497,454
$11,308,131
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45

 
Year Ended
7/31/2023
Year Ended
7/31/2022
Class C Shares:
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares sold
111,329
$2,045,388
109,522
$2,394,823
Shares issued to shareholders in payment of
distributions declared
39,420
701,784
69,335
1,460,199
Shares redeemed
(230,468)
(4,232,820)
(217,756)
(4,550,083)
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM CLASS C
SHARE TRANSACTIONS
(79,719)
$(1,485,648)
(38,899)
$(695,061)
 
Year Ended
7/31/2023
Year Ended
7/31/2022
Institutional Shares:
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares sold
1,170,072
$21,950,726
471,410
$10,255,976
Shares issued to shareholders in payment of
distributions declared
228,391
4,184,790
324,794
7,045,867
Shares redeemed
(1,171,973)
(21,958,960)
(661,677)
(13,914,894)
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM INSTITUTIONAL
SHARE TRANSACTIONS
226,490
$4,176,556
134,527
$3,386,949
 
Year Ended
7/31/2023
Year Ended
7/31/2022
Class R6 Shares:
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares sold
67,256
$1,260,424
68,781
$1,487,562
Shares issued to shareholders in payment of
distributions declared
7,809
142,721
10,056
217,766
Shares redeemed
(56,135)
(1,046,990)
(41,430)
(854,842)
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM CLASS R6
SHARE TRANSACTIONS
18,930
$356,155
37,407
$850,486
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM TOTAL FUND
SHARE TRANSACTIONS
214,739
$3,716,841
630,489
$14,850,505
4. FEDERAL TAX INFORMATION
The accounting treatment of certain items in accordance with income tax regulations may differ from the accounting treatment in accordance with GAAP which may result in permanent differences. In the case of the Fund, such differences primarily result from fair fund litigation payments and undistributed capital gains tax refund adjustments.
For the year ended July 31, 2023, permanent differences identified and reclassified among the components of net assets were as follows:
Increase (Decrease)
Paid-In Capital
Total Distributable
Earnings (Loss)
$(7,321)
$7,321
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46

The tax character of distributions as reported on the Statement of Changes in Net Assets for the years ended July 31, 2023 and 2022, was as follows:
 
2023
2022
Ordinary income1
$1,051,454
$9,557,979
Long-term capital gains
$11,036,352
$11,227,087
1
For tax purposes, short-term capital gain distributions are considered ordinary
income distributions.
As of July 31, 2023, the components of distributable earnings on a tax-basis were as follows:
Undistributed ordinary income
$1,902,687
Net unrealized appreciation
$12,994,085
Capital loss carryforwards and deferrals
$(1,186,623)
Other temporary differences
$(81)
TOTAL
$13,710,068
At July 31, 2023, the cost of investments for federal tax purposes was $186,750,556. The net unrealized appreciation of investments for federal tax purposes was $12,994,085. This consists of unrealized appreciation from investments for those securities having an excess of value over cost of $21,167,907 and unrealized depreciation from investments for those securities having an excess of cost over value of $8,173,822. The amounts presented are inclusive of derivative contracts. The difference between book-basis and tax-basis net unrealized appreciation is attributable to differing treatments for the deferral of losses on wash sales and mark to market of futures contracts.
Under current tax rules, capital losses on securities transactions realized after October 31 may be deferred, in whole or in part, and treated as occurring on the first day of the following fiscal year. As of July 31, 2023, for federal income tax purposes, post-October losses of $1,186,623 were deferred to August 1, 2023.
5. INVESTMENT ADVISER FEE AND OTHER TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES
Investment Adviser Fee
The advisory agreement between the Fund and the Adviser provides for an annual fee equal to 0.75% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Subject to the terms described in the Expense Limitation note, the Adviser may voluntarily choose to waive any portion of its fee and/or reimburse certain operating expenses of the Fund for competitive reasons such as to maintain the Fund’s expense ratio, or as and when appropriate, to maintain positive or zero net yields. For the year ended July 31, 2023, the Adviser voluntarily waived $122 of its fee and voluntarily reimbursed $55,373 of transfer agent fees.
The Adviser has agreed to reimburse the Fund for certain investment adviser fees as a result of transactions in other affiliated investment companies. For the year ended July 31, 2023, the Adviser reimbursed $16,556.
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47

Certain of the Fund’s assets are managed by Federated Investment Management Company (the “Sub-Adviser”). Under the terms of a sub-advisory agreement between the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser, the Sub-Adviser receives an allocable portion of the Fund’s adviser fee. The fee is paid by the Adviser out of its resources and is not an incremental Fund expense. For the year ended July 31, 2023, the Sub-Adviser earned a fee of $203,431.
Administrative Fee
Federated Administrative Services (FAS), under the Administrative Services Agreement, provides the Fund with administrative personnel and services. For purposes of determining the appropriate rate breakpoint, “Investment Complex” is defined as all of the Federated Hermes Funds subject to a fee under the Administrative Services Agreement. The fee paid to FAS is based on the average daily net assets of the Investment Complex as specified below:
Administrative Fee
Average Daily Net Assets
of the Investment Complex
0.100%
on assets up to $50 billion
0.075%
on assets over $50 billion
Subject to the terms described in the Expense Limitation note, FAS may voluntarily choose to waive any portion of its fee. For the year ended July 31, 2023, the annualized fee paid to FAS was 0.081% of average daily net assets of the Fund.
In addition, FAS may charge certain out-of-pocket expenses to the Fund.
Distribution Services Fee
The Fund has adopted a Distribution Plan (the “Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Act. Under the terms of the Plan, the Fund will compensate Federated Securities Corp. (FSC), the principal distributor, from the daily net assets of the Fund’s Class A Shares and Class C Shares to finance activities intended to result in the sale of these shares. The Plan provides that the Fund may incur distribution expenses at the following percentages of average daily net assets annually, to compensate FSC:
 
Percentage of Average Daily
Net Assets of Class
Class A Shares
0.05%
Class C Shares
0.75%
Subject to the terms described in the Expense Limitation note, FSC may voluntarily choose to waive any portion of its fee. For the year ended July 31, 2023, distribution services fees for the Fund were as follows:
 
Distribution Services
Fees Incurred
Class C Shares
$91,890
When FSC receives fees, it may pay some or all of them to financial intermediaries whose customers purchase shares.
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48

For the year ended July 31, 2023, FSC retained $7,866 of fees paid by the Fund. For the year ended July 31, 2023, the Fund’s Class A Shares did not incur a distribution services fee; however, it may begin to incur this fee upon approval of the Trustees.
Sales Charges
Front-end sales charges and contingent deferred sales charges (CDSC) do not represent expenses of the Fund. They are deducted from the proceeds of sales of Fund shares prior to investment or from redemption proceeds prior to remittance, as applicable. For the year ended July 31, 2023, FSC retained $24,613 in sales charges from the sale of Class A Shares. FSC also retained $197 of CDSC relating to redemptions of Class A Shares and $1,125 relating to redemptions of Class C Shares, respectively.
Other Service Fees
For the year ended July 31, 2023, FSSC received $16,343 of the other service fees disclosed in Note 2.
Expense Limitation
The Adviser and certain of its affiliates (which may include FSC, FAS and FSSC) on their own initiative have agreed to waive certain amounts of their respective fees and/or reimburse expenses. Total annual fund operating expenses (as shown in the financial highlights, excluding interest expense, extraordinary expenses and proxy-related expenses paid by the Fund, if any) paid by the Fund’s Class A Shares, Class C Shares, Institutional Shares and Class R6 Shares (after the voluntary waivers and/or reimbursements) will not exceed 1.31%, 2.10%, 1.06% and 1.05% (the “Fee Limit”), respectively, up to but not including the later of (the “Termination Date”): (a) October 1, 2024; or (b) the date of the Fund’s next effective Prospectus. While the Adviser and its applicable affiliates currently do not anticipate terminating or increasing these arrangements prior to the Termination Date, these arrangements may only be terminated or the Fee Limit increased prior to the Termination Date with the agreement of the Trustees.
Directors’/Trustees’ and Miscellaneous Fees
Certain Officers and Trustees of the Fund are Officers and Directors or Trustees of certain of the above companies. To efficiently facilitate payment, Independent Directors’/Trustees’ fees and certain expenses related to conducting meetings of the Directors/Trustees and other miscellaneous expenses are paid by an affiliate of the Adviser which in due course are reimbursed by the Fund. These expenses related to conducting meetings of the Directors/Trustees and other miscellaneous expenses may be included in Accrued and Miscellaneous Expenses on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Statement of Operations, respectively.
6. INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS
Purchases and sales of investments, excluding long-term U.S. government securities and short-term obligations, for the year ended July 31, 2023, were as follows:
Purchases
$180,834,307
Sales
$162,557,314
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49

7. CONCENTRATION OF RISK
The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in securities of companies that are deemed by the Fund’s management to be classified in similar business sectors. Economic developments may have an effect on the liquidity and volatility of the portfolio securities.
8. LINE OF CREDIT
The Fund participates with certain other Federated Hermes Funds, on a several basis, in an up to $500,000,000 unsecured, 364-day, committed, revolving line of credit (LOC) agreement dated June 21, 2023. The LOC was made available to temporarily finance the repurchase or redemption of shares of the Fund, failed trades, payment of dividends, settlement of trades and for other short-term, temporary or emergency general business purposes. The Fund cannot borrow under the LOC if an inter-fund loan is outstanding. The Fund’s ability to borrow under the LOC also is subject to the limitations of the Act and various conditions precedent that must be satisfied before the Fund can borrow. Loans under the LOC are charged interest at a fluctuating rate per annum equal to (a) the highest, on any day, of (i) the federal funds effective rate, (ii) the published secured overnight financing rate plus an assigned percentage, and (iii) 0.0%, plus (b) a margin. Any fund eligible to borrow under the LOC pays its pro rata share of a commitment fee based on the amount of the lenders’ commitment that has not been utilized, quarterly in arrears and at maturity. As of July 31, 2023, the Fund had no outstanding loans. During the year ended July 31, 2023, the Fund did not utilize the LOC.
9. INTERFUND LENDING
Pursuant to an Exemptive Order issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Fund, along with other funds advised by subsidiaries of Federated Hermes, Inc., may participate in an interfund lending program. This program provides an alternative credit facility allowing the Fund to borrow from other participating affiliated funds. As of July 31, 2023, there were no outstanding loans. During the year ended July 31, 2023, the program was not utilized.
10. INDEMNIFICATIONS
Under the Fund’s organizational documents, its Officers and Directors/Trustees are indemnified against certain liabilities arising out of the performance of their duties to the Fund (other than liabilities arising out of their willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of their duties to the Fund). In addition, in the normal course of business, the Fund provides certain indemnifications under arrangements with third parties. Typically, obligations to indemnify a third party arise in the context of an arrangement entered into by the Fund under which the Fund agrees to indemnify such third party for certain liabilities arising out of actions taken pursuant to the arrangement, provided the third party’s actions are not deemed to have breached an agreed-upon standard of care (such as willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of their duties under the contract). The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Fund that have not yet arisen. The Fund does not anticipate any material claims or losses pursuant to these arrangements at this time, and accordingly expects the risk of loss to be remote.
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11. OTHER MATTERS
An outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus was first detected in China in late 2019 and subsequently spread globally. As of the date of the issuance of these financial statements, this coronavirus has resulted in, and may continue to result in, closed borders, enhanced health screenings, disruptions to healthcare service preparation and delivery, quarantines, cancellations, and disruptions to supply chains, workflow operations and consumer activity, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The impact of this coronavirus has resulted in substantial economic volatility. Health crises caused by outbreaks, such as the coronavirus outbreak, may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks. The impact of this outbreak, and other epidemics and pandemics that may arise in the future, could continue to negatively affect the worldwide economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, individual companies (including certain Fund service providers and issuers of the Fund’s investments) and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. In addition, governments, their regulatory agencies, or self-regulatory organizations may take actions in response to the pandemic, including significant fiscal and monetary policy changes, that may affect the instruments in which the Fund invests or the issuers of such investments. Any such impact could adversely affect the Fund’s performance.
12. Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In December 2022, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2022-06 “Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848)”. ASU No. 2022-06 updates and clarifies ASU No. 2020-04, which provides optional, temporary relief with respect to the financial reporting of contracts subject to certain types of modifications due to the planned discontinuation of LIBOR and other interbank-offered reference rates. The temporary relief provided by ASU No. 2022-06 is effective immediately for certain reference rate-related contract modifications that occur through December 31, 2024. Management does not expect ASU No. 2022-06 to have a material impact on the financial statements.
13. FEDERAL TAX INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)
For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2023, 44.92% of total ordinary income distributions made by the Fund are qualifying dividends which may be subject to a maximum tax rate of 15%, as provided for by the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Act of 2003. Complete information is reported in conjunction with the reporting of your distributions on Form 1099-DIV.
Of the ordinary income (including short-term capital gain) distributions made by the Fund during the year ended July 31, 2023, 40.99% qualify for the dividend received deduction available to corporate shareholders.
For the year ended July 31, 2023, the amount of long-term capital gains designated by the Fund was $11,036,352.
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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF FEDERATED HERMES MDT SERIES AND SHAREHOLDERS OF FEDERATED HERMES MDT BALANCED FUND:Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities of Federated Hermes MDT Balanced Fund (the “Fund”) (one of the portfolios constituting Federated Hermes MDT Series (the “Trust”)), including the portfolio of investments, as of July 31, 2023, and the related statement of operations for the year then ended, the statement of changes in net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended, the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Fund (one of the portfolios constituting Federated Hermes MDT Series), at July 31, 2023, the results of its operations for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended and its financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Trust’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Fund’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Trust in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Trust is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of the Trust’s internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Trust’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
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Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of July 31, 2023, by correspondence with the custodian, brokers, and others; when replies were not received from brokers or others, we performed other auditing procedures. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
We have served as the auditor of one or more Federated Hermes investment companies since 1979.
Boston, Massachusetts
September 25, 2023
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Shareholder Expense Example (unaudited)
As a shareholder of the Fund, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads) on purchase or redemption payments; and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees and to the extent applicable, distribution (12b-1) fees and/or other service fees and other Fund expenses. This Example is intended to help you to understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds. It is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period from February 1, 2023 to July 31, 2023.
ACTUAL EXPENSES
The first section of the table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this section, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you incurred over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first section under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses attributable to your investment during this period.
HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLE FOR COMPARISON PURPOSES
The second section of the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. Thus, you should not use the hypothetical account values and expenses to estimate the actual ending account balance or your expenses for the period. Rather, these figures are required to be provided to enable you to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund with other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.
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Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transaction costs, such as sales charges (loads) on purchase or redemption payments. Therefore, the second section of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transaction costs were included, your costs would have been higher.
 
Beginning
Account Value
2/1/2023
Ending
Account Value
7/31/2023
Expenses Paid
During Period1
Actual:
 
 
 
Class A Shares
$1,000
$1,029.00
$6.59
Class C Shares
$1,000
$1,024.80
$10.54
Institutional Shares
$1,000
$1,030.50
$5.34
Class R6 Shares
$1,000
$1,030.60
$5.24
Hypothetical (assuming a 5% return
before expenses):
 
 
 
Class A Shares
$1,000
$1,018.30
$6.56
Class C Shares
$1,000
$1,014.38
$10.49
Institutional Shares
$1,000
$1,019.54
$5.31
Class R6 Shares
$1,000
$1,019.64
$5.21
1
Expenses are equal to the Fund’s annualized net expense ratios, multiplied by the average
account value over the period, multiplied by 181/365 (to reflect the one-half-year period). The
annualized net expense ratios are as follows:
Class A Shares
1.31%
Class C Shares
2.10%
Institutional Shares
1.06%
Class R6 Shares
1.04%
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55

Board of Trustees and Trust Officers
The Board of Trustees is responsible for managing the Trust’s business affairs and for exercising all the Trust’s powers except those reserved for the shareholders. The following tables give information about each Trustee and the senior officers of the Fund. Where required, the tables separately list Trustees who are “interested persons” of the Fund (i.e., “Interested” Trustees) and those who are not (i.e., “Independent” Trustees). Unless otherwise noted, the address of each person listed is 1001 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779. The address of all Independent Trustees listed is 4000 Ericsson Drive, Warrendale, PA 15086-7561; Attention: Mutual Fund Board. As of December 31, 2022, the Trust comprised five portfolio(s), and the Federated Hermes Fund Family consisted of 33 investment companies (comprising 102 portfolios). Unless otherwise noted, each Officer is elected annually. Unless otherwise noted, each Trustee oversees all portfolios in the Federated Hermes Fund Family and serves for an indefinite term. The Fund’s Statement of Additional Information includes additional information about Trust Trustees and is available, without charge and upon request, by calling 1-800-341-7400, Option #4.
Interested TRUSTEES Background
Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held and Previous Position(s)
J. Christopher Donahue*
Birth Date: April 11, 1949
President and Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: May 2006
Principal Occupations: Principal Executive Officer and President of
certain of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Fund Family; Director or
Trustee of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Fund Family; President,
Chief Executive Officer and Director, Federated Hermes, Inc.;
Chairman and Trustee, Federated Investment Management Company;
Trustee, Federated Investment Counseling; Chairman and Director,
Federated Global Investment Management Corp.; Chairman and
Trustee, Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania;
Trustee, Federated Shareholder Services Company; Director,
Federated Services Company.
Previous Positions: President, Federated Investment Counseling;
President and Chief Executive Officer, Federated Investment
Management Company, Federated Global Investment Management
Corp. and Passport Research, Ltd; Chairman, Passport Research, Ltd.
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Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held and Previous Position(s)
John B. Fisher*
Birth Date: May 16, 1956
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: May 2016
Principal Occupations: Principal Executive Officer and President of
certain of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Fund Family; Director or
Trustee of certain of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Fund Family;
Director and Vice President, Federated Hermes, Inc.; President,
Director/Trustee and CEO, Federated Advisory Services Company,
Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania, Federated
Global Investment Management Corp., Federated Investment
Counseling, Federated Investment Management Company, and
Federated MDTA LLC; Director, Federated Investors Trust Company.
Previous Positions: President and Director of the Institutional Sales
Division of Federated Securities Corp.; President and CEO of Passport
Research, Ltd.; Director and President, Technology, Federated
Services Company.
*
Reasons for “interested” status: J. Christopher Donahue and John B. Fisher are interested due to their beneficial ownership of shares of Federated Hermes, Inc. and due to positions they hold with Federated Hermes, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES Background
Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
John T. Collins
Birth Date: January 24, 1947
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: October 2013
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee, and Chair of the Board
of Directors or Trustees, of the Federated Hermes Fund Family;
formerly, Chairman and CEO, The Collins Group, Inc. (a private equity
firm) (Retired).
Other Directorships Held: Director, KLX Energy Services Holdings,
Inc. (oilfield services); former Director of KLX Corp. (aerospace).
Qualifications: Mr. Collins has served in several business and financial
management roles and directorship positions throughout his career.
Mr. Collins previously served as Chairman and CEO of The Collins
Group, Inc. (a private equity firm) and as a Director of KLX Corp.
Mr. Collins serves as Chairman Emeriti, Bentley University. Mr. Collins
previously served as Director and Audit Committee Member, Bank of
America Corp.; Director, FleetBoston Financial Corp.; and Director,
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Harvard University
Affiliate Hospital).
Annual Shareholder Report
57

Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
G. Thomas Hough
Birth Date: February 28, 1955
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: August 2015
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee, Chair of the Audit
Committee of the Federated Hermes Fund Family; formerly, Vice
Chair, Ernst & Young LLP (public accounting firm) (Retired).
Other Directorships Held: Director, Chair of the Audit Committee,
Equifax, Inc.; Lead Director, Member of the Audit and Nominating and
Corporate Governance Committees, Haverty Furniture Companies,
Inc.; formerly, Director, Member of Governance and Compensation
Committees, Publix Super Markets, Inc.
Qualifications: Mr. Hough has served in accounting, business
management and directorship positions throughout his career.
Mr. Hough most recently held the position of Americas Vice Chair of
Assurance with Ernst & Young LLP (public accounting firm). Mr. Hough
serves on the President’s Cabinet and Business School Board of
Visitors for the University of Alabama. Mr. Hough previously served on
the Business School Board of Visitors for Wake Forest University, and
he previously served as an Executive Committee member of the
United States Golf Association.
Maureen Lally-Green
Birth Date: July 5, 1949
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: August 2009
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Fund Family; Adjunct Professor Emerita of Law, Duquesne University
School of Law; formerly, Dean of the Duquesne University School of
Law and Professor of Law and Interim Dean of the Duquesne
University School of Law; formerly, Associate General Secretary and
Director, Office of Church Relations, Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Other Directorships Held: Director, CNX Resources Corporation
(natural gas).
Qualifications: Judge Lally-Green has served in various legal and
business roles and directorship positions throughout her career. Judge
Lally-Green previously held the position of Dean of the School of Law
of Duquesne University (as well as Interim Dean). Judge Lally-Green
previously served as Associate General Secretary of the Diocese of
Pittsburgh, a member of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania and as a
Professor of Law, Duquesne University School of Law. Judge Lally-
Green was appointed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to serve
on the Supreme Court’s Board of Continuing Judicial Education and
the Supreme Court’s Appellate Court Procedural Rules Committee.
Judge Lally-Green also currently holds the positions on not for profit
or for profit boards of directors as follows: Director and Chair, UPMC
Mercy Hospital; Regent, Saint Vincent Seminary; Member,
Pennsylvania State Board of Education (public); Director, Catholic
Charities, Pittsburgh; and Director CNX Resources Corporation
(natural gas). Judge Lally-Green has held the positions of: Director,
Auberle; Director, Epilepsy Foundation of Western and Central
Pennsylvania; Director, Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh; Director, Saint
Thomas More Society; Director and Chair, Catholic High Schools of
the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Inc.; Director, Pennsylvania Bar Institute;
Director, St. Vincent College; Director and Chair, North Catholic High
School, Inc.; Director and Vice Chair, Our Campaign for the Church
Alive!, Inc.; and Director and Vice Chair, Saint Francis University.
Annual Shareholder Report
58

Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
Thomas M. O’Neill
Birth Date: June 14, 1951
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: August 2006
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Fund Family; Sole Proprietor, Navigator Management Company
(investment and strategic consulting).
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Mr. O’Neill has served in several business, mutual fund
and financial management roles and directorship positions throughout
his career. Mr. O’Neill serves as Director, Medicines for Humanity.
Mr. O’Neill previously served as Chief Executive Officer and President,
Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer, Fleet Investment
Advisors; President and Chief Executive Officer, Aeltus Investment
Management, Inc.; General Partner, Hellman, Jordan Management
Co., Boston, MA; Chief Investment Officer, The Putnam Companies,
Boston, MA; Credit Analyst and Lending Officer, Fleet Bank; Director
and Consultant, EZE Castle Software (investment order management
software); Director, Midway Pacific (lumber); and Director, The
Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples, Florida.
Madelyn A. Reilly
Birth Date: February 2, 1956
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving:
November 2020
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Fund Family; formerly, Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs,
General Counsel and Secretary of Board of Directors, Duquesne
University (Retired).
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Ms. Reilly has served in various business and legal
management roles throughout her career. Ms. Reilly previously served
as Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs, General Counsel and
Secretary of Board of Directors and Director of Risk Management and
Associate General Counsel, Duquesne University. Prior to her work at
Duquesne University, Ms. Reilly served as Assistant General Counsel
of Compliance and Enterprise Risk as well as Senior Counsel of
Environment, Health and Safety, PPG Industries. Ms. Reilly currently
serves as a member of the Board of Directors of UPMC
Mercy Hospital.
Annual Shareholder Report
59

Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
P. Jerome Richey
Birth Date: February 23, 1949
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: October 2013
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Fund Family; Retired; formerly, Senior Vice Chancellor and Chief Legal
Officer, University of Pittsburgh and Executive Vice President and
Chief Legal Officer, CONSOL Energy Inc. (now split into two separate
publicly traded companies known as CONSOL Energy Inc. and CNX
Resources Corp.).
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Mr. Richey has served in several business and legal
management roles and directorship positions throughout his career.
Mr. Richey most recently held the positions of Senior Vice Chancellor
and Chief Legal Officer, University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Richey previously
served as Chairman of the Board, Epilepsy Foundation of Western
Pennsylvania and Chairman of the Board, World Affairs Council of
Pittsburgh. Mr. Richey previously served as Chief Legal Officer and
Executive Vice President, CONSOL Energy Inc. and CNX Gas
Company; and Board Member, Ethics Counsel and Shareholder,
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC (a law firm).
John S. Walsh
Birth Date:
November 28, 1957
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: June 2006
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Fund Family; President and Director, Heat Wagon, Inc. (manufacturer
of construction temporary heaters); President and Director,
Manufacturers Products, Inc. (distributor of portable construction
heaters); President, Portable Heater Parts, a division of Manufacturers
Products, Inc.
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Mr. Walsh has served in several business management
roles and directorship positions throughout his career. Mr. Walsh
previously served as Vice President, Walsh & Kelly, Inc.
(paving contractors).
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OFFICERS
Name
Birth Date
Address
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years
and Previous Position(s)
Lori A. Hensler
Birth Date: January 6, 1967
TREASURER
Officer since: April 2013
Principal Occupations: Principal Financial Officer and Treasurer of the
Federated Hermes Fund Family; Senior Vice President, Federated
Administrative Services; Financial and Operations Principal for
Federated Securities Corp.; and Assistant Treasurer, Federated
Investors Trust Company. Ms. Hensler has received the Certified
Public Accountant designation.
Previous Positions: Controller of Federated Hermes, Inc.; Senior Vice
President and Assistant Treasurer, Federated Investors Management
Company; Treasurer, Federated Investors Trust Company; Assistant
Treasurer, Federated Administrative Services, Federated
Administrative Services, Inc., Federated Securities Corp., Edgewood
Services, Inc., Federated Advisory Services Company, Federated
Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania, Federated Global
Investment Management Corp., Federated Investment Counseling,
Federated Investment Management Company, Passport Research,
Ltd., and Federated MDTA, LLC; Financial and Operations Principal for
Federated Securities Corp., Edgewood Services, Inc. and Southpointe
Distribution Services, Inc.
Peter J. Germain
Birth Date:
September 3, 1959
CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER,
SECRETARY and EXECUTIVE
VICE PRESIDENT
Officer since: June 2006
Principal Occupations: Mr. Germain is Chief Legal Officer, Secretary
and Executive Vice President of the Federated Hermes Fund Family.
He is General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer, Secretary and Executive
Vice President, Federated Hermes, Inc.; Trustee and Senior Vice
President, Federated Investors Management Company; Trustee and
President, Federated Administrative Services; Director and President,
Federated Administrative Services, Inc.; Director and Vice President,
Federated Securities Corp.; Director and Secretary, Federated Private
Asset Management, Inc.; Secretary, Federated Shareholder Services
Company; and Secretary, Retirement Plan Service Company of
America. Mr. Germain joined Federated Hermes, Inc. in 1984 and is a
member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.
Previous Positions: Deputy General Counsel, Special Counsel,
Managing Director of Mutual Fund Services, Federated Hermes, Inc.;
Senior Vice President, Federated Services Company; and Senior
Corporate Counsel, Federated Hermes, Inc.
Stephen Van Meter
Birth Date: June 5, 1975
CHIEF COMPLIANCE
OFFICER AND SENIOR VICE
PRESIDENT
Officer since: July 2015
Principal Occupations: Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance
Officer of the Federated Hermes Fund Family; Vice President and
Chief Compliance Officer of Federated Hermes, Inc. and Chief
Compliance Officer of certain of its subsidiaries. Mr. Van Meter joined
Federated Hermes, Inc. in October 2011. He holds FINRA licenses
under Series 3, 7, 24 and 66.
Previous Positions: Mr. Van Meter previously held the position of
Compliance Operating Officer, Federated Hermes, Inc. Prior to joining
Federated Hermes, Inc., Mr. Van Meter served at the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission in the positions of Senior
Counsel, Office of Chief Counsel, Division of Investment Management
and Senior Counsel, Division of Enforcement.
Annual Shareholder Report
61

Name
Birth Date
Address
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years
and Previous Position(s)
Stephen F. Auth
Birth Date:
September 13, 1956
101 Park Avenue
41st Floor
New York, NY 10178
CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER
Officer since: June 2012
Principal Occupations: Stephen F. Auth is Chief Investment Officer of
various Funds in the Federated Hermes Fund Family; Executive Vice
President, Federated Investment Counseling, Federated Global
Investment Management Corp. and Federated Equity Management
Company of Pennsylvania.
Previous Positions: Executive Vice President, Federated Investment
Management Company and Passport Research, Ltd. (investment
advisory subsidiary of Federated); Senior Vice President, Global
Portfolio Management Services Division; Senior Vice President,
Federated Investment Management Company and Passport
Research, Ltd.; Senior Managing Director and Portfolio Manager,
Prudential Investments.
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62

Evaluation and Approval of Advisory ContractMay 2023
Federated Hermes MDT Balanced Fund (the “Fund”)
At its meetings in May 2023 (the “May Meetings”), the Fund’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”), including those Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Fund, as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Independent Trustees”), reviewed and unanimously approved the continuation of the investment advisory contract between the Fund and Federated MDTA LLC (the “Adviser”) and the investment sub-advisory contract between the Adviser and Federated Investment Management Company (the “Sub-Adviser” and together with the Adviser, the “Advisers”) with respect to the Fund (together, the “Contracts”) for an additional one-year term. The Board’s determination to approve the continuation of the Contracts reflects the exercise of its business judgment after considering all of the information and factors believed to be relevant and appropriate on whether to approve the continuation of the existing arrangements. The information, factors and conclusions that formed the basis for the Board’s approval are summarized below.
Information Received and Review Process
At the request of the Independent Trustees, the Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer (the “CCO”) furnished to the Board in advance of its May Meetings an independent written evaluation of the Fund’s management fee (the “CCO Fee Evaluation Report”). The Board considered the CCO Fee Evaluation Report, along with other information, in evaluating the reasonableness of the Fund’s management fee and in determining to approve the continuation of the Contracts. The CCO, in preparing the CCO Fee Evaluation Report, has the authority to retain consultants, experts or staff as reasonably necessary to assist in the performance of his duties, reports directly to the Board, and can be terminated only with the approval of a majority of the Independent Trustees. At the request of the Independent Trustees, the CCO Fee Evaluation Report followed the same general approach and covered the same topics as that of the report that had previously been delivered by the CCO in his capacity as “Senior Officer” prior to the elimination of the Senior Officer position in December 2017.
In addition to the extensive materials that comprise and accompany the CCO Fee Evaluation Report, the Board considered information specifically prepared in connection with the approval of the continuation of the Contracts that was presented at the May Meetings. In this regard, in the months preceding the May Meetings, the Board requested and reviewed written responses and supporting materials prepared by the Advisers and their affiliates (collectively, “Federated Hermes”) in response to requests posed to Federated Hermes by independent legal counsel on behalf of the Independent Trustees encompassing a wide variety of topics, including those summarized below. The Board also considered such additional matters as the Independent Trustees deemed
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reasonably necessary to evaluate the Contracts, which included detailed information about the Fund and Federated Hermes furnished to the Board at its meetings throughout the year and in between regularly scheduled meetings on particular matters as the need arose.
The Board’s consideration of the Contracts included review of materials and information covering the following matters, among others: the nature, quality and extent of the advisory and other services provided to the Fund by Federated Hermes; Federated Hermes’ business and operations; the Advisers’ investment philosophy, personnel and processes; the Fund’s investment objectives and strategies; the Fund’s short-term and long-term performance (in absolute terms, both on a gross basis and net of expenses, and relative to the Fund’s particular investment program and a group of its peer funds and/or its benchmark, as appropriate); the Fund’s fees and expenses, including the advisory fee and the overall expense structure of the Fund (both in absolute terms and relative to a group of its peer funds), with due regard for contractual or voluntary expense limitations (if any); the financial condition of Federated Hermes; the Adviser’s profitability with respect to managing the Fund; distribution and sales activity for the Fund; and the use and allocation of brokerage commissions derived from trading the Fund’s portfolio securities (if any).
The Board also considered judicial decisions concerning allegedly excessive investment advisory fees charged to other registered funds in evaluating the Contracts. Using these judicial decisions as a guide, the Board observed that the following factors may be relevant to an adviser’s fiduciary duty with respect to its receipt of compensation from a fund: (1) the nature and quality of the services provided by the adviser to the fund and its shareholders, including the performance of the fund, its benchmark and comparable funds; (2) the adviser’s cost of providing the services and the profitability to the adviser of providing advisory services to the fund; (3) the extent to which the adviser may realize “economies of scale” as the fund grows larger and, if such economies of scale exist, whether they have been appropriately shared with the fund and its shareholders or the family of funds; (4) any “fall-out” benefits that accrue to the adviser because of its relationship with the fund, including research services received from brokers that execute fund trades and any fees paid to affiliates of the adviser for services rendered to the fund; (5) comparative fee and expense structures, including a comparison of management fees paid to the adviser with those paid by similar funds managed by the same adviser or other advisers as well as management fees charged to institutional and other advisory clients of the same adviser for what might be viewed as like services; and (6) the extent of care, conscientiousness and independence with which the fund’s board members perform their duties and their expertise, including whether they are fully informed about all facts the board deems relevant to its consideration of the adviser’s services and fees. The Board noted that the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) disclosure requirements
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regarding the basis for a fund board’s approval of the fund’s investment advisory contract generally align with the factors listed above. The Board was guided by these factors in its review of the Contracts to the extent it considered them to be appropriate and relevant, as discussed further below. The Board considered and weighed these factors in light of its substantial accumulated experience in governing the Fund and working with Federated Hermes on matters relating to the oversight of the other funds advised by Federated Hermes (each, a “Federated Hermes Fund” and, collectively, the “Federated Hermes Funds”).
In addition, the Board considered the preferences and expectations of Fund shareholders and the potential disruptions of the Fund’s operations and various risks, uncertainties and other effects that could occur as a result of a decision to terminate or not renew the Contracts. In particular, the Board recognized that many shareholders likely have invested in the Fund based on the strength of Federated Hermes’ industry standing and reputation and with the expectation that Federated Hermes will have a continuing role in providing advisory services to the Fund. Thus, the Board observed that there are a range of investment options available to the Fund’s shareholders and such shareholders in the marketplace, having had the opportunity to consider other investment options, have effectively selected Federated Hermes by virtue of investing in the Fund.
In determining to approve the continuation of the Contracts, the members of the Board reviewed and evaluated information and factors they believed to be relevant and appropriate through the exercise of their reasonable business judgment. While individual members of the Board may have weighed certain factors differently, the Board’s determination to approve the continuation of the Contracts was based on a comprehensive consideration of all information provided to the Board throughout the year and specifically with respect to the continuation of the Contracts. The Board recognized that its evaluation process is evolutionary and that the factors considered and emphasis placed on relevant factors may change in recognition of changing circumstances in the registered fund marketplace. The Independent Trustees were assisted throughout the evaluation process by independent legal counsel. In connection with their deliberations at the May Meetings, the Independent Trustees met separately in executive session with their independent legal counsel and without management present to review the relevant materials and consider their responsibilities under applicable laws. In addition, senior management representatives of Federated Hermes also met with the Independent Trustees and their independent legal counsel to discuss the materials and presentations furnished to the Board at the May Meetings. The Board considered the approval of the Contracts for the Fund as part of its consideration of agreements for funds across the family of Federated Hermes Funds, but its approvals were made on a fund-by-fund basis.
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Nature, Extent and Quality of Services
The Board considered the nature, extent and quality of the services provided to the Fund by the Advisers and the resources of Federated Hermes dedicated to the Fund. In this regard, the Board evaluated, among other things, the terms of the Contracts and the range of services provided to the Fund by Federated Hermes. The Board considered the Advisers’ personnel, investment philosophy and process, investment research capabilities and resources, trade operations capabilities, experience and performance track record. The Board reviewed the qualifications, backgrounds and responsibilities of the portfolio management team primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and Federated Hermes’ ability and experience in attracting and retaining qualified personnel to service the Fund. The Board considered the trading operations by the Advisers, including the execution of portfolio transactions and the selection of brokers for those transactions. The Board also considered the Advisers’ ability to deliver competitive investment performance for the Fund when compared to the Fund’s Performance Peer Group (as defined below), which was deemed by the Board to be a useful indicator of how the Advisers are executing the Fund’s investment program.
In addition, the Board considered the financial resources and overall reputation of Federated Hermes and its willingness to consider and make investments in personnel, infrastructure, technology, cybersecurity, business continuity planning and operational enhancements that are designed to benefit the Federated Hermes Funds. The Board noted that the significant acquisition of Hermes Fund Managers Limited by Federated Hermes has deepened Federated Hermes’ investment management expertise and capabilities and expanded its access to analytical resources related to environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) factors and issuer engagement on ESG matters. The Board considered Federated Hermes’ oversight of the securities lending program for the Federated Hermes Funds that engage in securities lending and noted the income earned by the Federated Hermes Funds that participate in such program. In addition, the Board considered the quality of Federated Hermes’ communications with the Board and responsiveness to Board inquiries and requests made from time to time with respect to the Federated Hermes Funds. The Board also considered that Federated Hermes is responsible for providing the Federated Hermes Funds’ officers.
The Board received and evaluated information regarding Federated Hermes’ regulatory and compliance environment. The Board considered Federated Hermes’ compliance program and compliance history and reports from the CCO about Federated Hermes’ compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including responses to regulatory developments and any compliance or other issues raised by regulatory agencies. The Board also noted Federated Hermes’ support of the Federated Hermes Funds’ compliance control structure and the compliance-related resources devoted by Federated Hermes in support of the Fund’s obligations pursuant to Rule 38a-1 under the
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Investment Company Act of 1940, including Federated Hermes’ commitment to respond to rulemaking and other regulatory initiatives of the SEC. The Board considered Federated Hermes’ approach to internal audits and risk management with respect to the Federated Hermes Funds and its day-to-day oversight of the Federated Hermes Funds’ compliance with their investment objectives and policies as well as with applicable laws and regulations, noting that regulatory and other developments had over time led, and continue to lead, to an increase in the scope of Federated Hermes’ oversight in this regard, including in connection with the implementation of new rules on derivatives risk management and fair valuation.
The Board also considered the implementation of Federated Hermes’ business continuity plans. In addition, the Board noted Federated Hermes’ commitment to maintaining high quality systems and expending substantial resources to prepare for and respond to ongoing changes due to the market, regulatory and control environments in which the Fund and its service providers operate.
The Board considered Federated Hermes’ efforts to provide shareholders in the Federated Hermes Funds with a comprehensive array of funds with different investment objectives, policies and strategies. The Board considered the expenses that Federated Hermes had incurred, as well as the entrepreneurial and other risks assumed by Federated Hermes, in sponsoring and providing on-going services to new funds to expand these opportunities for shareholders. The Board noted the benefits to shareholders of being part of the family of Federated Hermes Funds, which include the general right to exchange investments between the same class of shares without the incurrence of additional sales charges.
Based on these considerations, the Board concluded that it was satisfied with the nature, extent and quality of the services provided by the Advisers to the Fund.
Fund Investment Performance
The Board considered the investment performance of the Fund. In evaluating the Fund’s investment performance, the Board considered performance results in light of the Fund’s investment objective, strategies and risks. The Board considered detailed investment reports on, and the Advisers’ analysis of, the Fund’s performance over different time periods that were provided to the Board throughout the year and in connection with the May Meetings. These reports included, among other items, information on the Fund’s gross and net returns, the Fund’s investment performance compared to one or more relevant categories or groups of peer funds and the Fund’s benchmark index, performance attribution information and commentary on the effect of market conditions. The Board considered that, in its evaluation of investment performance at meetings throughout the year, it focused particular attention on information indicating less favorable performance of certain
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Federated Hermes Funds for specific time periods and discussed with Federated Hermes the reasons for such performance as well as any specific actions Federated Hermes had taken, or had agreed to take, to seek to enhance Fund investment performance and the results of those actions.
The Board also reviewed comparative information regarding the performance of other registered funds in the category of peer funds selected by Morningstar, Inc. (the “Morningstar”), an independent fund ranking organization (the “Performance Peer Group”). The Board noted the CCO’s view that comparisons to fund peer groups may be helpful, though not conclusive, in evaluating the performance of the Advisers in managing the Fund. The Board considered the CCO’s view that, in evaluating such comparisons, in some cases there may be differences in the funds’ objectives or investment management techniques, or the costs to implement the funds, even within the same Performance Peer Group. In this connection, the Board considered that the quantitative focus of the management of the Fund makes fee and expense comparisons particularly difficult as the funds in the Performance Peer Group varied widely in terms of the complexity of their management, and the management of the Fund is among the more complex relative to its Performance Peer Group. The Board also considered a report comparing the performance of the Fund solely to other funds with a quantitative focus in the Performance Peer Group.
The Board considered that for the one-year, three-year and five-year periods ended December 31, 2022, the Fund’s performance was above the median of the Performance Peer Group.
Based on these considerations, the Board concluded that it had continued confidence in the Advisers’ overall capabilities to manage the Fund.
Fund Expenses
The Board considered the advisory fee, sub-advisory fee, and overall expense structure of the Fund and the comparative fee and expense information that had been provided in connection with the May Meetings. In this regard, the Board was presented with, and considered, information regarding the contractual advisory fee rates, net advisory fee rates, total expense ratios and each element of the Fund’s total expense ratio (i.e., gross and net advisory fees, administrative fees, custody fees, portfolio accounting fees and transfer agency fees) relative to an appropriate group of peer funds compiled by Federated Hermes from the category of peer funds selected by Morningstar (the “Expense Peer Group”). The Board received a description of the methodology used to select the Expense Peer Group from the overall Morningstar category. The Board also reviewed comparative information regarding the fees and expenses of the broader group of funds in the overall Morningstar category.
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While mindful that courts have cautioned against giving too much weight to comparative information concerning fees charged to funds by other advisers, the use of comparisons between the Fund and its Expense Peer Group assisted the Board in its evaluation of the Fund’s fees and expenses. The Board focused on comparisons with other registered funds with comparable investment programs more heavily than non-registered fund products or services because such comparisons are believed to be more relevant. The Board considered that other registered funds are the products most like the Fund, in that they are readily available to Fund shareholders as alternative investment vehicles, and they are the type of investment vehicle, in fact, chosen and maintained by the Fund’s shareholders. The Board noted that the range of such other registered funds’ fees and expenses, therefore, appears to be a relevant indicator of what investors have found to be reasonable in the marketplace in which the Fund competes.
The Board reviewed the contractual advisory fee rate, net advisory fee rate and other expenses of the Fund and noted the position of the Fund’s fee rates relative to its Expense Peer Group. In this regard, the Board noted that the contractual advisory fee rate was above the median of the Expense Peer Group, but the Board noted the applicable waivers and reimbursements, and that the overall expense structure of the Fund remained competitive in the context of other factors considered by the Board. In this regard, the Board considered that, while comparisons to the Fund’s Expense Peer Group are relevant in judging the reasonableness of advisory fees, the quantitative focus of the management of the Fund makes fee and expense comparisons to the Expense Group particularly difficult. The Board further considered that, although the Fund’s advisory fee was above the median of the Expense Peer Group, the funds in the Expense Peer Group varied widely in terms of the complexity of their management, and the management of the Fund is among the more complex funds relative to the Expense Peer Group.
The Board also received and considered information about the nature and extent of services offered and fees charged by Federated Hermes to other types of clients with investment strategies similar to those of the Federated Hermes Funds, including non-registered fund clients (such as institutional separate accounts) and third-party unaffiliated registered funds for which any of the Advisers or their affiliates serve as sub-adviser. The Board noted the CCO’s conclusion that non-registered fund clients are inherently different products due to the following differences, among others: (i) different types of targeted investors; (ii) different applicable laws and regulations; (iii) different legal structures; (iv) different average account sizes and portfolio management techniques made necessary by different cash flows and different associated costs; (v) the time spent by portfolio managers and their teams (among other personnel across various departments, including legal, compliance and risk management) in reviewing securities pricing and fund liquidity; (vi) different administrative responsibilities; (vii) different degrees of risk associated with
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management; and (viii) a variety of different costs. The Board also considered information regarding the differences in the nature of the services required for Federated Hermes to manage its proprietary registered fund business versus managing a discrete pool of assets as a sub-adviser to another institution’s registered fund, noting the CCO’s view that Federated Hermes generally performs significant additional services and assumes substantially greater risks in managing the Fund and other Federated Hermes Funds than in its role as sub-adviser to an unaffiliated third-party registered fund. The Board noted that the CCO did not consider the fees for providing advisory services to other types of clients to be determinative in judging the appropriateness of the Federated Hermes Funds’ advisory fees.
Based on these considerations, the Board concluded that the fees and total operating expenses of the Fund, in conjunction with other matters considered, are reasonable in light of the services provided.
Profitability
The Board received and considered profitability information furnished by Federated Hermes Such profitability information included revenues reported on a fund-by-fund basis and estimates of the allocation of expenses made on a fund-by-fund basis, using allocation methodologies specified by the CCO and described to the Board. The Board considered the CCO’s view that, while these cost allocation reports apply consistent allocation processes, the inherent difficulties in allocating costs on a fund-by-fund basis continues to cause the CCO to question the precision of the process and to conclude that such reports may be unreliable because a single change in an allocation estimate may dramatically alter the resulting estimate of cost and/or profitability of a Federated Hermes Fund and may produce unintended consequences. In addition, the Board considered the CCO’s view that the allocation methodologies used by Federated Hermes in estimating profitability for purposes of reporting to the Board in connection with the continuation of the Contracts are consistent with the methodologies previously reviewed by an independent consultant. The Board noted that the independent consultant had previously conducted a review of the allocation methodologies and reported to the Board that, although there is no single best method to allocate expenses, the methodologies used by Federated Hermes are reasonable. The Board considered the CCO’s view that the estimated profitability to the Adviser from its relationship with the Fund was not unreasonable in relation to the services provided.
The Board also reviewed information compiled by Federated Hermes comparing its profitability information to other publicly held fund management companies, including information regarding profitability trends over time. The Board recognized that profitability comparisons among fund management companies are difficult because of the variation in the type of comparative information that is publicly available, and the profitability of any fund
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70

management company is affected by numerous factors. The Board considered the CCO’s conclusion that, based on such profitability information, Federated Hermes’ profit margins did not appear to be excessive. The Board also considered the CCO’s view that Federated Hermes appeared financially sound, with the resources necessary to fulfill its obligations under its contracts with the Federated Hermes Funds.
Economies of Scale
The Board received and considered information about the notion of possible realization of “economies of scale” as a fund grows larger, the difficulties of determining economies of scale at an individual fund level, and the extent to which potential scale benefits are shared with shareholders. In this regard, the Board considered that Federated Hermes has made significant and long-term investments in areas that support all of the Federated Hermes Funds, such as: portfolio management, investment research and trading operations; shareholder services; compliance; business continuity, cybersecurity and information security programs; internal audit and risk management functions; and technology and use of data. The Board noted that Federated Hermes’ investments in these areas are extensive and are designed to provide enhanced services to the Federated Hermes Funds and their shareholders. The Board considered that the benefits of these investments are likely to be shared with the family of Federated Hermes Funds as a whole. In addition, the Board considered that fee waivers and expense reimbursements are another means for potential economies of scale to be shared with shareholders and can provide protection from an increase in expenses if a Federated Hermes Fund’s assets decline. The Board considered that, in order for the Federated Hermes Funds to remain competitive in the marketplace, Federated Hermes has frequently waived fees and/or reimbursed expenses for the Federated Hermes Funds and has disclosed to shareholders and/or reported to the Board its intention to do so (or continue to do so) in the future. The Board also considered that Federated Hermes has been active in managing expenses of the Federated Hermes Funds in recent years, which has resulted in benefits being realized by shareholders.
The Board also received and considered information on adviser-paid fees (commonly referred to as “revenue sharing” payments) that was provided to the Board throughout the year and in connection with the May Meetings. The Board considered that Federated Hermes and the CCO believe that this information is relevant to considering whether Federated Hermes had an incentive to either not apply breakpoints, or to apply breakpoints at higher levels, but should not be considered when evaluating the reasonableness of advisory fees. The Board also noted the absence of any applicable regulatory or industry guidelines on economies of scale, which is compounded by the lack of any uniform methodology or pattern with respect to structuring fund advisory fees with breakpoints that serve to reduce the fees as a fund attains a certain size.
Annual Shareholder Report
71

Other Benefits
The Board considered information regarding the compensation and other ancillary (or “fall-out”) benefits that Federated Hermes derived from its relationships with the Federated Hermes Funds. The Board noted that, in addition to receiving advisory fees under the Federated Hermes Funds’ investment advisory contracts, Federated Hermes’ affiliates also receive fees for providing other services to the Federated Hermes Funds under separate service contracts including for serving as the Federated Hermes Funds’ administrator and distributor. In this regard, the Board considered that certain of Federated Hermes’ affiliates provide distribution and shareholder services to the Federated Hermes Funds, for which they may be compensated through distribution and servicing fees paid pursuant to Rule 12b-1 plans or otherwise. The Board also received and considered information detailing the benefits, if any, that Federated Hermes may derive from its receipt of research services from brokers who execute portfolio trades for the Federated Hermes Funds.
Conclusions
The Board considered: (i) the CCO’s conclusion that his observations and the information accompanying the CCO Fee Evaluation Report show that the management fee for the Fund is reasonable; and (ii) the CCO’s recommendation that the Board approve the management fee. The Board noted that, under these circumstances, no changes were recommended to, and no objection was raised to the continuation of, the Contracts by the CCO. The CCO also recognized that the Board’s evaluation of the Federated Hermes Funds’ advisory and sub-advisory arrangements is a continuing and ongoing process that is informed by the information that the Board requests and receives from management throughout the course of the year and, in this regard, the CCO noted certain items for future reporting to the Board or further consideration by management as the Board continues its ongoing oversight of the Federated Hermes Funds.
On the basis of the information and factors summarized above, among other information and factors deemed relevant by the Board, and the evaluation thereof, the Board, including the Independent Trustees, unanimously voted to approve the continuation of the Contracts. The Board based its determination to approve the Contracts on the totality of the circumstances and relevant factors and with a view of past and future long-term considerations. Not all of the factors and considerations identified above were necessarily deemed to be relevant to the Fund, nor did the Board consider any one of them to be determinative.
Annual Shareholder Report
72

Liquidity Risk Management Program
Annual Evaluation of Adequacy and Effectiveness
In accordance with Rule 22e-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Liquidity Rule”), Federated Hermes MDT Series (the “Trust”) has adopted and implemented a liquidity risk management program (the “Program”) for Federated Hermes MDT Balanced Fund (the “Fund” and, collectively with the other non-money market open-end funds advised by Federated Hermes, the “Federated Hermes Funds”). The Program seeks to assess and manage the Fund’s liquidity risk. “Liquidity risk” is defined under the Liquidity Rule as the risk that the Fund is unable to meet redemption requests without significantly diluting remaining investors’ interests in the Fund. The Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) has approved the designation of each Federated Hermes Fund’s investment adviser as the administrator for the Program (the “Administrator”) with respect to that Fund. The Administrator, in turn, has delegated day-to-day responsibility for the administration of the Program to multiple Liquidity Risk Management Committees, which are comprised of representatives from certain divisions within Federated Hermes.
The Program is comprised of various components designed to support the assessment and/or management of liquidity risk, including: (1) the periodic assessment (no less frequently than annually) of certain factors that influence the Fund’s liquidity risk; (2) the periodic classification (no less frequently than monthly) of the Fund’s investments into one of four liquidity categories that reflect an estimate of their liquidity under current market conditions; (3) a 15% limit on the acquisition of “illiquid investments” (as defined under the Liquidity Rule); (4) to the extent a Fund does not invest primarily in “highly liquid investments” (as defined under the Liquidity Rule), the determination of a minimum percentage of the Fund’s assets that generally will be invested in highly liquid investments (an “HLIM”); (5) if a Fund has established an HLIM, the periodic review (no less frequently than annually) of the HLIM and the adoption of policies and procedures for responding to a shortfall of the Fund’s highly liquid investments below its HLIM; and (6) periodic reporting to the Board.
At its meetings in May 2023, the Board received and reviewed a written report (the “Report”) from the Federated Hermes Funds’ Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Risk Officer, on behalf of the Administrator, concerning the operation of the Program for the period from April 1, 2022 through March 31, 2023 (the “Period”). The Report addressed the operation of the Program and assessed the adequacy and effectiveness of its implementation, including, where applicable, the operation of any HLIM established for a Federated Hermes Fund. There were no material changes to the Program during the Period. The Report summarized the operation of the Program and
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73

the information and factors considered by the Administrator in assessing whether the Program has been adequately and effectively implemented with respect to the Federated Hermes Funds. Such information and factors included, among other things:
◾ confirmation that it was not necessary for the Fund to utilize, and the Fund did not utilize, any alternative funding sources that were available to the Federated Hermes Funds during the Period, such as the Federated Hermes Funds’ interfund lending facility, redemptions in-kind, reverse repurchase agreement transactions, redemptions delayed beyond the normal T+1 settlement but within seven days of the redemption request, and committed lines of credit;
◾ the periodic classifications of the Fund’s investments into one of four liquidity categories and the methodologies and inputs used to classify the investments, including the Fund’s reasonably anticipated trade size;
◾ the analysis received from a third-party liquidity assessment vendor that is taken into account in the process of determining the liquidity classifications of the Fund’s investments, and the results of the Administrator’s evaluation of the services performed by the vendor in support of this process, including the Administrator’s view that the methodologies utilized by the vendor continue to be appropriate;
◾ the fact that the Fund invested primarily in highly liquid investments during the Period and, therefore, was not required to establish, and has not established, an HLIM and the operation of the procedures for monitoring the status of the Fund as investing primarily in highly liquid investments;
◾ the fact that the Fund invested no more than 15% of its assets in illiquid investments during the Period, and the operation of the procedures for monitoring this limit;
◾ the fact that there were no liquidity events during the Period that materially affected the Fund’s liquidity risk;
◾ the impact on liquidity and management of liquidity risk, if any, caused by extended non-U.S. market closures and confirmation that there were no issues for any of the affected Federated Hermes Funds in meeting shareholder redemptions at any time during these temporary non-U.S. market closures.
Based on this review, the Administrator concluded that the Program is operating effectively to assess and manage the Fund’s liquidity risk, and that the Program has been and continues to be adequately and effectively implemented to monitor and, as applicable, respond to the Fund’s liquidity developments.
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74

Voting Proxies on Fund Portfolio Securities
A description of the policies and procedures that the Fund uses to determine how to vote proxies, if any, relating to securities held in the Fund’s portfolio is available, without charge and upon request, by calling 1-800-341-7400, Option #4. A report on “Form N-PX” of how the Fund voted any such proxies during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available via the Proxy Voting Record (Form N-PX) link associated with the Fund and share class name at FederatedHermes.com/us/FundInformation. Form N-PX filings are also available at the SEC’s website at sec.gov.
Quarterly Portfolio Schedule
Each fiscal quarter, the Fund will file with the SEC a complete schedule of its monthly portfolio holdings on “Form N-PORT.” The Fund’s holdings as of the end of the third month of every fiscal quarter, as reported on Form N-PORT, will be publicly available on the SEC’s website at sec.gov within 60 days of the end of the fiscal quarter upon filing. You may also access this information via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedHermes.com/us.
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75

Mutual funds are not bank deposits or obligations, are not guaranteed by any bank and are not insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board or any other government agency. Investment in mutual funds involves investment risk, including the possible loss of principal.
This Report is authorized for distribution to prospective investors only when preceded or accompanied by the Fund’s Prospectus, which contains facts concerning its objective and policies, management fees, expenses and other information.
Federated Hermes MDT Balanced Fund
Federated Hermes Funds
4000 Ericsson Drive
Warrendale, PA 15086-7561
Contact us at FederatedHermes.com/us
or call 1-800-341-7400.
Federated Securities Corp., Distributor
CUSIP 31421R841
CUSIP 31421R833
CUSIP 31421R825
CUSIP 31421R692
37326 (9/23)
© 2023 Federated Hermes, Inc.

Annual Shareholder Report
July 31, 2023
Share Class | Ticker
A | QALGX
C | QCLGX
Institutional | QILGX
 

Federated Hermes MDT Large Cap Growth Fund
Fund Established 2005

A Portfolio of Federated Hermes MDT Series
Dear Valued Shareholder,
We are pleased to present the Annual Shareholder Report for your fund covering the period from August 1, 2022 through July 31, 2023. This report includes Management’s Discussion of Fund Performance, a complete listing of your fund’s holdings, performance information and financial statements along with other important fund information.
As a global leader in active, responsible investment management, Federated Hermes is guided by our conviction that responsible investing is the best way to create wealth over the long term. The company provides capabilities across a wide range of asset classes to investors around the world.
In addition, FederatedHermes.com/us offers quick and easy access to valuable resources that include timely fund updates, economic and market insights from our investment strategists and financial planning tools. You can also access many of those insights by following us on Twitter (@FederatedHermes) and LinkedIn.
Thank you for investing with us. We hope you find this information useful and look forward to keeping you informed.
Sincerely,
J. Christopher Donahue, President

Not FDIC Insured ▪ May Lose Value ▪ No Bank Guarantee

Management’s Discussion of Fund Performance (unaudited)
The total return of Federated Hermes MDT Large Cap Growth Fund (the “Fund”), based on net asset value for the 12-month reporting period ended July 31, 2023, was 18.56% for Class A Shares, 17.69% for Class C Shares and 18.88% for the Institutional Shares. The total return for the Russell 1000® Growth Index (R1000G),1 the Fund’s broad-based securities market index, was 17.31% for the same period. The total return of the Morningstar Large Growth Funds Average (MLGFA),2 a peer group average for the Fund, was 14.47% during the same period. The Fund’s and MLGFA’s total returns for the most recently completed fiscal year reflected actual cash flows, transaction costs and expenses, which were not reflected in the total return of the R1000G.
During the reporting period, the Fund’s investment strategy focused on stock selection. Stock selection was the most significant factor affecting the Fund’s performance relative to the R1000G during the period.
The following discussion will focus on the performance of the Fund’s Institutional Shares relative to the R1000G.
MARKET OVERVIEW
The reporting period began with three sharp market turns in the first six months (August 2022 January 2023), leaving the Russell 3000 Index (R3000)3 with a fiscal year-to-date return of 0.06% at the end of January. There was one more downturn in February (R3000 at -2.34% for the month), but then inflation numbers started declining, employment numbers held steady, and the R3000 turned weakly positive. In June and July there were more favorable macroeconomic reports and the market began to think that the Federal Reserve might actually be able to engineer a “soft landing,” so the R3000 strengthened. For the full fiscal year, the R3000 returned 12.65%. Growth stocks outran value stocks (the Russell 3000 Growth Index (R3000G)4 returned 16.97% while the Russell 3000 Value Index5 returned 8.03%), and large-cap stocks outran small-cap stocks6 (the mega-cap Russell Top 200 Index (RT200)7 returned 14.39% while the Russell Midcap Index8 returned 8.75% and the small-cap Russell 2000 Index9 returned 7.91%). The higher returns of the R3000G and the RT200 were largely attributable to the very high returns of the “Magnificent 7”10 technology stocks, which, by themselves, provided 5.04% of the R3000’s 12.65% return.
The best performing sectors in the R1000G during the reporting period were Information Technology (+29.36%), Industrials (+19.71%) and Communication Services (+19.70%). The worst performing sectors during the same period included Real Estate (-15.07%), Consumer Staples (+1.69%) and Utilities (+3.84%).
Annual Shareholder Report
1

STOCK SELECTION
The Fund buys stocks with many different combinations of fundamental and technical characteristics that have signaled market outperformance historically. The most significant driver of outperformance during the reporting period was the overweight of and favorable stock selection among stocks with moderately depressed prices, flat or improving earnings to price and no major requirements for external financing. An overweight of and unfavorable stock selection among stocks with positive analyst conviction and a strong relative price trend detracted the most from performance. The Fund’s sector exposures continued to remain close to R1000G weights; there were no significant overweight or underweight positions at the end of the reporting period. Favorable stock selection in the Communication Services, Consumer Discretionary and Health Care sectors contributed the most to the Fund’s outperformance versus the benchmark. The largest offset to performance was unfavorable stock selection in the Financials sector.
Individual stocks enhancing the Fund’s performance during the reporting period included Tesla, Inc., Spotify Technology and Netflix, Inc. Tesla, Inc. was underweighted by the Fund and underperformed the R1000G.
Individual stocks detracting from the Fund’s performance during the reporting period included NVIDIA Corporation, Signature Bank and Altice USA, Inc. (Class A). NVIDIA was underweighted by the Fund and outperformed the R1000G.
1
Please see the footnotes to the line graph below for definitions of, and further information about, the R1000G.
2
Please see the footnotes to the line graph below for definitions of, and further information about, the Morningstar peer group average.
3
The Russell 3000® Index measures the performance of the largest 3,000 U.S. companies representing approximately 98% of the investable U.S. equity market. The Russell 3000® Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive, unbiased and stable barometer of the broad market and is completely reconstituted annually to ensure new and growing equities are reflected.*
4
The Russell 3000® Growth Index measures the performance of the broad growth segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 3000® Index companies with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth values. The Russell 3000® Growth Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive, unbiased and stable barometer of the broad growth market. The Russell 3000® Growth Index is completely reconstituted annually to ensure new and growing equities are included and that the represented companies continue to reflect growth characteristics.*
5
The Russell 3000® Value Index measures the performance of the broad value segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 3000® Index companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower forecasted growth values. The Russell 3000® Value Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive, unbiased and stable barometer of the broad value market. The Russell 3000® Value Index is completely reconstituted annually to ensure new and growing equities are included and that the represented companies continue to reflect value characteristics.*
6
Small-cap stocks may be less liquid and subject to greater price volatility than large-cap stocks.
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2

7
The Russell Top 200® Index measures the performance of the largest cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. The Russell Top 200® Index is a subset of the Russell 3000® Index. It includes approximately 200 of the largest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current index membership and represents approximately 71% of the total capitalization of the Russell 3000® Index. The Russell Top 200® Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive and unbiased barometer for this very large cap segment and is completely reconstituted annually to ensure new and growing equities are reflected.*
8
The Russell Midcap® Index measures the performance of the mid-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. The Russell Midcap® Index is a subset of the Russell 3000® Index. Based on market cap and current index membership, it includes approximately 800 companies that fall between the larger companies in the Russell Top 200® Index and the smaller companies in the Russell 2000® Index. The Russell Midcap® Index represents approximately 23% of the total market capitalization of the Russell 3000® Index. The Russell Midcap® Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive and unbiased barometer for the mid-cap segment. The Russell Midcap Index is completely reconstituted annually to ensure larger stocks do not distort the performance and characteristics of the true mid-cap opportunity set.*
9
The Russell 2000® Index measures the performance of the small-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. The Russell 2000® Index is a subset of the Russell 3000® Index representing approximately 6% of the total market capitalization of that index. It includes approximately 2000 of the smallest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current index membership. The Russell 2000® Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive and unbiased small-cap barometer and is completely reconstituted annually to ensure larger stocks do not distort the performance and characteristics of the true small-cap opportunity set.*
10
The “Magnificent 7” include Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, NVIDIA and Tesla.
*
The index is unmanaged, and it is not possible to invest directly in an index.
Annual Shareholder Report
3

FUND PERFORMANCE AND GROWTH OF A $10,000 INVESTMENT
The graph below illustrates the hypothetical investment of $10,0001 in the Federated Hermes MDT Large Cap Growth Fund (the “Fund”) from July 31, 2013 to July 31, 2023, compared to the Russell 1000® Growth Index (R1000G)2 and the Morningstar Large Growth Funds Average (MLGFA).3 The Average Annual Total Return table below shows returns for each class averaged over the stated periods.
Growth of a $10,000 Investment
Growth of $10,000 as of July 31, 2023
◾ Total returns shown for Class C Shares include the maximum contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00% as applicable.
The Fund offers multiple share classes whose performance may be greater than or less than its other share class(es) due to differences in sales charges and expenses. See the Average Annual Total Return table below for the returns of additional classes not shown in the line graph above.
Average Annual Total Returns for the Period Ended 7/31/2023
(returns reflect all applicable sales charges and contingent deferred sales charges as specified below in footnote #1)
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Class A Shares
12.03%
14.24%
13.63%
Class C Shares
16.70%
14.69%
13.60%
Institutional Shares
18.88%
15.83%
14.56%
R1000G
17.31%
15.24%
15.53%
MLGFA
14.47%
11.64%
12.78%
Annual Shareholder Report
4

Performance data quoted represents past performance which is no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Mutual fund performance changes over time and current performance may be lower or higher than what is stated. For current to the most recent month-end performance and after-tax returns, visit FederatedHermes.com/us or call 1-800-341-7400. Returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares. Mutual funds are not obligations of or guaranteed by any bank and are not federally insured.
1
Represents a hypothetical investment of $10,000 in the Fund after deducting applicable sales charges: for Class A Shares, the maximum sales charge of 5.50% ($10,000 investment minus $550 sales charge = $9,450); for Class C Shares, a 1.00% contingent deferred sales charge would be applied to any redemption less than one year from the purchase date. The Fund’s performance assumes the reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. The R1000G and MLGFA have been adjusted to reflect reinvestment of dividends on securities.
2
The R1000G measures the performance of the large-cap growth segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 1000® Index companies with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth values. The R1000G is constructed to provide a comprehensive and unbiased barometer for the large-cap growth segment. The R1000G is completely reconstituted annually to ensure new and growing equities are included and that the represented companies continue to reflect growth characteristics. The R1000G is unmanaged and, unlike the Fund, is not affected by cash flows. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. The R1000G is not adjusted to reflect sales charges, expenses or other fees that the Securities and Exchange Commission requires to be reflected in the Fund’s performance.
3
Morningstar figures represent the average of the total returns reported by all the funds designated by Morningstar as falling into the respective category indicated. They do not reflect sales charges. The Morningstar figures in the Growth of a $10,000 Investment line graph are based on historical return information published by Morningstar and reflect the return of the funds comprising the category in the year of publication. Because the funds designated by Morningstar as falling into the category can change over time, the Morningstar figures in the line graph may not match the Morningstar figures in the Average Annual Total Returns table, which reflect the return of the funds that currently comprise the category.
Annual Shareholder Report
5

Portfolio of Investments Summary Table (unaudited)
At July 31, 2023, the Fund’s sector composition1 was as follows:
Sector Composition
Percentage of
Total Net Assets
Information Technology
42.3%
Consumer Discretionary
14.6%
Health Care
11.6%
Communication Services
10.0%
Financials
7.0%
Industrials
6.4%
Consumer Staples
4.7%
Real Estate
0.5%
Materials
0.3%
Energy
0.2%
Cash Equivalents2
2.2%
Other Assets and Liabilities—Net3
0.2%
TOTAL
100%
1
Except for Cash Equivalents and Other Assets and Liabilities, sector classifications are based
upon, and individual portfolio securities are assigned to, the classifications of the Global Industry
Classification Standard (GICS) except that the Adviser assigns a classification to securities not
classified by the GICS and to securities for which the Adviser does not have access to the
classification made by the GICS.
2
Cash Equivalents include any investments in money market mutual funds and/or overnight
repurchase agreements.
3
Assets, other than investments in securities, less liabilities. See Statement of Assets and
Liabilities.
Annual Shareholder Report
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Portfolio of Investments
July 31, 2023
Shares
 
 
Value
          
 
COMMON STOCKS—   97.6%
 
 
1
Communication Services—   10.0%
 
213,494
 
Alphabet, Inc., Class A
$28,334,924
56,650
 
Match Group, Inc.
  2,634,792
42,357
 
Meta Platforms, Inc.
13,494,940
9,350
 
Netflix, Inc.
  4,104,369
62,822
 
Spotify Technology SA
  9,386,235
23,587
 
Trade Desk, Inc./The
  2,152,550
 
 
TOTAL
60,107,810
 
 
Consumer Discretionary—   14.6%
 
51,938
1
Airbnb, Inc.
  7,904,444
156,610
1
Amazon.com, Inc.
20,935,625
31,525
1
Bright Horizons Family Solutions, Inc.
  3,058,871
2,267
1
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.
  4,448,489
42,338
1
DoorDash, Inc.
  3,843,867
45,415
 
eBay, Inc.
  2,021,422
65,748
1
Expedia Group, Inc.
  8,056,102
16,326
 
Genuine Parts Co.
  2,542,285
4,724
1
Lululemon Athletica, Inc.
  1,788,176
29,290
 
Nike, Inc., Class B
  3,233,323
3,705
1
O’Reilly Automotive, Inc.
  3,430,052
16,632
1
Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd.
  1,814,717
27,454
 
Starbucks Corp.
  2,788,503
44,060
1
Tesla, Inc.
11,782,966
11,352
 
Tractor Supply Co.
  2,542,734
11,368
1
Ulta Beauty, Inc.
  5,056,486
3,779
 
Wingstop, Inc.
    637,064
12,631
 
Yum! Brands, Inc.
  1,738,910
 
 
TOTAL
87,624,036
 
 
Consumer Staples—   4.7%
 
6,666
 
Costco Wholesale Corp.
  3,737,426
15,724
 
Hershey Foods Corp.
  3,637,118
59,556
 
Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc.
  6,171,788
65,082
 
PepsiCo, Inc.
12,200,272
14,716
 
Procter & Gamble Co.
  2,300,111
 
 
TOTAL
28,046,715
 
 
Energy—   0.2%
 
5,450
 
Cheniere Energy, Inc.
    882,137
15,285
 
Ovintiv, Inc.
    704,486
 
 
TOTAL
1,586,623
 
 
Financials—   7.0%
 
14,773
 
Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
  5,147,652
Annual Shareholder Report
7

Shares
 
 
Value
          
 
COMMON STOCKS—   continued
 
 
 
Financials—   continued
 
4,359
 
Gallagher (Arthur J.) & Co.
$    936,313
4,068
 
Marketaxess Holdings, Inc.
  1,095,187
5,307
 
Marsh & McLennan Cos., Inc.
    999,945
22,158
 
Mastercard, Inc.
  8,736,456
2,821
 
MSCI, Inc., Class A
  1,546,134
56,010
1
PayPal Holdings, Inc.
  4,246,678
26,057
 
Progressive Corp., OH
  3,282,661
88,060
1
StoneCo Ltd.
  1,275,989
62,337
 
Visa, Inc., Class A
14,819,375
 
 
TOTAL
42,086,390
 
 
Health Care—   11.6%
 
57,955
 
AbbVie, Inc.
  8,668,909
72,902
 
Baxter International, Inc.
  3,297,357
10,044
1
Edwards Lifesciences Corp.
    824,311
5,914
 
Elevance Health, Inc.
  2,789,220
31,090
 
Eli Lilly & Co.
14,131,960
30,634
1
GE HealthCare Technologies, Inc.
  2,389,452
12,457
 
Humana, Inc.
  5,690,731
54,281
1
Incyte Genomics, Inc.
  3,458,785
10,097
 
McKesson Corp.
  4,063,033
52,025
 
Merck & Co., Inc.
  5,548,466
4,481
1
Molina Healthcare, Inc.
  1,364,420
250,961
1
Teladoc Health, Inc.
  7,471,109
5,799
 
The Cigna Group
  1,711,285
5,466
 
UnitedHealth Group, Inc.
  2,767,818
10,972
1
Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
  3,865,875
7,981
 
Zoetis, Inc.
  1,501,146
 
 
TOTAL
69,543,877
 
 
Industrials—   6.4%
 
64,022
 
Allison Transmission Holdings, Inc.
  3,757,451
13,748
 
Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp.
  1,664,608
8,141
 
Caterpillar, Inc.
  2,158,749
21,818
1
Ceridian HCM Holding, Inc.
  1,544,933
2,262
 
Lockheed Martin Corp.
  1,009,689
38,346
 
Paychex, Inc.
  4,811,273
2,979
 
Rockwell Automation, Inc.
  1,001,808
23,500
 
Trane Technologies PLC
  4,686,840
29,040
1
Trex Co., Inc.
  2,007,826
71,475
1
Uber Technologies, Inc.
  3,535,153
16,907
 
Verisk Analytics, Inc.
  3,870,688
14,511
1
Willscot Corp.
    695,802
50,771
1
XPO, Inc.
  3,515,384
36,051
 
Xylem, Inc.
  4,064,750
 
 
TOTAL
38,324,954
Annual Shareholder Report
8

Shares
 
 
Value
          
 
COMMON STOCKS—   continued
 
 
 
Information Technology—   42.3%
 
6,814
 
Accenture PLC
$  2,155,609
19,331
1
Adobe, Inc.
10,558,012
2,735
1
Ansys, Inc.
    935,644
341,983
 
Apple, Inc.
67,182,560
18,866
1
Arista Networks, Inc.
  2,925,928
16,985
 
Broadcom, Inc.
15,263,570
27,917
1
Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
  6,532,857
27,159
1
Confluent, Inc.
    938,072
64,757
 
Dell Technologies, Inc.
  3,426,940
117,262
1
Fortinet, Inc.
  9,113,603
7,395
1
HubSpot, Inc.
  4,293,167
28,885
 
Jabil, Inc.
  3,196,703
40,442
 
Microchip Technology, Inc.
  3,799,121
170,919
 
Microsoft Corp.
57,415,110
7,615
 
NetApp, Inc.
    594,046
69,709
1
Nutanix, Inc.
  2,105,212
56,353
 
NVIDIA Corp.
26,333,193
37,633
1
Palo Alto Networks, Inc.
  9,406,745
89,937
 
Pegasystems, Inc.
  4,744,177
74,971
1
Pure Storage, Inc.
  2,773,177
17,551
1
Salesforce, Inc.
  3,949,151
9,454
1
ServiceNow, Inc.
  5,511,682
7,657
1
Synopsys, Inc.
  3,459,433
11,839
1
Workday, Inc.
  2,807,382
70,293
1
Zoom Video Communications, Inc.
  5,155,992
 
 
TOTAL
254,577,086
 
 
Materials—   0.3%
 
14,951
 
Steel Dynamics, Inc.
  1,593,478
 
 
Real Estate—   0.5%
 
9,594
 
Crown Castle, Inc.
  1,038,934
600
 
Equinix, Inc.
    485,952
5,280
 
Public Storage
  1,487,640
 
 
TOTAL
3,012,526
 
 
TOTAL COMMON STOCKS
(IDENTIFIED COST $453,920,008)
586,503,495
 
 
INVESTMENT COMPANY—   2.2%
 
13,299,247
 
Federated Hermes Institutional Prime Value Obligations Fund, Institutional
Shares, 5.32%2
(IDENTIFIED COST $13,296,768)
$13,297,917
 
 
TOTAL INVESTMENT IN SECURITIES—99.8%
(IDENTIFIED COST $467,216,776)3
599,801,412
 
 
OTHER ASSETS AND LIABILITIES - NET—0.2%4
1,395,570
 
 
TOTAL NET ASSETS—100%
$601,196,982
Annual Shareholder Report
9

Transactions with affiliated investment companies, which are funds managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser, during the period ended July 31, 2023, were as follows:
 
Federated
Hermes
Government
Obligations Fund,
Premier Shares*
Federated
Hermes
Institutional
Prime Value
Obligations Fund,
Institutional Shares
Total of
Affiliated
Transactions
Value as of 7/31/2022
$
$1,375,258
$1,375,258
Purchases at Cost
$7,434,779
$208,578,580
$216,013,359
Proceeds from Sales
$(7,434,779)
$(196,658,151)
$(204,092,930)
Change in Unrealized Appreciation/
Depreciation
$
$1,149
$1,149
Net Realized Gain/(Loss)
$
$1,081
$1,081
Value as of 7/31/2023
$
$13,297,917
$13,297,917
Shares Held as of 7/31/2023
13,299,247
13,299,247
Dividend Income
$13,654
$410,022
$423,676
*
All or a portion of the balance/activity for the fund relates to cash collateral received on
securities lending transactions.
1
Non-income-producing security.
2
7-day net yield.
3
The cost of investments for federal tax purposes amounts to $472,853,901.
4
Assets, other than investments in securities, less liabilities. See Statement of Assets and
Liabilities.
Note: The categories of investments are shown as a percentage of total net assets at July 31, 2023.
Various inputs are used in determining the value of the Fund’s investments. These inputs are summarized in the three broad levels listed below:
Level 1—quoted prices in active markets for identical securities.
Level 2—other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.). Also includes securities valued at amortized cost.
Level 3—significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments).
The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.
At July 31, 2023, all investments of the Fund utilized Level 1 inputs in valuing the Fund’s assets carried at fair value.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
10

Financial HighlightsClass A Shares
(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)
 
Year Ended July 31,
 
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$23.32
$31.22
$25.03
$20.81
$20.66
Income From Investment Operations:
 
 
 
 
 
Net investment income (loss)1
0.01
(0.08)
(0.07)
(0.04)
(0.05)
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
3.59
(1.89)
8.36
5.37
2.01
Total From Investment Operations
3.60
(1.97)
8.29
5.33
1.96
Less Distributions:
 
 
 
 
 
Distributions from net realized gain
(2.75)
(5.93)
(2.10)
(1.11)
(1.81)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$24.17
$23.32
$31.22
$25.03
$20.81
Total Return2
18.56%
(8.93)%
35.00%
26.91%
11.28%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:
 
 
 
 
 
Net expenses3
0.99%
0.99%
0.99%
1.11%
1.48%
Net investment income (loss)
0.03%
(0.30)%
(0.27)%
(0.19)%
(0.27)%
Expense waiver/reimbursement4
0.29%
0.33%
0.38%
0.30%
0.00%5
Supplemental Data:
 
 
 
 
 
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
$146,478
$106,863
$123,486
$93,740
$67,513
Portfolio turnover6
116%
147%
39%
220%
97%
1
Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
2
Based on net asset value, which does not reflect the sales charge, redemption fee or contingent
deferred sales charge, if applicable.
3
Amount does not reflect net expenses incurred by investment companies in which the Fund
may invest.
4
This expense decrease is reflected in both the net expense and the net investment income
(loss) ratios shown above. Amount does not reflect expense waiver/reimbursement recorded by
investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
5
Represents less than 0.01%.
6
Securities that mature are considered sales for purposes of this calculation.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
11

Financial HighlightsClass C Shares
(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)
 
Year Ended July 31,
 
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$18.56
$26.16
$21.43
$18.10
$18.35
Income From Investment Operations:
 
 
 
 
 
Net investment income (loss)1
(0.12)
(0.23)
(0.23)
(0.17)
(0.18)
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
2.69
(1.44)
7.06
4.61
1.74
Total From Investment Operations
2.57
(1.67)
6.83
4.44
1.56
Less Distributions:
 
 
 
 
 
Distributions from net realized gain
(2.75)
(5.93)
(2.10)
(1.11)
(1.81)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$18.38
$18.56
$26.16
$21.43
$18.10
Total Return2
17.69%
(9.60)%
34.01%
25.99%
10.46%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:
 
 
 
 
 
Net expenses3
1.74%
1.74%
1.74%
1.88%
2.23%
Net investment income (loss)
(0.73)%
(1.05)%
(1.02)%
(0.95)%
(1.03)%
Expense waiver/reimbursement4
0.29%
0.33%
0.38%
0.29%
0.00%5
Supplemental Data:
 
 
 
 
 
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
$20,413
$14,743
$17,671
$14,536
$12,445
Portfolio turnover6
116%
147%
39%
220%
97%
1
Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
2
Based on net asset value, which does not reflect the sales charge, redemption fee or contingent
deferred sales charge, if applicable.
3
Amount does not reflect net expenses incurred by investment companies in which the Fund
may invest.
4
This expense decrease is reflected in both the net expense and the net investment income
(loss) ratios shown above. Amount does not reflect expense waiver/reimbursement recorded by
investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
5
Represents less than 0.01%.
6
Securities that mature are considered sales for purposes of this calculation.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
12

Financial HighlightsInstitutional Shares
(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)
 
Year Ended July 31,
 
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$25.13
$33.14
$26.39
$21.83
$21.52
Income From Investment Operations:
 
 
 
 
 
Net investment income (loss)1
0.06
(0.01)
0.002
0.03
(0.01)
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
3.95
(2.07)
8.85
5.64
2.13
Total From Investment Operations
4.01
(2.08)
8.85
5.67
2.12
Less Distributions:
 
 
 
 
 
Distributions from net realized gain
(2.75)
(5.93)
(2.10)
(1.11)
(1.81)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$26.39
$25.13
$33.14
$26.39
$21.83
Total Return3
18.88%
(8.72)%
35.33%
27.22%
11.59%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:
 
 
 
 
 
Net expenses4
0.74%
0.74%
0.74%
0.81%
1.22%
Net investment income (loss)
0.24%
(0.04)%
0.01%
0.13%
(0.04)%
Expense waiver/reimbursement5
0.28%
0.33%
0.37%
0.34%
0.00%6
Supplemental Data:
 
 
 
 
 
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
$434,306
$74,192
$53,631
$90,113
$37,076
Portfolio turnover7
116%
147%
39%
220%
97%
1
Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
2
Represents less than $0.01.
3
Based on net asset value.
4
Amount does not reflect net expenses incurred by investment companies in which the Fund
may invest.
5
This expense decrease is reflected in both the net expense and the net investment income
(loss) ratios shown above. Amount does not reflect expense waiver/reimbursement recorded by
investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
6
Represents less than 0.01%.
7
Securities that mature are considered sales for purposes of this calculation.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
13

Statement of Assets and Liabilities
July 31, 2023
Assets:
 
Investment in securities, at value including $13,297,917 of investments in affiliated
holdings*(identified cost $467,216,776, including $13,296,768 of identified cost in
affiliated holdings)
$599,801,412
Income receivable
125,272
Income receivable from affiliated holdings
74,197
Receivable for investments sold
4,002,988
Receivable for shares sold
2,777,102
Total Assets
606,780,971
Liabilities:
 
Payable for investments purchased
5,176,253
Payable for shares redeemed
227,610
Payable to bank
5,726
Payable for investment adviser fee (Note5)
8,608
Payable for administrative fee (Note5)
1,275
Payable for distribution services fee (Note5)
12,457
Payable for other service fees (Notes 2 and5)
60,223
Accrued expenses (Note5)
91,837
Total Liabilities
5,583,989
Net assets for 23,629,227 shares outstanding
$601,196,982
Net Assets Consist of:
 
Paid-in capital
$462,596,979
Total distributable earnings (loss)
138,600,003
Total Net Assets
$601,196,982
Annual Shareholder Report
14

Statement of Assets and Liabilitiescontinued
Net Asset Value, Offering Price and Redemption Proceeds Per Share:
 
Class A Shares:
 
Net asset value per share ($146,477,684 ÷ 6,060,243 shares outstanding), no par value,
unlimited shares authorized
$24.17
Offering price per share (100/94.50 of $24.17)
$25.58
Redemption proceeds per share
$24.17
Class C Shares:
 
Net asset value per share ($20,413,206 ÷ 1,110,687 shares outstanding), no par value,
unlimited shares authorized
$18.38
Offering price per share
$18.38
Redemption proceeds per share (99.00/100 of $18.38)
$18.20
Institutional Shares:
 
Net asset value per share ($434,306,092 ÷ 16,458,297 shares outstanding), no par
value, unlimited shares authorized
$26.39
Offering price per share
$26.39
Redemption proceeds per share
$26.39
*
See information listed after the Fund’s Portfolio of Investments.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
15

Statement of Operations
Year Ended July 31, 2023
Investment Income:
 
Dividends (including $410,022 received from affiliated holdings*)
$3,225,500
Net income on securities loaned (includes $13,654 earned from affiliated holdings
related to cash collateral balances) (Note 2)
452
TOTAL INCOME
3,225,952
Expenses:
 
Investment adviser fee (Note5)
2,424,960
Administrative fee (Note5)
253,808
Custodian fees
39,511
Transfer agent fees
296,986
Directors’/Trustees’ fees (Note5)
2,675
Auditing fees
29,500
Legal fees
11,666
Portfolio accounting fees
104,267
Distribution services fee (Note5)
122,931
Other service fees (Notes 2 and5)
318,701
Share registration costs
98,472
Printing and postage
32,856
Miscellaneous (Note5)
29,889
TOTAL EXPENSES
3,766,222
Waiver/reimbursement of investment adviser fee (Note5)
(916,121)
Net expenses
2,850,101
Net investment income (loss)
375,851
Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments:
 
Net realized gain on investments (including net realized gain of $1,081 on sales of
investments in affiliated holdings*)
10,258,501
Net change in unrealized appreciation of investments (including net change in
unrealized appreciation of $1,149 on investments in affiliated holdings*)
74,612,976
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments
84,871,477
Change in net assets resulting from operations
$85,247,328
*
See information listed after the Fund’s Portfolio of Investments.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
16

Statement of Changes in Net Assets
Year Ended July 31
2023
2022
Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets
 
 
Operations:
 
 
Net investment income (loss)
$375,851
$(608,684)
Net realized gain (loss)
10,258,501
28,856,119
Net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation
74,612,976
(46,674,094)
CHANGE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS
85,247,328
(18,426,659)
Distributions to Shareholders:
 
 
Class A Shares
(12,198,895)
(23,366,731)
Class B Shares1
(446,127)
(1,547,488)
Class C Shares
(2,054,902)
(3,760,356)
Institutional Shares
(10,905,464)
(9,192,433)
CHANGE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM DISTRIBUTIONS
TO SHAREHOLDERS
(25,605,388)
(37,867,008)
Share Transactions:
 
 
Proceeds from sale of shares
380,258,801
68,545,728
Proceeds from shares issued in connection with the tax-free transfer
of assets from Stockyard
22,220,471
Net asset value of shares issued to shareholders in payment of
distributions declared
24,565,868
35,506,205
Cost of shares redeemed
(85,224,260)
(51,044,887)
CHANGE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM
SHARE TRANSACTIONS
341,820,880
53,007,046
Change in net assets
401,462,820
(3,286,621)
Net Assets:
 
 
Beginning of period
199,734,162
203,020,783
End of period
$601,196,982
$199,734,162
1
On February 3, 2023, Class B Shares were converted into Class A Shares.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
17

Notes to Financial Statements
July 31, 2023
1. ORGANIZATION
Federated Hermes MDT Series (the “Trust”) is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Act”), as an open-end management investment company. The Trust consists of five portfolios. The financial statements included herein are only those of Federated Hermes MDT Large Cap Growth Fund (the “Fund”), a diversified portfolio. The financial statements of the other portfolios are presented separately. The assets of each portfolio are segregated and a shareholder’s interest is limited to the portfolio in which shares are held. Each portfolio pays its own expenses. The Fund offers three classes of shares: Class A Shares, Class C Shares and Institutional Shares. All shares of the Fund have equal rights with respect to voting, except on class-specific matters. The investment objective of the Fund is long-term capital appreciation.
At the close of business on February 3, 2023, Class B Shares were converted into the Fund’s existing Class A Shares pursuant to a Plan of Conversion approved by the Fund’s Board of Trustees (the “Trustees”). The conversion occurred on a tax-free basis. The cash value of a shareholder’s investment was not changed as a result of the share class conversion. No action was required by shareholders to effect the conversion.
At close of business on July 14, 2023, the Fund acquired all of the net assets of Stock Yard Bank and Trust Company Science and Technology Common Trust Fund (“Stockyard”), a common trust fund, in a tax-free reorganization in exchange for shares of the Fund. For financial reporting purposes, assets received and shares issued by the Fund were recorded at fair value; however, the cost basis of the investments received from Stockyard was carried forward to align ongoing reporting of the Fund’s realized and unrealized gains and losses with amounts distributable to shareholders for tax purposes.
Shares of the
Fund Issued
Stockyard
Net Assets
Received
Unrealized
Appreciation1
Net Assets
of the Fund
Immediately
Prior to
Acquisition
Net Assets
of the Fund
Immediately
After
Acquisition
850,382
$22,220,471
$15,718,983
$552,127,405
$574,347,876
1
Unrealized Appreciation is included in the Net Assets Received amount shown above.
2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
The following is a summary of significant accounting policies consistently followed by the Fund in the preparation of its financial statements. These policies are in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).
Investment Valuation
In calculating its net asset value (NAV), the Fund generally values investments as follows:

Equity securities listed on an exchange or traded through a regulated market system are valued at their last reported sale price or official closing price in their principal exchange or market.
Annual Shareholder Report
18


Shares of other mutual funds or non-exchange-traded investment companies are valued based upon their reported NAVs, or NAV per share practical expedient, as applicable.

Fixed-income securities are fair valued using price evaluations provided by a pricing service approved by Federated MDTA LLC (the “Adviser”).

Derivative contracts listed on exchanges are valued at their reported settlement or closing price, except that options are valued at the mean of closing bid and ask quotations.

Over-the-counter (OTC) derivative contracts are fair valued using price evaluations provided by a pricing service approved by the Adviser.

For securities that are fair valued in accordance with procedures established by and under the general supervision of the Adviser, certain factors may be considered, such as: the last traded or purchase price of the security, information obtained by contacting the issuer or dealers, analysis of the issuer’s financial statements or other available documents, fundamental analytical data, the nature and duration of restrictions on disposition, the movement of the market in which the security is normally traded, public trading in similar securities or derivative contracts of the issuer or comparable issuers, movement of a relevant index, or other factors including but not limited to industry changes and relevant government actions.
If any price, quotation, price evaluation or other pricing source is not readily available when the NAV is calculated, if the Fund cannot obtain price evaluations from a pricing service or from more than one dealer for an investment within a reasonable period of time as set forth in the Adviser’s valuation policies and procedures for the Fund, or if information furnished by a pricing service, in the opinion of the Adviser’s valuation committee (“Valuation Committee”), is deemed not representative of the fair value of such security, the Fund uses the fair value of the investment determined in accordance with the procedures described below. There can be no assurance that the Fund could obtain the fair value assigned to an investment if it sold the investment at approximately the time at which the Fund determines its NAV per share, and the actual value obtained could be materially different.
Fair Valuation and Significant Events Procedures
Pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the Act, the Trustees have designated the Adviser as the Fund’s valuation designee to perform any fair value determinations for securities and other assets held by the Fund. The Adviser is subject to the Trustees’ oversight and certain reporting and other requirements intended to provide the Trustees the information needed to oversee the Adviser’s fair value determinations.
The Adviser, acting through its Valuation Committee, is responsible for determining the fair value of investments for which market quotations are not readily available. The Valuation Committee is comprised of officers of the Adviser and certain of the Adviser’s affiliated companies and determines fair value and oversees the calculation of the NAV. The Valuation Committee is also authorized to use pricing services to provide fair value evaluations of the current value of certain investments for purposes of calculating the NAV. The Valuation Committee employs various methods for reviewing third-party pricing-service evaluations including periodic reviews of third-party pricing services’ policies, procedures and valuation methods (including key inputs, methods, models and assumptions), transactional back-testing, comparisons of evaluations of different pricing services, and review of price challenges by the Adviser based on recent market activity.
Annual Shareholder Report
19

In the event that market quotations and price evaluations are not available for an investment, the Valuation Committee determines the fair value of the investment in accordance with procedures adopted by the Adviser. The Trustees periodically review the fair valuations made by the Valuation Committee. The Trustees have also approved the Adviser’s fair valuation and significant events procedures as part of the Fund’s compliance program and will review any changes made to the procedures.
Factors considered by pricing services in evaluating an investment include the yields or prices of investments of comparable quality, coupon, maturity, call rights and other potential prepayments, terms and type, reported transactions, indications as to values from dealers and general market conditions. Some pricing services provide a single price evaluation reflecting the bid-side of the market for an investment (a “bid” evaluation). Other pricing services offer both bid evaluations and price evaluations indicative of a price between the prices bid and ask for the investment (a “mid” evaluation). The Fund normally uses bid evaluations for any U.S. Treasury and Agency securities, mortgage-backed securities and municipal securities. The Fund normally uses mid evaluations for any other types of fixed-income securities and any OTC derivative contracts. In the event that market quotations and price evaluations are not available for an investment, the fair value of the investment is determined in accordance with procedures adopted by the Adviser.
The Adviser has also adopted procedures requiring an investment to be priced at its fair value whenever the Valuation Committee determines that a significant event affecting the value of the investment has occurred between the time as of which the price of the investment would otherwise be determined and the time as of which the NAV is computed. An event is considered significant if there is both an affirmative expectation that the investment’s value will change in response to the event and a reasonable basis for quantifying the resulting change in value. Examples of significant events that may occur after the close of the principal market on which a security is traded, or after the time of a price evaluation provided by a pricing service or a dealer, include:

With respect to securities traded principally in foreign markets, significant trends in U.S. equity markets or in the trading of foreign securities index futures contracts;

Political or other developments affecting the economy or markets in which an issuer conducts its operations or its securities are traded;

Announcements concerning matters such as acquisitions, recapitalizations, litigation developments, or a natural disaster affecting the issuer’s operations or regulatory changes or market developments affecting the issuer’s industry.
The Adviser has adopted procedures whereby the Valuation Committee uses a pricing service to provide factors to update the fair value of equity securities traded principally in foreign markets from the time of the close of their respective foreign stock exchanges to the pricing time of the Fund. For other significant events, the Fund may seek to obtain more current quotations or price evaluations from alternative pricing sources. If a reliable alternative pricing source is not available, the Valuation Committee will determine the fair value of the investment in accordance with the fair valuation procedures approved by the Adviser. The Trustees periodically review fair valuations made in response to significant events.
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20

Repurchase Agreements
The Fund may invest in repurchase agreements for short-term liquidity purposes. It is the policy of the Fund to require the other party to a repurchase agreement to transfer to the Fund’s custodian or sub-custodian eligible securities or cash with a market value (after transaction costs) at least equal to the repurchase price to be paid under the repurchase agreement. The eligible securities are transferred to accounts with the custodian or sub-custodian in which the Fund holds a “securities entitlement” and exercises “control” as those terms are defined in the Uniform Commercial Code. The Fund has established procedures for monitoring the market value of the transferred securities and requiring the transfer of additional eligible securities if necessary to equal at least the repurchase price. These procedures also allow the other party to require securities to be transferred from the account to the extent that their market value exceeds the repurchase price or in exchange for other eligible securities of equivalent market value.
The insolvency of the other party or other failure to repurchase the securities may delay the disposition of the underlying securities or cause the Fund to receive less than the full repurchase price. Under the terms of the repurchase agreement, any amounts received by the Fund in excess of the repurchase price and related transaction costs must be remitted to the other party.
The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements in which eligible securities are transferred into joint trading accounts maintained by the custodian or sub-custodian for investment companies and other clients advised by the Fund’s Adviser and its affiliates. The Fund will participate on a pro rata basis with the other investment companies and clients in its share of the securities transferred under such repurchase agreements and in its share of proceeds from any repurchase or other disposition of such securities.
Investment Income, Gains and Losses, Expenses and Distributions
Investment transactions are accounted for on a trade-date basis. Realized gains and losses from investment transactions are recorded on an identified-cost basis. Interest income and expenses are accrued daily. Dividend income and distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Foreign dividends are recorded on the ex-dividend date or when the Fund is informed of the ex-dividend date. Distributions of net investment income, if any, are declared and paid annually. Non-cash dividends included in dividend income, if any, are recorded at fair value. Amortization/accretion of premium and discount is included in investment income. Investment income, realized and unrealized gains and losses, and certain fund-level expenses are allocated to each class based on relative average daily net assets, except that select classes will bear certain expenses unique to those classes. The detail of the total fund expense waiver and reimbursement of $916,121 is disclosed in Note 5.
Dividends are declared separately for each class. No class has preferential dividend rights; differences in per share dividend rates are generally due to differences in separate class expenses.
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21

Other Service Fees
The Fund may pay other service fees up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Fund’s Class A Shares and Class C Shares to financial intermediaries or to Federated Shareholder Services Company (FSSC) for providing services to shareholders and maintaining shareholder accounts. Prior to their conversion to Class A Shares at the close of business on February 3, 2023, the Class B Shares were also subject to these fees. Subject to the terms described in the Expense Limitation note, FSSC may voluntarily reimburse the Fund for other service fees.
For the year ended July 31, 2023, other service fees for the Fund were as follows:
 
Other Service
Fees Incurred
Class A Shares
$277,724
Class B Shares
4,086
Class C Shares
36,891
TOTAL
$318,701
Federal Taxes
It is the Fund’s policy to comply with the Subchapter M provision of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and to distribute to shareholders each year substantially all of its income. Accordingly, no provision for federal income tax is necessary. As of and during the year ended July 31, 2023, the Fund did not have a liability for any uncertain tax positions. The Fund recognizes interest and penalties, if any, related to tax liabilities as income tax expense in the Statement of Operations. As of July 31, 2023, tax years 2020 through 2023 remain subject to examination by the Fund’s major tax jurisdictions, which include the United States of America and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
When-Issued and Delayed-Delivery Transactions
The Fund may engage in when-issued or delayed-delivery transactions. The Fund records when-issued securities on the trade date and maintains security positions such that sufficient liquid assets will be available to make payment for the securities purchased. Securities purchased on a when-issued or delayed-delivery basis are marked to market daily and begin earning interest on the settlement date. Losses may occur on these transactions due to changes in market conditions or the failure of counterparties to perform under the contract.
Securities Lending
The Fund participates in a securities lending program providing for the lending of equity securities to qualified brokers. The term of the loans within the program is one year or less. The Fund normally receives cash collateral for securities loaned that may be invested in affiliated money market funds, other money market instruments and/or repurchase agreements. Investments in money market funds may include funds with a “floating” NAV that can impose redemption fees and liquidity gates, impose certain operational impediments to investing cash collateral, and, if the investee fund’s NAV decreases, result in the Fund recognizing losses and being required to cover the decrease in the value of the cash collateral. Collateral is maintained at a minimum level of 100% of the market value of investments loaned, plus interest, if applicable. In accordance with the Fund’s securities lending agreement, the market value of securities
Annual Shareholder Report
22

on loan is determined each day at the close of business and any additional collateral required to cover the value of securities on loan is delivered to the Fund on the next business day. Earnings from collateral invested in affiliated holdings as presented parenthetically on the Statement of Operations do not reflect fees and rebates and are allocated between the borrower of the security, the securities lending agent, as a fee for its services under the program and the Fund, according to agreed-upon rates. The Fund will not have the right to vote on securities while they are on loan. However, the Fund will attempt to terminate a loan in an effort to reacquire the securities in time to vote on matters that are deemed to be material by the Adviser. There can be no assurance that the Fund will have sufficient notice of such matters to be able to terminate the loan in time to vote thereon.
As of July 31, 2023, the Fund had no outstanding securities on loan.
Other
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts of assets, liabilities, expenses and revenues reported in the financial statements. Actual results could differ materially from those estimated. The Fund applies investment company accounting and reporting guidance.
3. SHARES OF BENEFICIAL INTEREST
The following tables summarize share activity:
 
Year Ended
7/31/2023
Year Ended
7/31/2022
Class A Shares:
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares sold
1,707,871
$36,312,723
523,985
$13,963,185
Shares issued to shareholders in payment of
distributions declared
601,155
11,500,103
799,548
21,619,784
Conversion of Class B Shares to Class A Shares1
140,105
2,947,814
Shares redeemed
(971,301)
(20,608,520)
(696,318)
(18,045,455)
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM CLASS A
SHARE TRANSACTIONS
1,477,830
$30,152,120
627,215
$17,537,514
 
Year Ended
7/31/2023
Year Ended
7/31/2022
Class B Shares:
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares sold
$
4,791
$96,048
Shares issued to shareholders in payment of
distributions declared
28,540
439,513
65,284
1,475,427
Conversion of Class B Shares to Class A Shares1
(174,227)
(2,947,814)
Shares redeemed
(57,207)
(1,004,793)
(171,100)
(3,842,107)
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM CLASS B
SHARE TRANSACTIONS
(202,894)
$(3,513,094)
(101,025)
$(2,270,632)
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23

 
Year Ended
7/31/2023
Year Ended
7/31/2022
Class C Shares:
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares sold
395,504
$6,618,577
148,016
$3,144,716
Shares issued to shareholders in payment of
distributions declared
140,427
2,051,638
173,682
3,755,009
Shares redeemed
(219,750)
(3,633,682)
(202,776)
(4,403,692)
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM CLASS C
SHARE TRANSACTIONS
316,181
$5,036,533
118,922
$2,496,033
 
Year Ended
7/31/2023
Year Ended
7/31/2022
Institutional Shares:
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares sold
14,591,941
$334,379,687
1,975,979
$51,341,779
Proceeds from shares issued in connection with
the tax-free transfer of assets from Stockyard
850,382
22,220,471
Shares issued to shareholders in payment of
distributions declared
507,176
10,574,614
297,559
8,655,985
Shares redeemed
(2,443,461)
(57,029,451)
(939,818)
(24,753,633)
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM
INSTITUTIONAL SHARE TRANSACTIONS
13,506,038
$310,145,321
1,333,720
$35,244,131
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM TOTAL FUND
SHARE TRANSACTIONS
15,097,155
$341,820,880
1,978,832
$53,007,046
1
On February 3, 2023, Class B Shares were converted to Class A Shares. Within the Statement of
Changes in Net Assets, the conversion from Class B Shares is within the Cost of shares
redeemed and the conversion to Class A Shares is within Proceeds from sale of shares.
4. FEDERAL TAX INFORMATION
The tax character of distributions as reported on the Statement of Changes in Net Assets for the years ended July 31, 2023 and 2022, was as follows:
 
2023
2022
Ordinary income1
$
$19,066,352
Long-term capital gains
$25,605,388
$18,800,656
1
For tax purposes, short-term capital gains distributions are considered ordinary
income distributions.
As of July 31, 2023, the components of distributable earnings on a tax-basis were as follows:
Undistributed ordinary income
$87,763
Net unrealized appreciation
$126,947,511
Undistributed long-term capital gains
$11,564,729
TOTAL
$138,600,003
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24

At July 31, 2023, the cost of investments for federal tax purposes was $472,853,901. The net unrealized appreciation of investments for federal tax purposes was $126,947,511. This consists of unrealized appreciation from investments for those securities having an excess of value over cost of $128,866,688 and unrealized depreciation from investments for those securities having an excess of cost over value of $1,919,177. The difference between book-basis and tax-basis net unrealized appreciation/depreciation is attributable to differing treatments for wash sales.
5. INVESTMENT ADVISER FEE AND OTHER TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES
Investment Adviser Fee
The advisory agreement between the Fund and the Adviser provides for an annual fee equal to 0.75% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Subject to the terms described in the Expense Limitation note, the Adviser may voluntarily choose to waive any portion of its fee and/or reimburse certain operating expenses of the Fund for competitive reasons such as to maintain the Fund’s expense ratio, or as and when appropriate, to maintain positive or zero net yields. For the year ended July 31, 2023, the Adviser voluntarily waived $906,747 of its fee.
The Adviser has agreed to reimburse the Fund for certain investment adviser fees as a result of transactions in other affiliated investment companies. For the year ended July 31, 2023, the Adviser reimbursed $9,374.
Administrative Fee
Federated Administrative Services (FAS), under the Administrative Services Agreement, provides the Fund with administrative personnel and services. For purposes of determining the appropriate rate breakpoint, “Investment Complex” is defined as all of the Federated Hermes Funds subject to a fee under the Administrative Services Agreement. The fee paid to FAS is based on the average daily net assets of the Investment Complex as specified below:
Administrative Fee
Average Daily Net Assets
of the Investment Complex
0.100%
on assets up to $50 billion
0.075%
on assets over $50 billion
Subject to the terms described in the Expense Limitation note, FAS may voluntarily choose to waive any portion of its fee. For the year ended July 31, 2023, the annualized fee paid to FAS was 0.078% of average daily net assets of the Fund.
In addition, FAS may charge certain out-of-pocket expenses to the Fund.
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25

Distribution Services Fee
The Fund has adopted a Distribution Plan (the “Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Act. Under the terms of the Plan, the Fund will compensate Federated Securities Corp. (FSC), the principal distributor, from the daily net assets of the Fund’s Class A Shares and Class C Shares to finance activities intended to result in the sale of these shares. The Plan provides that the Fund may incur distribution expenses at the following percentages of average daily net assets annually, to compensate FSC:
 
Percentage of Average Daily
Net Assets of Class
Class A Shares
0.05%
Class C Shares
0.75%
Prior to their conversion to Class A Shares at the close of business on February 3, 2023, the Class B Shares were also subject to the Plan at 0.75% of average daily net assets of the Class B Shares.
Subject to the terms described in the Expense Limitation note, FSC may voluntarily choose to waive any portion of its fee. For the year ended July 31, 2023, distribution services fees for the Fund were as follows:
 
Distribution Services
Fees Incurred
Class B Shares
$12,257
Class C Shares
110,674
TOTAL
$122,931
When FSC receives fees, it may pay some or all of them to financial intermediaries whose customers purchase shares. For the year ended July 31, 2023, FSC retained $24,505 of fees paid by the Fund. For the year ended July 31, 2023, the Fund’s Class A Shares did not incur a distribution services fee; however, it may begin to incur this fee upon approval of the Trustees.
Sales Charges
Front-end sales charges and contingent deferred sales charges (CDSC) do not represent expenses of the Fund. They are deducted from the proceeds of sales of Fund shares prior to investment or from redemption proceeds prior to remittance, as applicable. For the year ended July 31, 2023, FSC retained $17,088 in sales charges from the sale of Class A Shares. FSC also retained $817 and $355 of CDSC relating to redemptions of Class B Shares and Class C Shares, respectively.
Other Service Fees
For the year ended July 31, 2023, FSSC received $28,548 of the other service fees disclosed in Note 2.
Expense Limitation
The Adviser and certain of its affiliates (which may include FSC, FAS and FSSC) on their own initiative have agreed to waive certain amounts of their respective fees and/or reimburse expenses. Total annual fund operating expenses (as shown in the financial highlights, excluding interest expense, extraordinary expenses and proxy-related expenses paid by the Fund, if any) paid by the Fund’s Class A Shares, Class C Shares and
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26

Institutional Shares (after the voluntary waivers and/or reimbursements) will not exceed 0.99%, 1.74% and 0.74% (the “Fee Limit”), respectively, up to but not including the later of (the “Termination Date”): (a) October 1, 2024; or (b) the date of the Fund’s next effective Prospectus. While the Adviser and its applicable affiliates currently do not anticipate terminating or increasing these arrangements prior to the Termination Date, these arrangements may only be terminated or the Fee Limit increased prior to the Termination Date with the agreement of the Trustees.
Directors’/Trustees’ and Miscellaneous Fees
Certain Officers and Trustees of the Fund are Officers and Directors or Trustees of certain of the above companies. To efficiently facilitate payment, Independent Directors’/Trustees’ fees and certain expenses related to conducting meetings of the Directors/Trustees and other miscellaneous expenses are paid by an affiliate of the Adviser which in due course are reimbursed by the Fund. These expenses related to conducting meetings of the Directors/Trustees and other miscellaneous expenses may be included in Accrued and Miscellaneous Expenses on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Statement of Operations, respectively.
6. INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS
Purchases and sales of investments, excluding long-term U.S. government securities and short-term obligations, for the year ended July 31, 2023, were as follows:
Purchases
$658,818,409
Sales
$374,980,287
7. CONCENTRATION OF RISK
The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in securities of companies that are deemed by the Fund’s management to be classified in similar business sectors. Economic developments may have an effect on the liquidity and volatility of the portfolio securities.
A substantial portion of the Fund’s portfolio may be comprised of entities in the Information Technology sector. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to any economic, business, political or other developments which generally affect these entities.
8. LINE OF CREDIT
The Fund participates with certain other Federated Hermes Funds, on a several basis, in an up to $500,000,000 unsecured, 364-day, committed, revolving line of credit (LOC) agreement dated June 21, 2023. The LOC was made available to temporarily finance the repurchase or redemption of shares of the Fund, failed trades, payment of dividends, settlement of trades and for other short-term, temporary or emergency general business purposes. The Fund cannot borrow under the LOC if an inter-fund loan is outstanding. The Fund’s ability to borrow under the LOC also is subject to the limitations of the Act and various conditions precedent that must be satisfied before the Fund can borrow. Loans under the LOC are charged interest at a fluctuating rate per annum equal to (a) the highest, on any day, of (i) the federal funds effective rate, (ii) the published secured overnight financing rate plus an assigned percentage, and (iii) 0.0%,
Annual Shareholder Report
27

plus (b) a margin. Any fund eligible to borrow under the LOC pays its pro rata share of a commitment fee based on the amount of the lenders’ commitment that has not been utilized, quarterly in arrears and at maturity. As of July 31, 2023, the Fund had no outstanding loans. During the year ended July 31, 2023, the Fund did not utilize the LOC.
9. Interfund Lending
Pursuant to an Exemptive Order issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Fund, along with other funds advised by subsidiaries of Federated Hermes, Inc., may participate in an interfund lending program. This program provides an alternative credit facility allowing the Fund to borrow from other participating affiliated funds. As of July 31, 2023, there were no outstanding loans. During the year ended July 31, 2023, the program was not utilized.
10. INDEMNIFICATIONS
Under the Fund’s organizational documents, its Officers and Directors/Trustees are indemnified against certain liabilities arising out of the performance of their duties to the Fund (other than liabilities arising out of their willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of their duties to the Fund). In addition, in the normal course of business, the Fund provides certain indemnifications under arrangements with third parties. Typically, obligations to indemnify a third party arise in the context of an arrangement entered into by the Fund under which the Fund agrees to indemnify such third party for certain liabilities arising out of actions taken pursuant to the arrangement, provided the third party’s actions are not deemed to have breached an agreed-upon standard of care (such as willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of their duties under the contract). The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Fund that have not yet arisen. The Fund does not anticipate any material claims or losses pursuant to these arrangements at this time, and accordingly expects the risk of loss to be remote.
11. OTHER MATTERS
An outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus was first detected in China in late 2019 and subsequently spread globally. As of the date of the issuance of these financial statements, this coronavirus has resulted in, and may continue to result in, closed borders, enhanced health screenings, disruptions to healthcare service preparation and delivery, quarantines, cancellations, and disruptions to supply chains, workflow operations and consumer activity, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The impact of this coronavirus has resulted in substantial economic volatility. Health crises caused by outbreaks, such as the coronavirus outbreak, may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks. The impact of this outbreak, and other epidemics and pandemics that may arise in the future, could continue to negatively affect the worldwide economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, individual companies (including certain Fund service providers and issuers of the Fund’s investments) and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. In addition, governments, their regulatory agencies, or self-regulatory organizations may take actions in response to the pandemic, including significant fiscal and monetary policy changes, that may affect the instruments in which the Fund invests or the issuers of such investments. Any such impact could adversely affect the Fund’s performance.
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28

12. FEDERAL TAX INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)
For the year ended July 31, 2023, the amount of long-term capital gains designated by the Fund was $25,605,388.
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29

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF FEDERATED HERMES MDT SERIES AND SHAREHOLDERS OF FEDERATED HERMES MDT LARGE CAP GROWTH FUND:
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities of Federated Hermes MDT Large Cap Growth Fund (the “Fund”) (one of the portfolios constituting Federated Hermes MDT Series (the “Trust”)), including the portfolio of investments, as of July 31, 2023, and the related statement of operations for the year then ended, the statement of changes in net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended, the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Fund (one of the portfolios constituting Federated Hermes MDT Series), at July 31, 2023, the results of its operations for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended and its financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Trust’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Fund’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Trust in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Trust is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of the Trust’s internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Trust’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
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Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of July 31, 2023, by correspondence with the custodian, brokers, and others; when replies were not received from brokers or others, we performed other auditing procedures. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
We have served as the auditor of one or more Federated Hermes investment companies since 1979.
Boston, Massachusetts
September 27, 2023
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31

Shareholder Expense Example (unaudited)
As a shareholder of the Fund, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads) on purchase or redemption payments; and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees and to the extent applicable, distribution (12b-1) fees and/or other service fees and other Fund expenses. This Example is intended to help you to understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds. It is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period from February 1, 2023 to July 31, 2023.
ACTUAL EXPENSES
The first section of the table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this section, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you incurred over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first section under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses attributable to your investment during this period.
HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLE FOR COMPARISON PURPOSES
The second section of the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. Thus, you should not use the hypothetical account values and expenses to estimate the actual ending account balance or your expenses for the period. Rather, these figures are required to be provided to enable you to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund with other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.
Annual Shareholder Report
32

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transaction costs, such as sales charges (loads) on purchase or redemption payments. Therefore, the second section of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transaction costs were included, your costs would have been higher.
 
Beginning
Account Value
2/1/2023
Ending
Account Value
7/31/2023
Expenses Paid
During Period1
Actual:
 
 
 
Class A Shares
$1,000
$1,180.20
$5.35
Class C Shares
$1,000
$1,175.90
$9.39
Institutional Shares
$1,000
$1,181.80
$4.00
Hypothetical (assuming a 5% return
before expenses):
 
 
 
Class A Shares
$1,000
$1,019.89
$4.96
Class C Shares
$1,000
$1,016.17
$8.70
Institutional Shares
$1,000
$1,021.12
$3.71
1
Expenses are equal to the Fund’s annualized net expense ratios, multiplied by the average
account value over the period, multiplied by 181/365 (to reflect the one-half-year period). The
annualized net expense ratios are as follows:
Class A Shares
0.99%
Class C Shares
1.74%
Institutional Shares
0.74%
Annual Shareholder Report
33

Board of Trustees and Trust Officers
The Board of Trustees is responsible for managing the Trust’s business affairs and for exercising all the Trust’s powers except those reserved for the shareholders. The following tables give information about each Trustee and the senior officers of the Fund. Where required, the tables separately list Trustees who are “interested persons” of the Fund (i.e., “Interested” Trustees) and those who are not (i.e., “Independent” Trustees). Unless otherwise noted, the address of each person listed is 1001 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779. The address of all Independent Trustees listed is 4000 Ericsson Drive, Warrendale, PA 15086-7561; Attention: Mutual Fund Board. As of December 31, 2022, the Trust comprised five portfolio(s), and the Federated Hermes Fund Family consisted of 33 investment companies (comprising 102 portfolios). Unless otherwise noted, each Officer is elected annually. Unless otherwise noted, each Trustee oversees all portfolios in the Federated Hermes Fund Family and serves for an indefinite term. The Fund’s Statement of Additional Information includes additional information about Trust Trustees and is available, without charge and upon request, by calling 1-800-341-7400, Option #4.
Interested TRUSTEES Background
Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held and Previous Position(s)
J. Christopher Donahue*
Birth Date: April 11, 1949
President and Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: May 2006
Principal Occupations: Principal Executive Officer and President of
certain of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Fund Family; Director or
Trustee of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Fund Family; President,
Chief Executive Officer and Director, Federated Hermes, Inc.;
Chairman and Trustee, Federated Investment Management Company;
Trustee, Federated Investment Counseling; Chairman and Director,
Federated Global Investment Management Corp.; Chairman and
Trustee, Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania;
Trustee, Federated Shareholder Services Company; Director,
Federated Services Company.
Previous Positions: President, Federated Investment Counseling;
President and Chief Executive Officer, Federated Investment
Management Company, Federated Global Investment Management
Corp. and Passport Research, Ltd; Chairman, Passport Research, Ltd.
Annual Shareholder Report
34

Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held and Previous Position(s)
John B. Fisher*
Birth Date: May 16, 1956
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: May 2016
Principal Occupations: Principal Executive Officer and President of
certain of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Fund Family; Director or
Trustee of certain of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Fund Family;
Director and Vice President, Federated Hermes, Inc.; President,
Director/Trustee and CEO, Federated Advisory Services Company,
Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania, Federated
Global Investment Management Corp., Federated Investment
Counseling, Federated Investment Management Company, and
Federated MDTA LLC; Director, Federated Investors Trust Company.
Previous Positions: President and Director of the Institutional Sales
Division of Federated Securities Corp.; President and CEO of Passport
Research, Ltd.; Director and President, Technology, Federated
Services Company.
*
Reasons for “interested” status: J. Christopher Donahue and John B. Fisher are interested due to their beneficial ownership of shares of Federated Hermes, Inc. and due to positions they hold with Federated Hermes, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES Background
Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
John T. Collins
Birth Date: January 24, 1947
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: October 2013
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee, and Chair of the Board
of Directors or Trustees, of the Federated Hermes Fund Family;
formerly, Chairman and CEO, The Collins Group, Inc. (a private equity
firm) (Retired).
Other Directorships Held: Director, KLX Energy Services Holdings,
Inc. (oilfield services); former Director of KLX Corp. (aerospace).
Qualifications: Mr. Collins has served in several business and financial
management roles and directorship positions throughout his career.
Mr. Collins previously served as Chairman and CEO of The Collins
Group, Inc. (a private equity firm) and as a Director of KLX Corp.
Mr. Collins serves as Chairman Emeriti, Bentley University. Mr. Collins
previously served as Director and Audit Committee Member, Bank of
America Corp.; Director, FleetBoston Financial Corp.; and Director,
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Harvard University
Affiliate Hospital).
Annual Shareholder Report
35

Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
G. Thomas Hough
Birth Date: February 28, 1955
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: August 2015
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee, Chair of the Audit
Committee of the Federated Hermes Fund Family; formerly, Vice
Chair, Ernst & Young LLP (public accounting firm) (Retired).
Other Directorships Held: Director, Chair of the Audit Committee,
Equifax, Inc.; Lead Director, Member of the Audit and Nominating and
Corporate Governance Committees, Haverty Furniture Companies,
Inc.; formerly, Director, Member of Governance and Compensation
Committees, Publix Super Markets, Inc.
Qualifications: Mr. Hough has served in accounting, business
management and directorship positions throughout his career.
Mr. Hough most recently held the position of Americas Vice Chair of
Assurance with Ernst & Young LLP (public accounting firm). Mr. Hough
serves on the President’s Cabinet and Business School Board of
Visitors for the University of Alabama. Mr. Hough previously served on
the Business School Board of Visitors for Wake Forest University, and
he previously served as an Executive Committee member of the
United States Golf Association.
Maureen Lally-Green
Birth Date: July 5, 1949
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: August 2009
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Fund Family; Adjunct Professor Emerita of Law, Duquesne University
School of Law; formerly, Dean of the Duquesne University School of
Law and Professor of Law and Interim Dean of the Duquesne
University School of Law; formerly, Associate General Secretary and
Director, Office of Church Relations, Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Other Directorships Held: Director, CNX Resources Corporation
(natural gas).
Qualifications: Judge Lally-Green has served in various legal and
business roles and directorship positions throughout her career. Judge
Lally-Green previously held the position of Dean of the School of Law
of Duquesne University (as well as Interim Dean). Judge Lally-Green
previously served as Associate General Secretary of the Diocese of
Pittsburgh, a member of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania and as a
Professor of Law, Duquesne University School of Law. Judge Lally-
Green was appointed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to serve
on the Supreme Court’s Board of Continuing Judicial Education and
the Supreme Court’s Appellate Court Procedural Rules Committee.
Judge Lally-Green also currently holds the positions on not for profit
or for profit boards of directors as follows: Director and Chair, UPMC
Mercy Hospital; Regent, Saint Vincent Seminary; Member,
Pennsylvania State Board of Education (public); Director, Catholic
Charities, Pittsburgh; and Director CNX Resources Corporation
(natural gas). Judge Lally-Green has held the positions of: Director,
Auberle; Director, Epilepsy Foundation of Western and Central
Pennsylvania; Director, Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh; Director, Saint
Thomas More Society; Director and Chair, Catholic High Schools of
the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Inc.; Director, Pennsylvania Bar Institute;
Director, St. Vincent College; Director and Chair, North Catholic High
School, Inc.; Director and Vice Chair, Our Campaign for the Church
Alive!, Inc.; and Director and Vice Chair, Saint Francis University.
Annual Shareholder Report
36

Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
Thomas M. O’Neill
Birth Date: June 14, 1951
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: August 2006
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Fund Family; Sole Proprietor, Navigator Management Company
(investment and strategic consulting).
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Mr. O’Neill has served in several business, mutual fund
and financial management roles and directorship positions throughout
his career. Mr. O’Neill serves as Director, Medicines for Humanity.
Mr. O’Neill previously served as Chief Executive Officer and President,
Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer, Fleet Investment
Advisors; President and Chief Executive Officer, Aeltus Investment
Management, Inc.; General Partner, Hellman, Jordan Management
Co., Boston, MA; Chief Investment Officer, The Putnam Companies,
Boston, MA; Credit Analyst and Lending Officer, Fleet Bank; Director
and Consultant, EZE Castle Software (investment order management
software); Director, Midway Pacific (lumber); and Director, The
Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples, Florida.
Madelyn A. Reilly
Birth Date: February 2, 1956
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving:
November 2020
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Fund Family; formerly, Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs,
General Counsel and Secretary of Board of Directors, Duquesne
University (Retired).
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Ms. Reilly has served in various business and legal
management roles throughout her career. Ms. Reilly previously served
as Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs, General Counsel and
Secretary of Board of Directors and Director of Risk Management and
Associate General Counsel, Duquesne University. Prior to her work at
Duquesne University, Ms. Reilly served as Assistant General Counsel
of Compliance and Enterprise Risk as well as Senior Counsel of
Environment, Health and Safety, PPG Industries. Ms. Reilly currently
serves as a member of the Board of Directors of UPMC
Mercy Hospital.
Annual Shareholder Report
37

Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
P. Jerome Richey
Birth Date: February 23, 1949
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: October 2013
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Fund Family; Retired; formerly, Senior Vice Chancellor and Chief Legal
Officer, University of Pittsburgh and Executive Vice President and
Chief Legal Officer, CONSOL Energy Inc. (now split into two separate
publicly traded companies known as CONSOL Energy Inc. and CNX
Resources Corp.).
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Mr. Richey has served in several business and legal
management roles and directorship positions throughout his career.
Mr. Richey most recently held the positions of Senior Vice Chancellor
and Chief Legal Officer, University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Richey previously
served as Chairman of the Board, Epilepsy Foundation of Western
Pennsylvania and Chairman of the Board, World Affairs Council of
Pittsburgh. Mr. Richey previously served as Chief Legal Officer and
Executive Vice President, CONSOL Energy Inc. and CNX Gas
Company; and Board Member, Ethics Counsel and Shareholder,
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC (a law firm).
John S. Walsh
Birth Date:
November 28, 1957
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: June 2006
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Fund Family; President and Director, Heat Wagon, Inc. (manufacturer
of construction temporary heaters); President and Director,
Manufacturers Products, Inc. (distributor of portable construction
heaters); President, Portable Heater Parts, a division of Manufacturers
Products, Inc.
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Mr. Walsh has served in several business management
roles and directorship positions throughout his career. Mr. Walsh
previously served as Vice President, Walsh & Kelly, Inc.
(paving contractors).
Annual Shareholder Report
38

OFFICERS
Name
Birth Date
Address
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years
and Previous Position(s)
Lori A. Hensler
Birth Date: January 6, 1967
TREASURER
Officer since: April 2013
Principal Occupations: Principal Financial Officer and Treasurer of the
Federated Hermes Fund Family; Senior Vice President, Federated
Administrative Services; Financial and Operations Principal for
Federated Securities Corp.; and Assistant Treasurer, Federated
Investors Trust Company. Ms. Hensler has received the Certified
Public Accountant designation.
Previous Positions: Controller of Federated Hermes, Inc.; Senior Vice
President and Assistant Treasurer, Federated Investors Management
Company; Treasurer, Federated Investors Trust Company; Assistant
Treasurer, Federated Administrative Services, Federated
Administrative Services, Inc., Federated Securities Corp., Edgewood
Services, Inc., Federated Advisory Services Company, Federated
Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania, Federated Global
Investment Management Corp., Federated Investment Counseling,
Federated Investment Management Company, Passport Research,
Ltd., and Federated MDTA, LLC; Financial and Operations Principal for
Federated Securities Corp., Edgewood Services, Inc. and Southpointe
Distribution Services, Inc.
Peter J. Germain
Birth Date:
September 3, 1959
CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER,
SECRETARY and EXECUTIVE
VICE PRESIDENT
Officer since: June 2006
Principal Occupations: Mr. Germain is Chief Legal Officer, Secretary
and Executive Vice President of the Federated Hermes Fund Family.
He is General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer, Secretary and Executive
Vice President, Federated Hermes, Inc.; Trustee and Senior Vice
President, Federated Investors Management Company; Trustee and
President, Federated Administrative Services; Director and President,
Federated Administrative Services, Inc.; Director and Vice President,
Federated Securities Corp.; Director and Secretary, Federated Private
Asset Management, Inc.; Secretary, Federated Shareholder Services
Company; and Secretary, Retirement Plan Service Company of
America. Mr. Germain joined Federated Hermes, Inc. in 1984 and is a
member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.
Previous Positions: Deputy General Counsel, Special Counsel,
Managing Director of Mutual Fund Services, Federated Hermes, Inc.;
Senior Vice President, Federated Services Company; and Senior
Corporate Counsel, Federated Hermes, Inc.
Stephen F. Auth
Birth Date:
September 13, 1956
101 Park Avenue
41st Floor
New York, NY 10178
CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER
Officer since: June 2012
Principal Occupations: Stephen F. Auth is Chief Investment Officer of
various Funds in the Federated Hermes Fund Family; Executive Vice
President, Federated Investment Counseling, Federated Global
Investment Management Corp. and Federated Equity Management
Company of Pennsylvania.
Previous Positions: Executive Vice President, Federated Investment
Management Company and Passport Research, Ltd. (investment
advisory subsidiary of Federated); Senior Vice President, Global
Portfolio Management Services Division; Senior Vice President,
Federated Investment Management Company and Passport
Research, Ltd.; Senior Managing Director and Portfolio Manager,
Prudential Investments.
Annual Shareholder Report
39

Name
Birth Date
Address
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years
and Previous Position(s)
Stephen Van Meter
Birth Date: June 5, 1975
CHIEF COMPLIANCE
OFFICER AND SENIOR VICE
PRESIDENT
Officer since: July 2015
Principal Occupations: Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance
Officer of the Federated Hermes Fund Family; Vice President and
Chief Compliance Officer of Federated Hermes, Inc. and Chief
Compliance Officer of certain of its subsidiaries. Mr. Van Meter joined
Federated Hermes, Inc. in October 2011. He holds FINRA licenses
under Series 3, 7, 24 and 66.
Previous Positions: Mr. Van Meter previously held the position of
Compliance Operating Officer, Federated Hermes, Inc. Prior to joining
Federated Hermes, Inc., Mr. Van Meter served at the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission in the positions of Senior
Counsel, Office of Chief Counsel, Division of Investment Management
and Senior Counsel, Division of Enforcement.
Annual Shareholder Report
40

Evaluation and Approval of Advisory ContractMay 2023
Federated Hermes MDT Large Cap Growth Fund (the “Fund”)
At its meetings in May 2023 (the “May Meetings”), the Fund’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”), including those Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Fund, as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Independent Trustees”), reviewed and unanimously approved the continuation of the investment advisory contract between the Fund and Federated MDTA LLC (the “Adviser”) with respect to the Fund (the “Contract”) for an additional one-year term. The Board’s determination to approve the continuation of the Contract reflects the exercise of its business judgment after considering all of the information and factors believed to be relevant and appropriate on whether to approve the continuation of the existing arrangement. The information, factors and conclusions that formed the basis for the Board’s approval are summarized below.
Information Received and Review Process
At the request of the Independent Trustees, the Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer (the “CCO”) furnished to the Board in advance of its May Meetings an independent written evaluation of the Fund’s management fee (the “CCO Fee Evaluation Report”). The Board considered the CCO Fee Evaluation Report, along with other information, in evaluating the reasonableness of the Fund’s management fee and in determining to approve the continuation of the Contract. The CCO, in preparing the CCO Fee Evaluation Report, has the authority to retain consultants, experts or staff as reasonably necessary to assist in the performance of his duties, reports directly to the Board, and can be terminated only with the approval of a majority of the Independent Trustees. At the request of the Independent Trustees, the CCO Fee Evaluation Report followed the same general approach and covered the same topics as that of the report that had previously been delivered by the CCO in his capacity as “Senior Officer” prior to the elimination of the Senior Officer position in December 2017.
In addition to the extensive materials that comprise and accompany the CCO Fee Evaluation Report, the Board considered information specifically prepared in connection with the approval of the continuation of the Contract that was presented at the May Meetings. In this regard, in the months preceding the May Meetings, the Board requested and reviewed written responses and supporting materials prepared by the Adviser and its affiliates (collectively, “Federated Hermes”) in response to requests posed to Federated Hermes by independent legal counsel on behalf of the Independent Trustees encompassing a wide variety of topics, including those summarized below. The Board also considered such additional matters as the Independent Trustees deemed
Annual Shareholder Report
41

reasonably necessary to evaluate the Contract, which included detailed information about the Fund and Federated Hermes furnished to the Board at its meetings throughout the year and in between regularly scheduled meetings on particular matters as the need arose.
The Board’s consideration of the Contract included review of materials and information covering the following matters, among others: the nature, quality and extent of the advisory and other services provided to the Fund by Federated Hermes; Federated Hermes’ business and operations; the Adviser’s investment philosophy, personnel and processes; the Fund’s investment objectives and strategies; the Fund’s short-term and long-term performance (in absolute terms, both on a gross basis and net of expenses, and relative to the Fund’s particular investment program and a group of its peer funds and/or its benchmark, as appropriate); the Fund’s fees and expenses, including the advisory fee and the overall expense structure of the Fund (both in absolute terms and relative to a group of its peer funds), with due regard for contractual or voluntary expense limitations (if any); the financial condition of Federated Hermes; the Adviser’s profitability with respect to managing the Fund; distribution and sales activity for the Fund; and the use and allocation of brokerage commissions derived from trading the Fund’s portfolio securities (if any).
The Board also considered judicial decisions allegedly excessive investment advisory fees charged to other registered funds in evaluating the Contract. Using these judicial decisions as a guide, the Board observed that the following factors may be relevant to an adviser’s fiduciary duty with respect to its receipt of compensation from a fund: (1) the nature and quality of the services provided by the adviser to the fund and its shareholders, including the performance of the fund, its benchmark and comparable funds; (2) the adviser’s cost of providing the services and the profitability to the adviser of providing advisory services to the fund; (3) the extent to which the adviser may realize “economies of scale” as the fund grows larger and, if such economies of scale exist, whether they have been appropriately shared with the fund and its shareholders or the family of funds; (4) any “fall-out” benefits that accrue to the adviser because of its relationship with the fund, including research services received from brokers that execute fund trades and any fees paid to affiliates of the adviser for services rendered to the fund; (5) comparative fee and expense structures, including a comparison of management fees paid to the adviser with those paid by similar funds managed by the same adviser or other advisers as well as management fees charged to institutional and other advisory clients of the same adviser for what might be viewed as like services; and (6) the extent of care, conscientiousness and independence with which the fund’s board members perform their duties and their expertise, including whether they are fully informed about all facts the board deems relevant to its consideration of the adviser’s services and fees. The Board noted that the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) disclosure requirements
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42

regarding the basis for a fund board’s approval of the fund’s investment advisory contract generally align with the factors listed above. The Board was guided by these factors in its review of the Contract to the extent it considered them to be appropriate and relevant, as discussed further below. The Board considered and weighed these factors in light of its substantial accumulated experience in governing the Fund and working with Federated Hermes on matters relating to the oversight of the other funds advised by Federated Hermes (each, a “Federated Hermes Fund” and, collectively, the “Federated Hermes Funds”).
In addition, the Board considered the preferences and expectations of Fund shareholders and the potential disruptions of the Fund’s operations and various risks, uncertainties and other effects that could occur as a result of a decision to terminate or not renew the Contract. In particular, the Board recognized that many shareholders likely have invested in the Fund based on the strength of Federated Hermes’ industry standing and reputation and with the expectation that Federated Hermes will have a continuing role in providing advisory services to the Fund. Thus, the Board observed that there are a range of investment options available to the Fund’s shareholders and such shareholders in the marketplace, having had the opportunity to consider other investment options, have effectively selected Federated Hermes by virtue of investing in the Fund.
In determining to approve the continuation of the Contract, the members of the Board reviewed and evaluated information and factors they believed to be relevant and appropriate through the exercise of their reasonable business judgment. While individual members of the Board may have weighed certain factors differently, the Board’s determination to approve the continuation of the Contract was based on a comprehensive consideration of all information provided to the Board throughout the year and specifically with respect to the continuation of the Contract. The Board recognized that its evaluation process is evolutionary and that the factors considered and emphasis placed on relevant factors may change in recognition of changing circumstances in the registered fund marketplace. The Independent Trustees were assisted throughout the evaluation process by independent legal counsel. In connection with their deliberations at the May Meetings, the Independent Trustees met separately in executive session with their independent legal counsel and without management present to review the relevant materials and consider their responsibilities under applicable laws. In addition, senior management representatives of Federated Hermes also met with the Independent Trustees and their independent legal counsel to discuss the materials and presentations furnished to the Board at the May Meetings. The Board considered the approval of the Contract for the Fund as part of its consideration of agreements for funds across the family of Federated Hermes Funds, but its approvals were made on a fund-by-fund basis.
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43

Nature, Extent and Quality of Services
The Board considered the nature, extent and quality of the services provided to the Fund by the Adviser and the resources of Federated Hermes dedicated to the Fund. In this regard, the Board evaluated, among other things, the terms of the Contract and the range of services provided to the Fund by Federated Hermes. The Board considered the Adviser’s personnel, investment philosophy and process, investment research capabilities and resources, trade operations capabilities, experience and performance track record. The Board reviewed the qualifications, backgrounds and responsibilities of the portfolio management team primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and Federated Hermes’ ability and experience in attracting and retaining qualified personnel to service the Fund. The Board considered the trading operations by the Adviser, including the execution of portfolio transactions and the selection of brokers for those transactions. The Board also considered the Adviser’s ability to deliver competitive investment performance for the Fund when compared to the Fund’s Performance Peer Group (as defined below), which was deemed by the Board to be a useful indicator of how the Adviser is executing the Fund’s investment program.
In addition, the Board considered the financial resources and overall reputation of Federated Hermes and its willingness to consider and make investments in personnel, infrastructure, technology, cybersecurity, business continuity planning and operational enhancements that are designed to benefit the Federated Hermes Funds. The Board noted that the significant acquisition of Hermes Fund Managers Limited by Federated Hermes has deepened Federated Hermes’ investment management expertise and capabilities and expanded its access to analytical resources related to environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) factors and issuer engagement on ESG matters. The Board considered Federated Hermes’ oversight of the securities lending program for the Federated Hermes Funds that engage in securities lending and noted the income earned by the Federated Hermes Funds that participate in such program. In addition, the Board considered the quality of Federated Hermes’ communications with the Board and responsiveness to Board inquiries and requests made from time to time with respect to the Federated Hermes Funds. The Board also considered that Federated Hermes is responsible for providing the Federated Hermes Funds’ officers.
The Board received and evaluated information regarding Federated Hermes’ regulatory and compliance environment. The Board considered Federated Hermes’ compliance program and compliance history and reports from the CCO about Federated Hermes’ compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including responses to regulatory developments and any compliance or other issues raised by regulatory agencies. The Board also noted Federated Hermes’ support of the Federated Hermes Funds’ compliance control structure and the compliance-related resources devoted by Federated Hermes in support of the Fund’s obligations pursuant to Rule 38a-1 under the
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44

Investment Company Act of 1940, including Federated Hermes’ commitment to respond to rulemaking and other regulatory initiatives of the SEC. The Board considered Federated Hermes’ approach to internal audits and risk management with respect to the Federated Hermes Funds and its day-to-day oversight of the Federated Hermes Funds’ compliance with their investment objectives and policies as well as with applicable laws and regulations, noting that regulatory and other developments had over time led, and continue to lead, to an increase in the scope of Federated Hermes’ oversight in this regard, including in connection with the implementation of new rules on derivatives risk management and fair valuation.
The Board also considered the implementation of Federated Hermes’ business continuity plans. In addition, the Board noted Federated Hermes’ commitment to maintaining high quality systems and expending substantial resources to prepare for and respond to ongoing changes due to the market, regulatory and control environments in which the Fund and its service providers operate.
The Board considered Federated Hermes’ efforts to provide shareholders in the Federated Hermes Funds with a comprehensive array of funds with different investment objectives, policies and strategies. The Board considered the expenses that Federated Hermes had incurred, as well as the entrepreneurial and other risks assumed by Federated Hermes, in sponsoring and providing on-going services to new funds to expand these opportunities for shareholders. The Board noted the benefits to shareholders of being part of the family of Federated Hermes Funds, which include the general right to exchange investments between the same class of shares without the incurrence of additional sales charges.
Based on these considerations, the Board concluded that it was satisfied with the nature, extent and quality of the services provided by the Adviser to the Fund.
Fund Investment Performance
The Board considered the investment performance of the Fund. In evaluating the Fund’s investment performance, the Board considered performance results in light of the Fund’s investment objective, strategies and risks. The Board considered detailed investment reports on, and the Adviser’s analysis of, the Fund’s performance over different time periods that were provided to the Board throughout the year and in connection with the May Meetings. These reports included, among other items, information on the Fund’s gross and net returns, the Fund’s investment performance compared to one or more relevant categories or groups of peer funds and the Fund’s benchmark index, performance attribution information and commentary on the effect of market conditions. The Board considered that, in its evaluation of investment performance at meetings throughout the year, it focused particular attention on information indicating less favorable performance of certain
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45

Federated Hermes Funds for specific time periods and discussed with Federated Hermes the reasons for such performance as well as any specific actions Federated Hermes had taken, or had agreed to take, to seek to enhance Fund investment performance and the results of those actions.
The Board also reviewed comparative information regarding the performance of other registered funds in the category of peer funds selected by Morningstar, Inc. (the “Morningstar”), an independent fund ranking organization (the “Performance Peer Group”). The Board noted the CCO’s view that comparisons to fund peer groups may be helpful, though not conclusive, in evaluating the performance of the Adviser in managing the Fund. The Board considered the CCO’s view that, in evaluating such comparisons, in some cases there may be differences in the funds’ objectives or investment management techniques, or the costs to implement the funds, even within the same Performance Peer Group. In this connection, the Board considered that the quantitative focus of the management of the Fund makes fee and expense comparisons particularly difficult as the funds in the Performance Peer Group varied widely in terms of the complexity of their management, and the management of the Fund is among the more complex relative to its Performance Peer Group. The Board also considered a report comparing the performance of the Fund solely to other funds with a quantitative focus in the Performance Peer Group.
The Board considered that for the one-year, three-year and five-year periods ended December 31, 2022, the Fund’s performance was above the median of the Performance Peer Group. In addition, the Board was informed by the Adviser that, for the same periods, the Fund outperformed its benchmark index for the one-year, three-year and five-year periods.
Based on these considerations, the Board concluded that it had continued confidence in the Adviser’s overall capabilities to manage the Fund.
Fund Expenses
The Board considered the advisory fee, and overall expense structure of the Fund and the comparative fee and expense information that had been provided in connection with the May Meetings. In this regard, the Board was presented with, and considered, information regarding the contractual advisory fee rates, net advisory fee rates, total expense ratios and each element of the Fund’s total expense ratio (i.e., gross and net advisory fees, administrative fees, custody fees, portfolio accounting fees and transfer agency fees) relative to an appropriate group of peer funds compiled by Federated Hermes from the category of peer funds selected by Morningstar (the “Expense Peer Group”). The Board received a description of the methodology used to select the Expense Peer Group from the overall Morningstar category. The Board also reviewed comparative information regarding the fees and expenses of the broader group of funds in the overall Morningstar category.
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46

While mindful that courts have cautioned against giving too much weight to comparative information concerning fees charged to funds by other advisers, the use of comparisons between the Fund and its Expense Peer Group assisted the Board in its evaluation of the Fund’s fees and expenses. The Board focused on comparisons with other registered funds with comparable investment programs more heavily than non-registered fund products or services because such comparisons are believed to be more relevant. The Board considered that other registered funds are the products most like the Fund, in that they are readily available to Fund shareholders as alternative investment vehicles, and they are the type of investment vehicle, in fact, chosen and maintained by the Fund’s shareholders. The Board noted that the range of such other registered funds’ fees and expenses, therefore, appears to be a relevant indicator of what investors have found to be reasonable in the marketplace in which the Fund competes.
The Board reviewed the contractual advisory fee rate, net advisory fee rate and other expenses of the Fund and noted the position of the Fund’s fee rates relative to its Expense Peer Group. In this regard, the Board noted that the contractual advisory fee was above the median of the Expense Peer Group, but the Board noted the applicable waivers and reimbursements, and that the overall expense structure of the Fund remained competitive in the context of other factors considered by the Board. In this regard, the Board considered that, while comparisons to the Fund’s Expense Peer Group are relevant in judging the reasonableness of advisory fees, the quantitative focus of the management of the Fund makes fee and expense comparisons to the Expense Group particularly difficult. The Board further considered that, although the Fund’s advisory fee was above the median of the Expense Peer Group, the funds in the Expense Peer Group varied widely in terms of the complexity of their management, and the management of the Fund is among the more complex funds relative to the Expense Peer Group.
The Board also received and considered information about the nature and extent of services offered and fees charged by Federated Hermes to other types of clients with investment strategies similar to those of the Federated Hermes Funds, including non-registered fund clients (such as institutional separate accounts) and third-party unaffiliated registered funds for which any of the Adviser or its affiliates serve as sub-adviser. The Board noted the CCO’s conclusion that non-registered fund clients are inherently different products due to the following differences, among others: (i) different types of targeted investors; (ii) different applicable laws and regulations; (iii) different legal structures; (iv) different average account sizes and portfolio management techniques made necessary by different cash flows and different associated costs; (v) the time spent by portfolio managers and their teams (among other personnel across various departments, including legal, compliance and risk management) in reviewing securities pricing and fund liquidity; (vi) different administrative responsibilities; (vii) different degrees of risk associated with
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47

management; and (viii) a variety of different costs. The Board also considered information regarding the differences in the nature of the services required for Federated Hermes to manage its proprietary registered fund business versus managing a discrete pool of assets as a sub-adviser to another institution’s registered fund, noting the CCO’s view that Federated Hermes generally performs significant additional services and assumes substantially greater risks in managing the Fund and other Federated Hermes Funds than in its role as sub-adviser to an unaffiliated third-party registered fund. The Board noted that the CCO did not consider the fees for providing advisory services to other types of clients to be determinative in judging the appropriateness of the Federated Hermes Funds’ advisory fees.
Based on these considerations, the Board concluded that the fees and total operating expenses of the Fund, in conjunction with other matters considered, are reasonable in light of the services provided.
Profitability
The Board received and considered profitability information furnished by Federated Hermes Such profitability information included revenues reported on a fund-by-fund basis and estimates of the allocation of expenses made on a fund-by-fund basis, using allocation methodologies specified by the CCO and described to the Board. The Board considered the CCO’s view that, while these cost allocation reports apply consistent allocation processes, the inherent difficulties in allocating costs on a fund-by-fund basis continues to cause the CCO to question the precision of the process and to conclude that such reports may be unreliable because a single change in an allocation estimate may dramatically alter the resulting estimate of cost and/or profitability of a Federated Hermes Fund and may produce unintended consequences. In addition, the Board considered the CCO’s view that the allocation methodologies used by Federated Hermes in estimating profitability for purposes of reporting to the Board in connection with the continuation of the Contract are consistent with the methodologies previously reviewed by an independent consultant. The Board noted that the independent consultant had previously conducted a review of the allocation methodologies and reported to the Board that, although there is no single best method to allocate expenses, the methodologies used by Federated Hermes are reasonable. The Board considered the CCO’s view that the estimated profitability to the Adviser from its relationship with the Fund was not unreasonable in relation to the services provided.
The Board also reviewed information compiled by Federated Hermes comparing its profitability information to other publicly held fund management companies, including information regarding profitability trends over time. The Board recognized that profitability comparisons among fund management companies are difficult because of the variation in the type of comparative information that is publicly available, and the profitability of any fund
Annual Shareholder Report
48

management company is affected by numerous factors. The Board considered the CCO’s conclusion that, based on such profitability information, Federated Hermes’ profit margins did not appear to be excessive. The Board also considered the CCO’s view that Federated Hermes appeared financially sound, with the resources necessary to fulfill its obligations under its contracts with the Federated Hermes Funds.
Economies of Scale
The Board received and considered information about the notion of possible realization of “economies of scale” as a fund grows larger, the difficulties of determining economies of scale at an individual fund level, and the extent to which potential scale benefits are shared with shareholders. In this regard, the Board considered that Federated Hermes has made significant and long-term investments in areas that support all of the Federated Hermes Funds, such as: portfolio management, investment research and trading operations; shareholder services; compliance; business continuity, cybersecurity and information security programs; internal audit and risk management functions; and technology and use of data. The Board noted that Federated Hermes’ investments in these areas are extensive and are designed to provide enhanced services to the Federated Hermes Funds and their shareholders. The Board considered that the benefits of these investments are likely to be shared with the family of Federated Hermes Funds as a whole. In addition, the Board considered that fee waivers and expense reimbursements are another means for potential economies of scale to be shared with shareholders and can provide protection from an increase in expenses if a Federated Hermes Fund’s assets decline. The Board considered that, in order for the Federated Hermes Funds to remain competitive in the marketplace, Federated Hermes has frequently waived fees and/or reimbursed expenses for the Federated Hermes Funds and has disclosed to shareholders and/or reported to the Board its intention to do so (or continue to do so) in the future. The Board also considered that Federated Hermes has been active in managing expenses of the Federated Hermes Funds in recent years, which has resulted in benefits being realized by shareholders.
The Board also received and considered information on adviser-paid fees (commonly referred to as “revenue sharing” payments) that was provided to the Board throughout the year and in connection with the May Meetings. The Board considered that Federated Hermes and the CCO believe that this information is relevant to considering whether Federated Hermes had an incentive to either not apply breakpoints, or to apply breakpoints at higher levels, but should not be considered when evaluating the reasonableness of advisory fees. The Board also noted the absence of any applicable regulatory or industry guidelines on economies of scale, which is compounded by the lack of any uniform methodology or pattern with respect to structuring fund advisory fees with breakpoints that serve to reduce the fees as a fund attains a certain size.
Annual Shareholder Report
49

Other Benefits
The Board considered information regarding the compensation and other ancillary (or “fall-out”) benefits that Federated Hermes derived from its relationships with the Federated Hermes Funds. The Board noted that, in addition to receiving advisory fees under the Federated Hermes Funds’ investment advisory contracts, Federated Hermes’ affiliates also receive fees for providing other services to the Federated Hermes Funds under separate service contracts including for serving as the Federated Hermes Funds’ administrator and distributor. In this regard, the Board considered that certain of Federated Hermes’ affiliates provide distribution and shareholder services to the Federated Hermes Funds, for which they may be compensated through distribution and servicing fees paid pursuant to Rule 12b-1 plans or otherwise. The Board also received and considered information detailing the benefits, if any, that Federated Hermes may derive from its receipt of research services from brokers who execute portfolio trades for the Federated Hermes Funds.
Conclusions
The Board considered: (i) the CCO’s conclusion that his observations and the information accompanying the CCO Fee Evaluation Report show that the management fee for the Fund is reasonable; and (ii) the CCO’s recommendation that the Board approve the management fee. The Board noted that, under these circumstances, no changes were recommended to, and no objection was raised to the continuation of, the Contract by the CCO. The CCO also recognized that the Board’s evaluation of the Federated Hermes Funds’ advisory and sub-advisory arrangements is a continuing and ongoing process that is informed by the information that the Board requests and receives from management throughout the course of the year and, in this regard, the CCO noted certain items for future reporting to the Board or further consideration by management as the Board continues its ongoing oversight of the Federated Hermes Funds.
On the basis of the information and factors summarized above, among other information and factors deemed relevant by the Board, and the evaluation thereof, the Board, including the Independent Trustees, unanimously voted to approve the continuation of the Contract. The Board based its determination to approve the Contract on the totality of the circumstances and relevant factors and with a view of past and future long-term considerations. Not all of the factors and considerations identified above were necessarily deemed to be relevant to the Fund, nor did the Board consider any one of them to be determinative.
Annual Shareholder Report
50

Liquidity Risk Management Program
Annual Evaluation of Adequacy and Effectiveness
In accordance with Rule 22e-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Liquidity Rule”), Federated Hermes MDT Series (the “Trust”) has adopted and implemented a liquidity risk management program (the “Program”) for Federated Hermes MDT Large Cap Growth Fund (the “Fund” and, collectively with the other non-money market open-end funds advised by Federated Hermes, the “Federated Hermes Funds”). The Program seeks to assess and manage the Fund’s liquidity risk. “Liquidity risk” is defined under the Liquidity Rule as the risk that the Fund is unable to meet redemption requests without significantly diluting remaining investors’ interests in the Fund. The Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) has approved the designation of each Federated Hermes Fund’s investment adviser as the administrator for the Program (the “Administrator”) with respect to that Fund. The Administrator, in turn, has delegated day-to-day responsibility for the administration of the Program to multiple Liquidity Risk Management Committees, which are comprised of representatives from certain divisions within Federated Hermes.
The Program is comprised of various components designed to support the assessment and/or management of liquidity risk, including: (1) the periodic assessment (no less frequently than annually) of certain factors that influence the Fund’s liquidity risk; (2) the periodic classification (no less frequently than monthly) of the Fund’s investments into one of four liquidity categories that reflect an estimate of their liquidity under current market conditions; (3) a 15% limit on the acquisition of “illiquid investments” (as defined under the Liquidity Rule); (4) to the extent a Fund does not invest primarily in “highly liquid investments” (as defined under the Liquidity Rule), the determination of a minimum percentage of the Fund’s assets that generally will be invested in highly liquid investments (an “HLIM”); (5) if a Fund has established an HLIM, the periodic review (no less frequently than annually) of the HLIM and the adoption of policies and procedures for responding to a shortfall of the Fund’s highly liquid investments below its HLIM; and (6) periodic reporting to the Board.
At its meetings in May 2023, the Board received and reviewed a written report (the “Report”) from the Federated Hermes Funds’ Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Risk Officer, on behalf of the Administrator, concerning the operation of the Program for the period from April 1, 2022 through March 31, 2023 (the “Period”). The Report addressed the operation of the Program and assessed the adequacy and effectiveness of its implementation, including, where applicable, the operation of any HLIM established for a Federated Hermes Fund. There were no material changes to the Program during the Period. The Report summarized the operation of the Program and
Annual Shareholder Report
51

the information and factors considered by the Administrator in assessing whether the Program has been adequately and effectively implemented with respect to the Federated Hermes Funds. Such information and factors included, among other things:
◾ confirmation that it was not necessary for the Fund to utilize, and the Fund did not utilize, any alternative funding sources that were available to the Federated Hermes Funds during the Period, such as the Federated Hermes Funds’ interfund lending facility, redemptions in-kind, reverse repurchase agreement transactions, redemptions delayed beyond the normal T+1 settlement but within seven days of the redemption request, and committed lines of credit;
◾ the periodic classifications of the Fund’s investments into one of four liquidity categories and the methodologies and inputs used to classify the investments, including the Fund’s reasonably anticipated trade size;
◾ the analysis received from a third-party liquidity assessment vendor that is taken into account in the process of determining the liquidity classifications of the Fund’s investments, and the results of the Administrator’s evaluation of the services performed by the vendor in support of this process, including the Administrator’s view that the methodologies utilized by the vendor continue to be appropriate;
◾ the fact that the Fund invested primarily in highly liquid investments during the Period and, therefore, was not required to establish, and has not established, an HLIM and the operation of the procedures for monitoring the status of the Fund as investing primarily in highly liquid investments;
◾ the fact that the Fund invested no more than 15% of its assets in illiquid investments during the Period, and the operation of the procedures for monitoring this limit;
◾ the fact that there were no liquidity events during the Period that materially affected the Fund’s liquidity risk;
◾ the impact on liquidity and management of liquidity risk, if any, caused by extended non-U.S. market closures and confirmation that there were no issues for any of the affected Federated Hermes Funds in meeting shareholder redemptions at any time during these temporary non-U.S. market closures.
Based on this review, the Administrator concluded that the Program is operating effectively to assess and manage the Fund’s liquidity risk, and that the Program has been and continues to be adequately and effectively implemented to monitor and, as applicable, respond to the Fund’s liquidity developments.
Annual Shareholder Report
52

Voting Proxies on Fund Portfolio Securities
A description of the policies and procedures that the Fund uses to determine how to vote proxies, if any, relating to securities held in the Fund’s portfolio is available, without charge and upon request, by calling 1-800-341-7400, Option #4. A report on “Form N-PX” of how the Fund voted any such proxies during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available via the Proxy Voting Record (Form N-PX) link associated with the Fund and share class name at FederatedHermes.com/us/FundInformation. Form N-PX filings are also available at the SEC’s website at sec.gov.
Quarterly Portfolio Schedule
Each fiscal quarter, the Fund will file with the SEC a complete schedule of its monthly portfolio holdings on “Form N-PORT.” The Fund’s holdings as of the end of the third month of every fiscal quarter, as reported on Form N-PORT, will be publicly available on the SEC’s website at sec.gov within 60 days of the end of the fiscal quarter upon filing. You may also access this information via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedHermes.com/us.
Annual Shareholder Report
53

Mutual funds are not bank deposits or obligations, are not guaranteed by any bank and are not insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board or any other government agency. Investment in mutual funds involves investment risk, including the possible loss of principal.
This Report is authorized for distribution to prospective investors only when preceded or accompanied by the Fund’s Prospectus, which contains facts concerning its objective and policies, management fees, expenses and other information.
Federated Hermes MDT Large Cap Growth Fund
Federated Hermes Funds
4000 Ericsson Drive
Warrendale, PA 15086-7561
Contact us at FederatedHermes.com/us
or call 1-800-341-7400.
Federated Securities Corp., Distributor
CUSIP 31421R700
CUSIP 31421R809
CUSIP 31421R882
37329 (9/23)
© 2023 Federated Hermes, Inc.

Annual Shareholder Report
July 31, 2023
Share Class | Ticker
A  | QASCX
C | QCSCX
Institutional | QISCX
R6 | QLSCX

Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Core Fund
Fund Established 2005

A Portfolio of Federated Hermes MDT Series
Dear Valued Shareholder,
We are pleased to present the Annual Shareholder Report for your fund covering the period from August 1, 2022 through July 31, 2023. This report includes Management’s Discussion of Fund Performance, a complete listing of your fund’s holdings, performance information and financial statements along with other important fund information.
As a global leader in active, responsible investment management, Federated Hermes is guided by our conviction that responsible investing is the best way to create wealth over the long term. The company provides capabilities across a wide range of asset classes to investors around the world.
In addition, FederatedHermes.com/us offers quick and easy access to valuable resources that include timely fund updates, economic and market insights from our investment strategists and financial planning tools. You can also access many of those insights by following us on Twitter (@FederatedHermes) and LinkedIn.
Thank you for investing with us. We hope you find this information useful and look forward to keeping you informed.
Sincerely,
J. Christopher Donahue, President

Not FDIC Insured ▪ May Lose Value ▪ No Bank Guarantee

Management’s Discussion of Fund Performance (unaudited)
The total return of Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Core Fund (the “Fund”), based on net asset value for the 12-month reporting period ended July 31, 2023, was 6.23% for Class A Shares, 5.35% for Class C Shares, 6.47% for Institutional Shares and 6.47% for Class R6 Shares. The total return for the Russell 2000® Index (R2000),1 the Fund’s broad-based securities market index, was 7.91% for the same period. The total return of the Morningstar Small Blend Funds Average (MSBFA),2 a peer group average for the Fund, was 7.81% during the same period. The Fund’s and MSBFA’s total returns for the most recently completed fiscal year reflected actual cash flows, transaction costs and expenses, which were not reflected in the total return of the R2000.
During the reporting period, the Fund’s investment strategy focused on stock selection. This was the most significant factor affecting the Fund’s performance relative to the R2000 during the period.
The following discussion will focus on the performance of the Fund’s Class R6 Shares relative to the R2000.
MARKET OVERVIEW
The reporting period began with three sharp market turns in the first six months (August 2022 January 2023), leaving the Russell 3000 Index (R3000)3 with a fiscal year-to-date return of 0.06% at the end of January. There was one more downturn in February (R3000 at -2.34% for the month), but then inflation numbers started declining, employment numbers held steady, and the R3000 turned weakly positive. In June and July there were more favorable macroeconomic reports and the market began to think that the Federal Reserve might actually be able to engineer a “soft landing,” so the R3000 strengthened. For the full fiscal year, the R3000 returned 12.65%. Growth stocks outran value stocks (the Russell 3000 Growth Index (R3000G)4 returned 16.97% while the Russell 3000 Value Index5 returned 8.03%), and large-cap stocks outran small-cap stocks6 (the mega-cap Russell Top 200 Index (RT200)7 returned 14.39% while the Russell Midcap Index8 returned 8.75% and the small-cap R2000 returned 7.91%). The higher returns of the R3000G and the RT200 were largely attributable to the very high returns of the “Magnificent 7”9 technology stocks, which, by themselves, provided 5.04% of the R3000’s 12.65% return.
The best performing sectors in the R2000 during the reporting period were Energy (+24.53%), Consumer Discretionary (+16.31%) and Industrials (+15.73%). Underperforming sectors during the same period included Communication Services (-6.55%), Utilities (-6.42%) and Real Estate (-4.91%).
Annual Shareholder Report
1

STOCK SELECTION
The Fund buys stocks with many different combinations of fundamental and technical characteristics that have signaled market outperformance historically. The primary reason for the underperformance of the reporting period was unfavorable stock selection among both young companies with strong technical factors and neutral to high analyst conviction, and companies with high structural earnings and low to neutral analyst conviction. There was an offset to the underperformance from favorable stock selection among stocks with depressed 1-year returns but little recent need for external financing. The Fund’s sector exposures remained close to R2000 weights; there were no significant overweight or underweight positions at the end of the reporting period. Weak stock selection in the Information Technology and Financials sectors established the underperformance of the Fund, while strong stock selection in the Industrials, Consumer Staples and Communication Services sectors provided a partial offset to the underperformance.
Individual stocks enhancing the Fund’s performance during the reporting period included Prometheus Biosciences, Inc., e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. and PROG Holdings, Inc.
Individual stocks detracting from the Fund’s performance during the reporting period included Semtech Corporation, Customers Bancorp, Inc. and Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
1
Please see the footnotes to the line graph below for definitions of, and further information about, the R2000.
2
Please see the footnotes to the line graph below for definitions of, and further information about, the Morningstar peer group average.
3
The Russell 3000® Index measures the performance of the largest 3,000 U.S. companies representing approximately 96% of the investable U.S. equity market. The Russell 3000® Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive, unbiased and stable barometer of the broad market and is completely reconstituted annually to ensure new and growing equities are reflected.*
4
The Russell 3000® Growth Index measures the performance of the broad growth segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 3000® Index companies with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth values. The Russell 3000® Growth Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive, unbiased and stable barometer of the broad growth market. The Russell 3000® Growth Index is completely reconstituted annually to ensure new and growing equities are included and that the represented companies continue to reflect growth characteristics.*
5
The Russell 3000® Value Index measures the performance of the broad value segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 3000® Index companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower forecasted growth values. The Russell 3000® Value Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive, unbiased and stable barometer of the broad value market. The Russell 3000® Value Index is completely reconstituted annually to ensure new and growing equities are included and that the represented companies continue to reflect value characteristics.*
6
Small-cap stocks may be less liquid and subject to greater price volatility than large-cap stocks.
Annual Shareholder Report
2

7
The Russell Top 200® Index measures the performance of the largest cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. The Russell Top 200® Index is a subset of the Russell 3000® Index. It includes approximately 200 of the largest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current index membership and represents approximately 71% of the capitalization of the Russell 3000® Index. The Russell Top 200® Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive and unbiased barometer for this very large cap segment and is completely reconstituted annually to ensure new and growing equities are reflected.*
8
The Russell Midcap® Index measures the performance of the mid-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. The Russell Midcap Index is a subset of the Russell 3000 Index. Based on current index membership and market cap, it includes approximately 800 companies that fall between the larger companies in the Russell Top 200 Index and the smaller companies in the Russell 2000 Index. The Russell Midcap® Index represents approximately 23% of the total market capitalization of the Russell 3000 Index. The Russell Midcap® Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive and unbiased barometer for the mid-cap segment. The Russell Midcap Index is completely reconstituted annually to ensure larger stocks do not distort the performance and characteristics of the true mid-cap opportunity set.*
9
The “Magnificent 7” includes Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, NVIDIA and Tesla.
*
The index is unmanaged, and it is not possible to invest directly in an index.
Annual Shareholder Report
3

FUND PERFORMANCE AND GROWTH OF A $10,000 INVESTMENT
The graph below illustrates the hypothetical investment of $10,0001 in the Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Core Fund (the “Fund”) from July 31, 2013 to July 31, 2023, compared to the Russell 2000® Index (R2000)2 and the Morningstar Small Blend Funds Average (MSBFA).3 The Average Annual Total Return table below shows returns for each class averaged over the stated periods.
Growth of a $10,000 INVESTMENT
Growth of $10,000 as of July 31, 2023
◾ Total returns shown for Class C Shares include the maximum contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00%, as applicable.
The Fund offers multiple share classes whose performance may be greater than or less than its other share class(es) due to differences in sales charges and expenses. See the Average Annual Total Returns table below for the returns of additional classes not shown in the line graph above.
Average Annual Total Returns for the Period Ended 7/31/2023
(returns reflect all applicable sales charges and contingent deferred sales charges as specified below in footnote #1)
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Class A Shares
0.37%
3.39%
8.63%
Class C Shares
4.35%
3.76%
8.60%
Institutional Shares
6.47%
4.83%
9.53%
Class R6 Shares4
6.47%
4.84%
9.46%
R2000
7.91%
5.09%
8.17%
MSBFA
7.81%
5.90%
8.13%
Annual Shareholder Report
4

Performance data quoted represents past performance which is no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Mutual fund performance changes over time and current performance may be lower or higher than what is stated. For current to the most recent month-end performance and after-tax returns, visit FederatedHermes.com/us or call 1-800-341-7400. Returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares. Mutual funds are not obligations of or guaranteed by any bank and are not federally insured.
1
Represents a hypothetical investment of $10,000 in the Fund after deducting applicable sales charges: for Class A Shares, the maximum sales charge of 5.50% ($10,000 investment minus $550 sales charge = $9,450); for Class C Shares, a 1.00% contingent deferred sales charge would be applied on any redemption less than one year from the purchase date. The Fund’s performance assumes the reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. The R2000 and MSBFA have been adjusted to reflect reinvestment of dividends on securities.
2
The R2000 measures the performance of the small-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. The R2000 is a subset of the Russell 3000® Index representing approximately 6% of the total market capitalization of that index. It includes approximately 2000 of the smallest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current index membership. The R2000 is constructed to provide a comprehensive and unbiased small-cap barometer, and is completely reconstituted annually to ensure larger stocks do not distort the performance and characteristics of the true small-cap opportunity set. The R2000 is unmanaged and, unlike the Fund, is not affected by cash flows. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. The R2000 is not adjusted to reflect sales charges, expenses or other fees that the Securities and Exchange Commission requires to be reflected in the Fund’s performance.
3
Morningstar figures represent the average of the total returns reported by all the funds designated by Morningstar as falling into the respective category indicated. They do not reflect sales charges. The Morningstar figures in the Growth of a $10,000 Investment line graph are based on historical return information published by Morningstar and reflect the return of the funds comprising the category in the year of publication. Because the funds designated by Morningstar as falling into the category can change over time, the Morningstar figures in the line graph may not match the Morningstar figures in the Average Annual Total Returns table, which reflect the return of the funds that currently comprise the category.
4
The Fund’s Class R6 Shares commenced operations on June 29, 2016. For the period prior to the commencement of operations of the Class R6 Shares, the Class R6 Shares performance information shown is for the Fund’s Institutional Shares, adjusted to reflect expenses of the Class R6 Shares for each period for which the gross expenses of Class R6 Shares would have exceeded the actual expenses paid by the Fund’s Institutional Shares.
Annual Shareholder Report
5

Portfolio of Investments Summary Table (unaudited)
At July 31, 2023, the Fund’s sector composition1 was as follows:
Sector Composition
Percentage of
Total Net Assets
Industrials
17.3%
Health Care
16.2%
Financials
14.7%
Information Technology
12.4%
Consumer Discretionary
10.9%
Energy
8.2%
Real Estate
5.4%
Consumer Staples
4.4%
Materials
3.8%
Communication Services
2.4%
Utilities
2.3%
Securities Lending Collateral2
2.5%
Cash Equivalents3
0.8%
Other Assets and Liabilities—Net4
(1.3)%
TOTAL
100%
1
Except for Securities Lending Collateral, Cash Equivalents and Other Assets and Liabilities,
sector classifications are based upon, and individual portfolio securities are assigned to, the
classifications of the Global Industry Classification System (GICS), except that the Adviser
assigns a classification to securities not classified by the GICS and to securities for which the
Adviser does not have access to the classification made by the GICS.
2
Represents cash collateral received for portfolio securities on loan that may be invested in
affiliated money market funds, other money market instruments and/or repurchase agreements.
3
Cash Equivalents include any investments in money market mutual funds and/or overnight
repurchase agreements other than those representing cash collateral for securities lending.
4
Assets, other than investments in securities, less liabilities. See Statement of Assets and
Liabilities.
Annual Shareholder Report
6

Portfolio of Investments
July 31, 2023
Shares
 
 
Value
          
 
COMMON STOCKS—   98.0%
 
 
 
Communication Services—   2.4%
 
214,287
1
AMC Networks, Inc.
$    2,704,302
39,176
1
Atlanta Braves Holdings, Inc.
    1,595,247
221,489
1
CarGurus, Inc.
    5,018,941
313,960
1
Cinemark Holdings, Inc.
    5,239,992
405,549
1
Eventbrite, Inc.
    4,667,869
134,647
 
Gray Television, Inc.
    1,275,107
1,104,805
1
iHeartMedia, Inc.
    5,225,728
151,617
2
Lumen Technologies, Inc.
      271,394
419,844
1
Vimeo Holdings, Inc.
    1,729,757
 
 
TOTAL
27,728,337
 
 
Consumer Discretionary—   10.9%
 
409,891
1
2U, Inc.
    1,959,279
243,417
1
Abercrombie & Fitch Co., Class A
    9,641,747
65,080
 
Big Lots, Inc.
      667,070
108,580
 
Bloomin Brands, Inc.
    2,917,545
22,937
 
Camping World Holdings, Inc.
      734,672
94,149
1
Chegg, Inc.
      953,729
1,003,788
 
Clarus Corp.
    8,933,713
180,173
1,2
ContextLogic, Inc.
    1,711,644
48,566
1
Duolingo, Inc.
    7,536,958
389,225
1
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
    6,258,738
297,956
1
GoPro, Inc.
    1,218,640
241,739
1,2
Groupon, Inc.
    1,909,738
133,870
1
Inspired Entertainment, Inc.
    1,685,423
86,232
 
International Game Technology PLC
    2,917,229
143,920
1
Lumber Liquidators, Inc.
      565,606
31,893
1
MCBC Holdings, Inc.
      977,520
88,475
 
Murphy USA, Inc.
   27,164,479
9,840
1
ODP Corp./The
      490,819
767,214
1
Qurate Retail, Inc.
      782,558
211,645
1,2
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers
    3,079,435
23,877
 
Red Rock Resorts, Inc.
    1,158,035
840,886
1
Rush Street Interactive, Inc.
    3,220,593
85,074
1
Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc.
    1,018,336
14,721
1
Shake Shack, Inc.
    1,143,233
18,313
1
Taylor Morrison Home Corp.
      886,715
101,990
 
Texas Roadhouse, Inc.
   11,376,985
Annual Shareholder Report
7

Shares
 
 
Value
          
 
COMMON STOCKS—   continued
 
 
 
Consumer Discretionary—   continued
 
197,048
 
Upbound Group, Inc.
$    6,823,772
9,261
1
Visteon Corp.
    1,427,027
169,446
 
Waterstone Financial, Inc.
    2,363,772
49,843
 
Wingstop, Inc.
    8,402,533
17,332
 
Winnebago Industries, Inc.
    1,192,442
443,689
1,2
WW International, Inc.
    5,168,977
 
 
TOTAL
126,288,962
 
 
Consumer Staples—   4.4%
 
128,342
1
Bellring Brands, Inc.
    4,613,895
115,274
 
Cal-Maine Foods, Inc.
    5,324,506
9,416
 
Coca-Cola Bottling Co.
    5,964,188
173,201
1
elf Beauty, Inc.
   20,216,021
64,174
 
Energizer Holdings, Inc.
    2,291,012
149,546
1
Hostess Brands, Inc.
    3,595,086
7,007
 
Ingles Markets, Inc., Class A
      594,193
81,876
 
Primo Water Corp.
    1,160,183
72,542
 
SpartanNash Co.
    1,627,842
125,811
1
Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc.
    4,938,082
32,728
 
Turning Point Brands, Inc.
      780,563
 
 
TOTAL
51,105,571
 
 
Energy—   8.2%
 
102,648
1,2
Amplify Energy Corp.
      753,436
368,548
 
Ardmore Shipping Corp.
    5,189,156
184,466
 
California Resources Corp.
    9,841,261
58,239
1
Callon Petroleum Corp.
    2,187,457
16,120
 
Championx Corp.
      573,872
35,552
 
Civitas Resources, Inc.
    2,661,423
72,914
 
CONSOL Energy, Inc.
    5,433,551
52,269
1
Dorian LPG Ltd.
    1,554,480
585,532
 
Equitrans Midstream Corp.
    6,071,967
33,591
 
Golar LNG Ltd.
      810,215
117,582
1
Gulf Island Fabrication, Inc.
      398,603
44,479
 
International Seaways, Inc.
    1,907,704
12,147
1
Nabors Industries Ltd.
    1,487,886
145,767
1
Oceaneering International, Inc.
    3,272,469
160,820
 
PBF Energy, Inc.
    7,629,301
52,641
 
RPC, Inc.
      437,973
132,832
 
Scorpio Tankers, Inc.
    6,248,417
82,705
 
SM Energy Co.
    3,001,364
427,069
1
US Silica Holdings, Inc.
    5,556,168
63,665
1
Vital Energy, Inc.
    3,360,239
Annual Shareholder Report
8

Shares
 
 
Value
          
 
COMMON STOCKS—   continued
 
 
 
Energy—   continued
 
324,898
1
Weatherford International PLC
$   26,999,024
 
 
TOTAL
95,375,966
 
 
Financials—   14.7%
 
11,680
 
1st Source Corp.
      547,792
59,774
 
Amalgamated Financial Corp.
    1,193,089
8,875
 
A-Mark Precious Metals, Inc.
      362,011
44,804
 
Artisan Partners Asset Management, Inc.
    1,858,918
11,831
1
AssetMark Financial Holdings, Inc.
      353,747
839,866
1
AvidXchange Holdings, Inc.
   10,422,737
11,651
 
BancFirst Corp.
    1,163,935
305,783
 
Byline Bancorp, Inc.
    6,711,937
221,121
1
Cantaloupe, Inc.
    1,704,843
323,393
 
CNO Financial Group, Inc.
    8,317,668
15,964
1
Coastal Financial Corp.
      721,094
1,280,397
 
Colony Credit Real Estate, Inc.
    9,423,722
18,400
 
Equity Bancshares, Inc.
      499,744
70,182
 
Financial Institutions, Inc.
    1,346,091
30,902
 
First Business Financial Services, Inc.
    1,050,359
917,621
 
First Foundation, Inc.
    6,707,810
35,013
1
Flywire Corp.
    1,195,344
742,357
1
Genworth Financial, Inc., Class A
    4,350,212
1,126,817
1
Green Dot Corp.
   22,029,272
75,475
 
Heritage Commerce Corp.
      724,560
43,522
 
Heritage Financial Corp.
      816,473
82,788
 
Hometrust Bancshares, Inc.
    2,012,576
115,519
 
Independent Bank Corp.- Michigan
    2,386,623
126,044
2
Invesco Mortgage Capital, Inc.
    1,513,788
196,540
 
Jackson Financial, Inc.
    6,489,751
34,869
 
Kinsale Capital Group, Inc.
   12,993,235
119,501
 
Ladder Capital Corp.
    1,313,316
108,743
1
LendingTree, Inc.
    2,653,329
139,774
 
Live Oak Bancshares, Inc.
    5,293,241
9,934
1
Mr. Cooper Group, Inc.
      575,874
89,200
1
NerdWallet, Inc.
      999,932
117,548
 
OFG Bancorp.
    3,936,683
167,014
1
Oscar Health, Inc.
    1,255,945
179,628
1
Paysafe Ltd.
    2,160,925
48,266
 
Peapack-Gladstone Financial Corp.
    1,410,815
27,542
 
Preferred Bank Los Angeles, CA
    1,819,975
318,828
1
PROG Holdings, Inc.
   12,938,040
106,522
 
QCR Holdings, Inc.
    5,457,122
Annual Shareholder Report
9

Shares
 
 
Value
          
 
COMMON STOCKS—   continued
 
 
 
Financials—   continued
 
231,876
1
Remitly Global, Inc.
$    4,470,569
64,639
 
RLI Corp.
    8,623,489
6,724
 
Selective Insurance Group, Inc.
      693,850
141,670
1
Siriuspoint Ltd.
    1,323,198
529,100
1
StoneCo Ltd.
    7,666,659
53,720
 
Tiptree, Inc.
      793,444
150,981
 
Western New England Bancorp, Inc.
    1,010,063
 
 
TOTAL
171,293,800
 
 
Health Care—   16.2%
 
70,733
1
Acadia Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
    2,068,233
199,467
1
Alector, Inc.
    1,368,344
52,991
1
Alkermes, Inc.
    1,551,576
108,494
1
Alphatec Holdings, Inc.
    1,917,089
234,363
1,2
Alx Oncology Holdings, Inc.
    1,431,958
13,636
1
AMN Healthcare Services, Inc.
    1,461,097
147,694
1
Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
    8,963,549
67,201
1,2
Arcellx, Inc.
    2,301,634
35,678
1
Arcus Biosciences, Inc.
      709,992
415,495
1
Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
    1,425,148
125,856
1
Biohaven Ltd.
    2,502,017
262,297
1
Bridgebio Pharma, Inc.
    9,183,018
770,563
1
Cara Therapeutics, Inc.
    2,565,975
26,516
1
Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc.
      366,716
862,915
1
Codexis, Inc.
    3,106,494
59,821
1
Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.
    1,361,526
1,047,490
1
Community Health Systems, Inc.
    4,598,481
347,580
1
Cross Country Healthcare, Inc.
    8,967,564
170,399
1
Emergent BioSolutions, Inc.
    1,172,345
1,426,143
1
Fate Therapeutics, Inc.
    5,889,971
500,507
1,2
Gossamer Bio, Inc.
      675,684
18,495
1
Haemonetics Corp.
    1,705,979
429,850
1
Hims & Hers Health, Inc.
    3,855,755
32,501
1
Immunovant, Inc.
      741,998
111,540
1,2
Innovage Holding Corp.
      803,088
46,488
1
Inogen, Inc.
      379,807
66,135
1
Intercept Group, Inc.
      714,258
72,995
1
Lantheus Holdings, Inc.
    6,313,338
16,540
1
Ligand Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Class B
    1,107,022
67,607
1
Livanova PLC
    3,951,629
647,010
1
MacroGenics, Inc.
    3,086,238
1,778
1
Medpace Holdings, Inc.
      450,136
Annual Shareholder Report
10

Shares
 
 
Value
          
 
COMMON STOCKS—   continued
 
 
 
Health Care—   continued
 
362,522
1
MiMedx Group, Inc.
$    2,925,553
703,443
1,2
Nektar Therapeutics
      376,905
118,645
1
NeoGenomics, Inc.
    2,056,118
199,166
1
NGM Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
      472,023
160,193
1,2
Novavax, Inc.
    1,486,591
21,122
1
NuVasive, Inc.
      870,438
365,171
1
Nuvation Bio, Inc.
      675,566
126,561
1
Omnicell, Inc.
    7,992,327
217,412
1
OptimizeRX Corp
    3,032,897
386,559
1
OraSure Technologies, Inc.
    1,824,558
280,858
 
Owens & Minor, Inc.
    5,403,708
215,657
1
Pacira BioSciences, Inc.
    7,839,132
206,090
1
Pediatrix Medical Group
    2,829,616
76,998
1
Phathom Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
    1,171,140
818,474
1
PMV Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
    5,352,820
368,059
1
Point Biopharma Global, Inc.
    3,290,447
11,817
1
Prestige Consumer Healthcare, Inc.
      770,587
168,324
1,2
Privia Health Group, Inc.
    4,699,606
27,873
1
Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc.
      540,736
176,632
1
RxSight, Inc.
    5,894,210
24,262
1
SAGE Therapeutics, Inc.
      841,406
8,790
1
Shockwave Medical, Inc.
    2,290,674
199,624
1
SI-BONE, Inc.
    5,142,314
2,758,123
1,2
Siga Technologies, Inc.
   15,831,626
48,301
1
Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
    1,482,358
202,124
1
Tactile Systems Technology, Inc.
    4,630,661
210,502
1
The Joint Corp.
    2,841,777
848,046
1
Vanda Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
    4,901,706
111,975
1
Vir Biotechnology, Inc.
    1,576,608
274,488
1
Voyager Therapeutics, Inc.
    2,558,228
 
 
TOTAL
188,299,995
 
 
Industrials—   17.3%
 
138,533
1
ACV Auctions, Inc.
    2,422,942
7,906
1
Allegiant Travel Co.
      977,972
12,662
1
ASGN, Inc.
      966,364
63,355
1
Atkore, Inc.
   10,052,538
17,596
1
Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc.
    1,507,449
95,177
 
Boise Cascade Co.
    9,849,868
491,297
1
BrightView Holdings, Inc.
    3,787,900
8,115
1
CBIZ, Inc.
      429,202
167,066
1
CECO Environmental Corp.
    2,011,475
Annual Shareholder Report
11

Shares
 
 
Value
          
 
COMMON STOCKS—   continued
 
 
 
Industrials—   continued
 
38,895
1
Cimpress PLC
$    2,703,203
93,262
1
Concrete Pumping Holdings, Inc.
      752,624
466,259
1
Conduent, Inc.
    1,613,256
14,273
2
Eagle Bulk Shipping, Inc.
      659,270
46,593
 
Emcor Group, Inc.
   10,019,359
1,760,760
1
Enviri Corp.
   16,603,967
58,231
1
Exlservice Holding, Inc.
    8,207,659
24,651
1,2
Fluence Energy, Inc.
      720,795
144,988
1
Forrester Research, Inc.
    4,620,768
108,303
1
Franklin Covey Co.
    5,160,638
76,629
 
Genco Shipping & Trading Ltd.
    1,111,121
287,114
1
GMS, Inc.
   21,157,431
962,832
 
GrafTech International Ltd.
    5,083,753
39,446
 
Healthcare Services Group, Inc.
      497,414
77,964
 
Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc.
    2,126,078
37,603
1
Heritage-Crystal Clean, Inc.
    1,732,370
83,808
 
Hurco Co., Inc.
    1,951,888
52,535
1
Huron Consulting Group, Inc.
    4,968,235
87,791
 
Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc.
    4,192,898
228,478
1
JELD-WEN Holding, Inc.
    4,069,193
92,155
1
Legalzoom.com, Inc.
    1,408,128
250,392
1
Manitowoc, Inc.
    4,537,103
523,165
1
Mistras Group, Inc.
    4,049,297
86,533
1
MRC Global, Inc.
      976,958
255,850
1
Now, Inc.
    2,914,131
333,027
1
Parsons Corp.
   16,458,194
31,171
 
Resources Connection, Inc.
      498,113
56,743
 
REV Group, Inc.
      733,687
343,336
1
SkyWest, Inc.
   15,103,351
7,275
 
Tennant Co.
      583,746
129,182
 
Terex Corp.
    7,573,941
163,330
1
Thermon Group Holdings, Inc.
    4,509,541
95,360
1
TrueBlue, Inc.
    1,425,632
21,743
 
Universal Truckload Services, Inc.
      675,990
116,379
1
Upwork, Inc.
    1,213,833
60,791
 
Veritiv Corp.
    8,518,643
2,381
 
Watts Industries, Inc., Class A
      444,128
 
 
TOTAL
201,582,046
 
 
Information Technology—   12.4%
 
484,225
1
8x8, Inc.
    2,295,227
88,664
1
Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.
    4,895,139
Annual Shareholder Report
12

Shares
 
 
Value
          
 
COMMON STOCKS—   continued
 
 
 
Information Technology—   continued
 
53,426
1
Altair Engineering, Inc.
$    4,003,744
15,432
1
AppFolio, Inc.
    2,786,865
316,194
1
Arlo Technologies, Inc.
    3,591,964
582,320
1
AvePoint, Inc.
    3,610,384
52,642
1
Box, Inc.
    1,645,063
427,291
1
Brightcove, Inc.
    1,918,537
26,512
1
Ceva, Inc.
      720,066
18,492
1
Commvault Systems, Inc.
    1,441,082
108,033
 
Comtech Telecommunications Corp.
    1,097,615
64,273
1,2
Digitalocean Holdings, Inc.
    3,182,799
101,529
1
Extreme Networks, Inc.
    2,699,656
39,079
1
Freshworks, Inc.
      729,214
142,458
1
Intapp, Inc.
    5,849,325
354,983
1
LivePerson, Inc.
    1,686,169
659,936
1
LiveRamp Holdings, Inc.
   18,834,573
127,536
1
MaxLinear, Inc.
    3,146,313
208,010
1
Model N, Inc.
    6,930,893
750,808
1
ON24, Inc.
    6,644,651
8,471
1
Qualys, Inc.
    1,175,775
718,262
1,2
Rackspace Technology, Inc.
    1,666,368
399,360
1
Ribbon Communications, Inc.
    1,269,965
115,121
1
Rimini Street, Inc.
      313,129
32,443
1
Rogers Corp.
    5,470,214
7,744
1
Sanmina Corp.
      475,946
124,574
 
Sapiens International Corp. NV
    3,356,024
479,546
1
SolarWinds Corp.
    5,054,415
289,012
1
Sprinklr, Inc.
    4,057,728
20,472
1
SPS Commerce, Inc.
    3,692,944
332,025
1
Squarespace, Inc.
   11,003,308
29,828
1
Synaptics, Inc.
    2,693,767
409,547
1
Telos Corp.
    1,027,963
549,349
1
Unisys Corp.
    2,988,459
328,478
1
Varonis Systems, Inc.
    9,427,319
20,713
1
Vishay Precision Group, Inc.
      774,873
283,974
1
Weave Communications, Inc.
    3,407,688
163,673
 
Xerox Holdings Corp.
    2,615,495
94,165
 
Xperi Holding Corp.
    1,131,863
549,677
1
Yext, Inc.
    5,342,860
 
 
TOTAL
144,655,382
 
 
Materials—   3.8%
 
91,249
1
ATI, Inc.
    4,350,752
Annual Shareholder Report
13

Shares
 
 
Value
          
 
COMMON STOCKS—   continued
 
 
 
Materials—   continued
 
86,576
 
Commercial Metals Corp.
$    4,953,879
30,627
1
Constellium SE
      584,669
185,996
1
Intrepid Potash, Inc.
    5,114,890
12,857
 
Koppers Holdings, Inc.
      491,909
56,863
 
Kronos Worldwide, Inc.
      531,669
113,379
1
LSB Industries, Inc.
    1,266,443
100,654
 
Myers Industries, Inc.
    1,973,825
356,204
1
O-I Glass, Inc.
    8,178,444
115,487
1
Summit Materials, Inc.
    4,178,320
723,691
 
SunCoke Energy, Inc.
    6,426,376
138,814
 
Warrior Met Coal, Inc.
    6,142,520
 
 
TOTAL
44,193,696
 
 
Real Estate—   5.4%
 
33,431
 
Alexander and Baldwin, Inc.
      641,875
342,816
1
Anywhere Real Estate, Inc.
    2,872,798
403,792
 
Apartment Investment & Management Co., Class A
    3,363,587
183,908
 
Armada Hoffler Properties, Inc.
    2,284,137
2,632,532
 
Brandywine Realty Trust
   13,294,287
317,608
 
City Office REIT, Inc.
    1,737,316
38,645
 
Gladstone Land Corp.
      646,917
496,246
 
Macerich Co. (The)
    6,327,137
656,797
 
Newmark Group, Inc.
    4,545,035
883,067
1,2
Redfin Corp.
   13,228,344
309,452
 
RMR Group, Inc./The
    7,296,878
95,278
 
Service Properties Trust
      808,910
1,004,349
 
Uniti Group, Inc.
    5,604,268
 
 
TOTAL
62,651,489
 
 
Utilities—   2.3%
 
7,820
 
Chesapeake Utilities Corp.
      924,637
339,281
 
Clearway Energy, Inc.
    8,370,062
24,247
 
New Jersey Resources Corp.
    1,083,841
5,759
 
ONE Gas, Inc.
      455,709
109,486
2
Otter Tail Corp.
    8,869,461
146,791
 
Portland General Electric Co.
    6,997,527
 
 
TOTAL
26,701,237
 
 
TOTAL COMMON STOCKS
(IDENTIFIED COST $941,185,292)
1,139,876,481
 
 
INVESTMENT COMPANIES—   3.3%
 
29,537,824
 
Federated Hermes Government Obligations Fund, Premier Shares,
5.16%3
   29,537,824
Annual Shareholder Report
14

Shares
 
 
Value
 
 
INVESTMENT COMPANIES—   continued
 
8,767,295
 
Federated Hermes Institutional Prime Value Obligations Fund,
Institutional Shares, 5.32%3
$    8,766,419
 
 
TOTAL INVESTMENT COMPANIES
(IDENTIFIED COST $38,303,372)
38,304,243
 
 
TOTAL INVESTMENT IN SECURITIES—101.3%
(IDENTIFIED COST $979,488,664)4
1,178,180,724
 
 
OTHER ASSETS AND LIABILITIES - NET—(1.3)%5
(14,848,801)
 
 
TOTAL NET ASSETS—100%
$1,163,331,923
Annual Shareholder Report
15

An affiliated company is a company in which the Fund, alone or in combination with other Federated Hermes funds, has ownership of at least 5% of the voting shares. Transactions with affiliated companies during the period ended July 31, 2023, were as follows:
Affiliated
Value as of
7/31/2022
Purchases
at Cost*
Proceeds
from Sales*
Health Care:
 
 
 
Alector, Inc.**
$9,059,233
$1,318,365
$(7,721,877)
Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$2,935,115
$2,655,727
$(375,722)
Siga Technologies, Inc.
$
$17,599,196
$
Information Technology:
 
 
 
Brightcove, Inc.**
$8,244,421
$
$(5,181,698)
Affiliated issuers no longer in the portfolio at period end
$3,522,384
$
$(3,579,976)
TOTAL OF AFFILIATED COMPANIES
TRANSACTIONS
$23,761,153
$21,573,288
$(16,859,273)
Annual Shareholder Report
16

Change in
Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)*
Net
Realized Gain/
(Loss)*
Value as of
7/31/2023
Shares
Held as of
7/31/2023
Dividend
Income*
 
 
 
 
 
$2,833,906
$(4,121,283)
$1,368,344
199,467
$
$3,609,686
$138,743
$8,963,549
147,694
$
$(1,767,570)
$
$15,831,626
2,758,123
$1,241,155
 
 
 
 
 
$2,529,073
$(3,673,259)
$1,918,537
427,291
$
$1,912,934
$(1,855,342)
$
$
$9,118,029
$(9,511,141)
$28,082,056
3,532,575
$1,241,155
*
A portion of the amount shown may have been recorded when the Fund no longer had
ownership of at least 5% of the voting shares.
**
At July 31, 2023, the Fund no longer has ownership of at least 5% of the voting shares.
Annual Shareholder Report
17

Transactions with affiliated investment companies, which are funds managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser, during the period ended July 31, 2023, were as follows:
 
Federated
Hermes
Government
Obligations Fund,
Premier Shares*
Federated
Hermes
Institutional
Prime Value
Obligations Fund,
Institutional Shares*
Total of
Affiliated
Transactions
Value as of 7/31/2022
$41,790,036
$24,461,888
$66,251,924
Purchases at Cost
$186,263,252
$312,239,450
$498,502,702
Proceeds from Sales
$(198,515,464)
$(327,951,029)
$(526,466,493)
Change in Unrealized Appreciation/
Depreciation
$
$(1,016)
$(1,016)
Net Realized Gain/(Loss)
$
$17,126
$17,126
Value as of 7/31/2023
$29,537,824
$8,766,419
$38,304,243
Shares Held as of 7/31/2023
29,537,824
8,767,295
38,305,119
Dividend Income
$803,992
$847,762
$1,651,754
*
All or a portion of the balance/activity for the fund relates to cash collateral received on
securities lending transactions.
1
Non-income-producing security.
2
All or a portion of these securities are temporarily on loan to unaffiliated broker/dealers.
3
7-day net yield.
4
The cost of investments for federal tax purposes amounts to $990,070,322.
5
Assets, other than investments in securities, less liabilities. See Statement of Assets and
Liabilities.
Note: The categories of investments are shown as a percentage of total net assets at July 31, 2023.
Various inputs are used in determining the value of the Fund’s investments. These inputs are summarized in the three broad levels listed below:
Level 1—quoted prices in active markets for identical securities.
Level 2—other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.). Also includes securities valued at amortized cost.
Level 3—significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments).
The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.
As of July 31, 2023, all investments of the Fund utilized Level 1 inputs in valuing the Fund’s assets carried at fair value.
The following acronym(s) are used throughout this portfolio:
 
REIT
—Real Estate Investment Trust
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
18

Financial HighlightsClass A Shares
(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)
 
Year Ended July 31,
 
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$20.57
$26.48
$17.19
$18.87
$21.19
Income From Investment Operations:
 
 
 
 
 
Net investment income (loss)1
0.05
0.04
(0.01)
0.04
0.01
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
1.15
(1.95)
9.35
(1.68)
(1.70)
Total From Investment Operations
1.20
(1.91)
9.34
(1.64)
(1.69)
Less Distributions:
 
 
 
 
 
Distributions from net investment income
(0.04)
(0.05)
(0.04)
Distributions from net realized gain
(0.69)
(3.96)
(0.63)
Total Distributions
(0.69)
(4.00)
(0.05)
(0.04)
(0.63)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$21.08
$20.57
$26.48
$17.19
$18.87
Total Return2
6.23%
(9.54)%
54.38%
(8.71)%
(7.69)%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:
 
 
 
 
 
Net expenses3
1.13%
1.13%
1.13%
1.13%
1.13%
Net investment income (loss)
0.26%
0.15%
(0.03)%
0.24%
0.07%
Expense waiver/reimbursement4
0.25%
0.23%
0.29%
0.31%
0.22%
Supplemental Data:
 
 
 
 
 
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
$121,927
$131,704
$101,026
$78,347
$68,546
Portfolio turnover5
128%
124%
150%
223%
121%
1
Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
2
Based on net asset value, which does not reflect the sales charge, redemption fee or contingent
deferred sales charge, if applicable.
3
Amount does not reflect net expenses incurred by investment companies in which the Fund
may invest.
4
This expense decrease is reflected in both the net expense and the net investment income
(loss) ratios shown above. Amount does not reflect expense waiver/reimbursement recorded by
investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
5
Securities that mature are considered sales for purposes of this calculation.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
19

Financial HighlightsClass C Shares
(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)
 
Year Ended July 31,
 
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$17.32
$23.02
$15.03
$16.58
$18.84
Income From Investment Operations:
 
 
 
 
 
Net investment income (loss)1
(0.10)
(0.13)
(0.15)
(0.08)
(0.12)
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
0.95
(1.61)
8.14
(1.47)
(1.51)
Total From Investment Operations
0.85
(1.74)
7.99
(1.55)
(1.63)
Less Distributions:
 
 
 
 
 
Distributions from net realized gain
(0.69)
(3.96)
(0.63)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$17.48
$17.32
$23.02
$15.03
$16.58
Total Return2
5.35%
(10.30)%
53.16%
(9.35)%
(8.35)%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:
 
 
 
 
 
Net expenses3
1.98%
1.96%
1.88%
1.88%
1.88%
Net investment income (loss)
(0.59)%
(0.65)%
(0.78)%
(0.51)%
(0.69)%
Expense waiver/reimbursement4
0.06%
0.08%
0.18%
0.23%
0.28%
Supplemental Data:
 
 
 
 
 
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
$24,784
$26,809
$29,567
$22,720
$28,411
Portfolio turnover5
128%
124%
150%
223%
121%
1
Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
2
Based on net asset value, which does not reflect the sales charge, redemption fee or contingent
deferred sales charge, if applicable.
3
Amount does not reflect net expenses incurred by investment companies in which the Fund
may invest.
4
This expense decrease is reflected in both the net expense and the net investment income
(loss) ratios shown above. Amount does not reflect expense waiver/reimbursement recorded by
investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
5
Securities that mature are considered sales for purposes of this calculation.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
20

Financial HighlightsInstitutional Shares
(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)
 
Year Ended July 31,
 
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$21.54
$27.53
$17.87
$19.59
$21.94
Income From Investment Operations:
 
 
 
 
 
Net investment income (loss)1
0.10
0.10
0.05
0.09
0.06
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
1.20
(2.04)
9.71
(1.74)
(1.76)
Total From Investment Operations
1.30
(1.94)
9.76
(1.65)
(1.70)
Less Distributions:
 
 
 
 
 
Distributions from net investment income
(0.04)
(0.09)
(0.10)
(0.07)
(0.02)
Distributions from net realized gain
(0.69)
(3.96)
(0.63)
Total Distributions
(0.73)
(4.05)
(0.10)
(0.07)
(0.65)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$22.11
$21.54
$27.53
$17.87
$19.59
Total Return2
6.47%
(9.31)%
54.73%
(8.45)%
(7.45)%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:
 
 
 
 
 
Net expenses3
0.88%
0.88%
0.88%
0.88%
0.88%
Net investment income
0.51%
0.40%
0.21%
0.49%
0.31%
Expense waiver/reimbursement4
0.15%
0.15%
0.15%
0.18%
0.22%
Supplemental Data:
 
 
 
 
 
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
$883,270
$995,056
$843,803
$574,041
$842,221
Portfolio turnover5
128%
124%
150%
223%
121%
1
Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
2
Based on net asset value.
3
Amount does not reflect net expenses incurred by investment companies in which the Fund
may invest.
4
This expense decrease is reflected in both the net expense and the net investment income ratios
shown above. Amount does not reflect expense waiver/reimbursement recorded by investment
companies in which the Fund may invest.
5
Securities that mature are considered sales for purposes of this calculation.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
21

Financial HighlightsClass R6 Shares
(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)
 
Year Ended July 31,
 
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$21.55
$27.54
$17.87
$19.59
$21.94
Income From Investment Operations:
 
 
 
 
 
Net investment income (loss)1
0.11
0.11
0.06
0.09
0.06
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
1.20
(2.05)
9.71
(1.74)
(1.76)
Total From Investment Operations
1.31
(1.94)
9.77
(1.65)
(1.70)
Less Distributions:
 
 
 
 
 
Distributions from net investment income
(0.05)
(0.09)
(0.10)
(0.07)
(0.02)
Distributions from net realized gain
(0.69)
(3.96)
(0.63)
Total Distributions
(0.74)
(4.05)
(0.10)
(0.07)
(0.65)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$22.12
$21.55
$27.54
$17.87
$19.59
Total Return2
6.47%
(9.30)%
54.79%
(8.44)%
(7.45)%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:
 
 
 
 
 
Net expenses3
0.87%
0.87%
0.87%
0.87%
0.87%
Net investment income
0.52%
0.44%
0.24%
0.49%
0.32%
Expense waiver/reimbursement4
0.06%
0.06%
0.08%
0.08%
0.12%
Supplemental Data:
 
 
 
 
 
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
$133,351
$63,242
$64,191
$47,631
$33,753
Portfolio turnover5
128%
124%
150%
223%
121%
1
Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
2
Based on net asset value.
3
Amount does not reflect net expenses incurred by investment companies in which the Fund
may invest.
4
This expense decrease is reflected in both the net expense and the net investment income ratios
shown above. Amount does not reflect expense waiver/reimbursement recorded by investment
companies in which the Fund may invest.
5
Securities that mature are considered sales for purposes of this calculation.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
22

Statement of Assets and Liabilities
July 31, 2023
Assets:
 
Investment in securities, at value including $29,410,304 of securities loaned and
$66,386,299 of investments in affiliated holdings*(identified cost $979,488,664,
including $65,147,461 of identified cost in affiliated holdings)
$1,178,180,724
Income receivable
205,775
Income receivable from affiliated holdings
89,363
Receivable for investments sold
16,887,662
Receivable for shares sold
2,104,510
Total Assets
1,197,468,034
Liabilities:
 
Payable for investments purchased
3,339,796
Payable for shares redeemed
858,926
Payable to bank
28,881
Payable for collateral due to broker for securities lending (Note 2)
29,537,824
Payable for investment adviser fee (Note5)
23,372
Payable for administrative fee (Note5)
2,452
Payable for Directors’/Trustees’ fees (Note5)
212
Payable for transfer agent fees (Note 2)
130,484
Payable for distribution services fee (Note5)
15,315
Payable for other service fees (Notes 2 and5)
58,049
Accrued expenses (Note5)
140,800
Total Liabilities
34,136,111
Net assets for 53,184,892 shares outstanding
$1,163,331,923
Net Assets Consist of:
 
Paid-in capital
$1,105,803,005
Total distributable earnings (loss)
57,528,918
Total Net Assets
$1,163,331,923
Annual Shareholder Report
23

Statement of Assets and Liabilitiescontinued
Net Asset Value, Offering Price and Redemption Proceeds Per Share:
 
Class A Shares:
 
Net asset value per share ($121,927,324 ÷ 5,785,334 shares outstanding), no par
value, unlimited shares authorized
$21.08
Offering price per share (100/94.50 of $21.08)
$22.31
Redemption proceeds per share
$21.08
Class C Shares:
 
Net asset value per share ($24,783,853 ÷ 1,418,150 shares outstanding), no par
value, unlimited shares authorized
$17.48
Offering price per share
$17.48
Redemption proceeds per share (99.00/100 of $17.48)
$17.31
Institutional Shares:
 
Net asset value per share ($883,270,054 ÷ 39,952,538 shares outstanding), no par
value, unlimited shares authorized
$22.11
Offering price per share
$22.11
Redemption proceeds per share
$22.11
Class R6 Shares:
 
Net asset value per share ($133,350,692 ÷ 6,028,870 shares outstanding), no par
value, unlimited shares authorized
$22.12
Offering price per share
$22.12
Redemption proceeds per share
$22.12
*
See information listed after the Fund’s Portfolio of Investments.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
24

Statement of Operations
Year Ended July 31, 2023
Investment Income:
 
Dividends (including $2,065,688 received from affiliated holdings* and net of foreign
taxes withheld of $20,320)
$15,211,108
Net income on securities loaned (includes $827,221 earned from affiliated holdings
related to cash collateral balances*) (Note 2)
553,270
TOTAL INCOME
15,764,378
Expenses:
 
Investment adviser fee (Note5)
9,062,455
Administrative fee (Note5)
890,429
Custodian fees
90,449
Transfer agent fees (Note 2)
1,287,138
Directors’/Trustees’ fees (Note5)
7,638
Auditing fees
30,672
Legal fees
11,666
Portfolio accounting fees
164,879
Distribution services fee (Note5)
183,144
Other service fees (Notes 2 and5)
359,499
Share registration costs
92,778
Printing and postage
80,141
Miscellaneous (Note5)
36,420
TOTAL EXPENSES
12,297,308
Waiver and Reimbursements:
 
Waiver/reimbursement of investment adviser fee (Note5)
(710,305)
Reimbursement of other operating expenses (Notes 2 and 5)
(1,005,042)
TOTAL WAIVER AND REIMBURSEMENTS
(1,715,347)
Net expenses
10,581,961
Net investment income
5,182,417
Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments:
 
Net realized loss on investments (including net realized loss of $(9,494,015) on sales
of investments in affiliated holdings*)
(133,042,489)
Net change in unrealized depreciation of investments (including net change in
unrealized depreciation of $9,117,013 on investments in affiliated holdings*)
199,468,884
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments
66,426,395
Change in net assets resulting from operations
$71,608,812
*
See information listed after the Fund’s Portfolio of Investments.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
25

Statement of Changes in Net Assets
Year Ended July 31
2023
2022
Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets
 
 
Operations:
 
 
Net investment income
$5,182,417
$4,298,428
Net realized gain (loss)
(133,042,489)
102,777,672
Net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation
199,468,884
(246,941,146)
CHANGE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS
71,608,812
(139,865,046)
Distributions to Shareholders:
 
 
Class A Shares
(4,206,905)
(23,745,432)
Class C Shares
(1,019,541)
(5,171,780)
Institutional Shares
(32,515,907)
(141,205,590)
Class R6 Shares
(1,987,801)
(10,318,256)
CHANGE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM DISTRIBUTIONS
TO SHAREHOLDERS
(39,730,154)
(180,441,058)
Share Transactions:
 
 
Proceeds from sale of shares
337,803,209
600,530,685
Proceeds from shares issued in connection with the tax-free
transfer of assets from the Acquired Funds
139,265,487
Net asset value of shares issued to shareholders in payment of
distributions declared
37,053,960
167,654,191
Cost of shares redeemed
(460,215,776)
(408,919,051)
CHANGE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM
SHARE TRANSACTIONS
(85,358,607)
498,531,312
Change in net assets
(53,479,949)
178,225,208
Net Assets:
 
 
Beginning of period
1,216,811,872
1,038,586,664
End of period
$1,163,331,923
$1,216,811,872
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
26

Notes to Financial Statements
July 31, 2023
1. ORGANIZATION
Federated Hermes MDT Series (the “Trust”) is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Act”), as an open-end management investment company. The Trust consists of five portfolios. The financial statements included herein are only those of Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Core Fund (the “Fund”), a diversified portfolio. The financial statements of the other portfolios are presented separately. The assets of each portfolio are segregated and a shareholder’s interest is limited to the portfolio in which shares are held. Each portfolio pays its own expenses. The Fund offers four classes of shares: Class A Shares, Class C Shares, Institutional Shares and Class R6 Shares. All shares of the Fund have equal rights with respect to voting, except on class-specific matters. The investment objective of the Fund is long-term capital appreciation.
At the close of business on September 24, 2021, the Fund acquired all of the net assets of Hancock Horizon Burkenroad Small Cap Fund and Hancock Horizon Microcap Fund (each an “Acquired Fund” or collectively, the “Acquired Funds”), each an open-end investment company, in a tax-free reorganization, in exchange for Class A Shares and Institutional Shares of the Fund pursuant to a plan of reorganization approved by each Acquired Funds’ Shareholders on September 10, 2021. In connection with the acquisition, the Acquired Funds’ Investor Class Shares and Class D Shares were exchanged for Class A Shares of the Fund and the Acquired Funds’ Institutional Class Shares were exchanged for Institutional Shares of the Fund. The purpose of the transaction was to combine three portfolios with comparable investment objectives and strategies. For financial reporting purposes, assets received and shares issued by the Fund were recorded at fair value; however, the cost basis of the investments received from the Acquired Funds was carried forward to align ongoing reporting of the Fund’s realized and unrealized gains and losses with amounts distributable to shareholders for tax purposes.
For every one share of the Acquired Fund Share Class exchanged, a shareholder received the following shares of the Fund:
Hancock Fund
Share Class
Exchanged
Fund Shares
Received
Hancock Horizon Burkenroad Small
Cap Fund
Investor Class
1.214 Class A Shares
 
Class D
1.098 Class A Shares
 
Institutional Class
1.180 Institutional Shares
Hancock Horizon Microcap Fund
Investor Class
0.648 Class A Shares
 
Institutional Class
0.629 Institutional Shares
Annual Shareholder Report
27

The Fund received net assets from the Acquired Funds as the result of the tax-free reorganization as follows:
Shares of the
Fund Issued
Acquired Funds’
Net Assets
Received
Unrealized
Appreciation
Net Assets
of the Fund
Immediately
Prior to
Combination
Net Assets
of the Fund
Immediately
After
Combination
4,877,868
$139,265,487
$63,521,835
$1,127,473,055
$1,266,738,542
Assuming the acquisition had been completed on August 1, 2021, the beginning of the annual reporting period of the Fund, the Fund’s pro forma results of operations for the year ended July 31, 2022, were as follows:
Net investment income
$4,195,825
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments
(144,575,223)
Net decrease in net assets resulting from operations
$(140,379,398)
Because the combined investment portfolios have been managed as a single integrated portfolio since the acquisitions were completed, it is not practicable to separate the amount of earnings of the Acquired Funds that has been included in the Fund’s Statement of Changes in Net Assets for the year ended July 31, 2022.
2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
The following is a summary of significant accounting policies consistently followed by the Fund in the preparation of its financial statements. These policies are in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).
Investment Valuation
In calculating its net asset value (NAV), the Fund generally values investments as follows:

Equity securities listed on an exchange or traded through a regulated market system are valued at their last reported sale price or official closing price in their principal exchange or market.

Shares of other mutual funds or non-exchange-traded investment companies are valued based upon their reported NAVs, or NAV per share practical expedient, as applicable.

Derivative contracts listed on exchanges are valued at their reported settlement or closing price, except that options are valued at the mean of closing bid and ask quotations.

Over-the-counter (OTC) derivative contracts are fair valued using price evaluations provided by a pricing service approved by Federated MDTA LLC (the “Adviser”).

For securities that are fair valued in accordance with procedures established by and under the general supervision of the Adviser, certain factors may be considered, such as: the last traded or purchase price of the security, information obtained by contacting the issuer or dealers, analysis of the issuer’s financial statements or other available documents, fundamental analytical data, the nature and duration of restrictions on disposition, the movement of the market in which the security is normally traded, public trading in similar securities or derivative contracts of the issuer or comparable issuers, movement of a relevant index, or other factors including but not limited to industry changes and relevant government actions.
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If any price, quotation, price evaluation or other pricing source is not readily available when the NAV is calculated, if the Fund cannot obtain price evaluations from a pricing service or from more than one dealer for an investment within a reasonable period of time as set forth in the Adviser’s valuation policies and procedures for the Fund, or if information furnished by a pricing service, in the opinion of the Adviser’s valuation committee (“Valuation Committee”), is deemed not representative of the fair value of such security, the Fund uses the fair value of the investment determined in accordance with the procedures described below. There can be no assurance that the Fund could obtain the fair value assigned to an investment if it sold the investment at approximately the time at which the Fund determines its NAV per share, and the actual value obtained could be materially different.
Fair Valuation and Significant Events Procedures
Pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the Act, the Fund’s Board of Trustees (the “Trustees”) has designated the Adviser as the Fund’s valuation designee to perform any fair value determinations for securities and other assets held by the Fund. The Adviser is subject to the Trustees’ oversight and certain reporting and other requirements intended to provide the Trustees the information needed to oversee the Adviser’s fair value determinations.
The Adviser, acting through its Valuation Committee, is responsible for determining the fair value of investments for which market quotations are not readily available. The Valuation Committee is comprised of officers of the Adviser and certain of the Adviser’s affiliated companies and determines fair value and oversees the calculation of the NAV. The Valuation Committee is also authorized to use pricing services to provide fair value evaluations of the current value of certain investments for purposes of calculating the NAV. The Valuation Committee employs various methods for reviewing third-party pricing-service evaluations including periodic reviews of third-party pricing services’ policies, procedures and valuation methods (including key inputs, methods, models and assumptions), transactional back-testing, comparisons of evaluations of different pricing services, and review of price challenges by the Adviser based on recent market activity. In the event that market quotations and price evaluations are not available for an investment, the Valuation Committee determines the fair value of the investment in accordance with procedures adopted by the Adviser. The Trustees periodically review the fair valuations made by the Valuation Committee. The Trustees have also approved the Adviser’s fair valuation and significant events procedures as part of the Fund’s compliance program and will review any changes made to the procedures.
Factors considered by pricing services in evaluating an investment include the yields or prices of investments of comparable quality, coupon, maturity, call rights and other potential prepayments, terms and type, reported transactions, indications as to values from dealers and general market conditions. Some pricing services provide a single price evaluation reflecting the bid-side of the market for an investment (a “bid” evaluation). Other pricing services offer both bid evaluations and price evaluations indicative of a price between the prices bid and ask for the investment (a “mid” evaluation). The Fund normally uses bid evaluations for any U.S. Treasury and Agency securities, mortgage-backed securities and municipal securities. The Fund normally uses
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mid evaluations for any other types of fixed-income securities and any OTC derivative contracts. In the event that market quotations and price evaluations are not available for an investment, the fair value of the investment is determined in accordance with procedures adopted by the Adviser.
The Adviser has also adopted procedures requiring an investment to be priced at its fair value whenever the Valuation Committee determines that a significant event affecting the value of the investment has occurred between the time as of which the price of the investment would otherwise be determined and the time as of which the NAV is computed. An event is considered significant if there is both an affirmative expectation that the investment’s value will change in response to the event and a reasonable basis for quantifying the resulting change in value. Examples of significant events that may occur after the close of the principal market on which a security is traded, or after the time of a price evaluation provided by a pricing service or a dealer, include:

With respect to securities traded principally in foreign markets, significant trends in U.S. equity markets or in the trading of foreign securities index futures contracts;

Political or other developments affecting the economy or markets in which an issuer conducts its operations or its securities are traded;

Announcements concerning matters such as acquisitions, recapitalizations, litigation developments, or a natural disaster affecting the issuer’s operations or regulatory changes or market developments affecting the issuer’s industry.
The Adviser has adopted procedures whereby the Valuation Committee uses a pricing service to provide factors to update the fair value of equity securities traded principally in foreign markets from the time of the close of their respective foreign stock exchanges to the pricing time of the Fund. For other significant events, the Fund may seek to obtain more current quotations or price evaluations from alternative pricing sources. If a reliable alternative pricing source is not available, the Valuation Committee will determine the fair value of the investment in accordance with the fair valuation procedures approved by the Adviser. The Trustees periodically review fair valuations made in response to significant events.
Repurchase Agreements
The Fund may invest in repurchase agreements for short-term liquidity purposes. It is the policy of the Fund to require the other party to a repurchase agreement to transfer to the Fund’s custodian or sub-custodian eligible securities or cash with a market value (after transaction costs) at least equal to the repurchase price to be paid under the repurchase agreement. The eligible securities are transferred to accounts with the custodian or sub-custodian in which the Fund holds a “securities entitlement” and exercises “control” as those terms are defined in the Uniform Commercial Code. The Fund has established procedures for monitoring the market value of the transferred securities and requiring the transfer of additional eligible securities if necessary to equal at least the repurchase price. These procedures also allow the other party to require securities to be transferred from the account to the extent that their market value exceeds the repurchase price or in exchange for other eligible securities of equivalent market value.
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The insolvency of the other party or other failure to repurchase the securities may delay the disposition of the underlying securities or cause the Fund to receive less than the full repurchase price. Under the terms of the repurchase agreement, any amounts received by the Fund in excess of the repurchase price and related transaction costs must be remitted to the other party.
The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements in which eligible securities are transferred into joint trading accounts maintained by the custodian or sub-custodian for investment companies and other clients advised by the Fund’s Adviser and its affiliates. The Fund will participate on a pro rata basis with the other investment companies and clients in its share of the securities transferred under such repurchase agreements and in its share of proceeds from any repurchase or other disposition of such securities.
Investment Income, Gains and Losses, Expenses and Distributions
Investment transactions are accounted for on a trade-date basis. Realized gains and losses from investment transactions are recorded on an identified-cost basis. Interest income and expenses are accrued daily. Dividend income and distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Foreign dividends are recorded on the ex-dividend date or when the Fund is informed of the ex-dividend date. Distributions of net investment income, if any, are declared and paid annually. Non-cash dividends included in dividend income, if any, are recorded at fair value. Amortization/accretion of premium and discount is included in investment income. Investment income, realized and unrealized gains and losses, and certain fund-level expenses are allocated to each class based on relative average daily net assets, except that select classes will bear certain expenses unique to those classes. The detail of the total fund expense waiver and reimbursements of $1,715,347 is disclosed in this Note 2 and Note 5. Dividends are declared separately for each class. No class has preferential dividend rights; differences in per share dividend rates are generally due to differences in separate class expenses.
Transfer Agent Fees
For the year ended July 31, 2023, transfer agent fees for the Fund were as follows:
 
Transfer Agent
Fees Incurred
Transfer Agent
Fees Reimbursed
Class A Shares
$255,097
$(226,867)
Class C Shares
31,100
(343)
Institutional Shares
987,519
(777,832)
Class R6 Shares
13,422
TOTAL
$1,287,138
$(1,005,042)
Other Service Fees
The Fund may pay other service fees up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Fund’s Class A Shares and Class C Shares to financial intermediaries or to Federated Shareholder Services Company (FSSC) for providing services to shareholders and maintaining shareholder accounts. Subject to the terms described in the Expense Limitation note, FSSC may voluntarily reimburse the Fund for other service fees.
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For the year ended July 31, 2023, other service fees for the Fund were as follows:
 
Other Service
Fees Incurred
Class A Shares
$299,430
Class C Shares
60,069
TOTAL
$359,499
Federal Taxes
It is the Fund’s policy to comply with the Subchapter M provision of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”) and to distribute to shareholders each year substantially all of its income. Accordingly, no provision for federal income tax is necessary. As of and during the year ended July 31, 2023, the Fund did not have a liability for any uncertain tax positions. The Fund recognizes interest and penalties, if any, related to tax liabilities as income tax expense in the Statement of Operations. As of July 31, 2023, tax years 2020 through 2023 remain subject to examination by the Fund’s major tax jurisdictions, which include the United States of America and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The Fund may be subject to taxes imposed by governments of countries in which it invests. Such taxes are generally based on either income or gains earned or repatriated. The Fund accrues and applies such taxes to net investment income, net realized gains and net unrealized gains as income and/or gains are earned.
When-Issued and Delayed-Delivery Transactions
The Fund may engage in when-issued or delayed-delivery transactions. The Fund records when-issued securities on the trade date and maintains security positions such that sufficient liquid assets will be available to make payment for the securities purchased. Securities purchased on a when-issued or delayed-delivery basis are marked to market daily and begin earning interest on the settlement date. Losses may occur on these transactions due to changes in market conditions or the failure of counterparties to perform under the contract.
Securities Lending
The Fund participates in a securities lending program providing for the lending of equity securities to qualified brokers. The term of the loans within the program is one year or less. The Fund normally receives cash collateral for securities loaned that may be invested in affiliated money market funds, other money market instruments and/or repurchase agreements. Investments in money market funds may include funds with a “floating” NAV that can impose redemption fees and liquidity gates, impose certain operational impediments to investing cash collateral, and, if the investee fund’s NAV decreases, result in the Fund recognizing losses and being required to cover the decrease in the value of the cash collateral. Collateral is maintained at a minimum level of 100% of the market value of investments loaned, plus interest, if applicable. In accordance with the Fund’s securities lending agreement, the market value of securities on loan is determined each day at the close of business and any additional collateral required to cover the value of securities on loan is delivered to the Fund on the next business day. Earnings from collateral invested in affiliated holdings as presented parenthetically on the Statement of Operations do not reflect fees and rebates and are allocated between the borrower of the security, the securities lending agent, as a fee for
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its services under the program and the Fund, according to agreed-upon rates. The Fund will not have the right to vote on securities while they are on loan. However, the Fund will attempt to terminate a loan in an effort to reacquire the securities in time to vote on matters that are deemed to be material by the Adviser. There can be no assurance that the Fund will have sufficient notice of such matters to be able to terminate the loan in time to vote thereon.
Securities lending transactions are subject to Master Netting Agreements which are agreements between the Fund and its counterparties that provide for the net settlement of all transactions and collateral with the Fund, through a single payment, in the event of default or termination. Amounts presented on the Portfolio of Investments and Statement of Assets and Liabilities are not net settlement amounts but gross. As indicated below, the cash collateral received by the Fund exceeds the market value of the securities loaned reducing the net settlement amount to zero. The chart below identifies the amount of collateral received as well as the market value of securities on loan. Additionally, the securities lending agreement executed by the Fund includes an indemnification clause. This clause stipulates that the borrower will reimburse the Fund for any losses as a result of any failure of the borrower to return equivalent securities to the Fund.
As of July 31, 2023, securities subject to this type of arrangement and related collateral were as follows:
Fair Value of
Securities Loaned
Collateral
Received
$29,410,304
$29,537,824
Other
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts of assets, liabilities, expenses and revenues reported in the financial statements. Actual results could differ materially from those estimated. The Fund applies investment company accounting and reporting guidance.
3. SHARES OF BENEFICIAL INTEREST
The following tables summarize share activity:
 
Year Ended
7/31/2023
Year Ended
7/31/2022
Class A Shares:
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares sold
594,200
$11,533,484
822,248
$19,987,809
Proceeds from shares issued in connection
with the tax-free transfer of assets from the
Acquired Funds
2,344,520
65,576,215
Shares issued to shareholders in payment of
distributions declared
204,453
3,853,948
886,629
21,632,986
Shares redeemed
(1,415,578)
(27,624,558)
(1,466,267)
(35,892,277)
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM CLASS A
SHARE TRANSACTIONS
(616,925)
$(12,237,126)
2,587,130
$71,304,733
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Year Ended
7/31/2023
Year Ended
7/31/2022
Class C Shares:
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares sold
167,899
$2,732,709
325,861
$6,754,347
Shares issued to shareholders in payment of
distributions declared
62,196
977,102
240,715
4,963,547
Shares redeemed
(359,404)
(5,832,724)
(303,554)
(6,020,324)
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM CLASS C
SHARE TRANSACTIONS
(129,309)
$(2,122,913)
263,022
$5,697,570
 
Year Ended
7/31/2023
Year Ended
7/31/2022
Institutional Shares:
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares sold
11,225,869
$229,611,353
21,838,587
$543,488,311
Proceeds from shares issued in connection
with the tax-free transfer of assets from the
Acquired Funds
2,533,148
73,689,272
Shares issued to shareholders in payment of
distributions declared
1,542,190
30,477,693
5,169,136
132,113,172
Shares redeemed
(19,013,556)
(390,289,089)
(13,998,302)
(343,632,941)
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM
INSTITUTIONAL SHARE TRANSACTIONS
(6,245,497)
$(130,200,043)
15,542,569
$405,657,814
 
Year Ended
7/31/2023
Year Ended
7/31/2022
Class R6 Shares:
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares sold
4,780,569
$93,925,663
1,215,271
$30,300,218
Shares issued to shareholders in payment of
distributions declared
88,265
1,745,217
349,824
8,944,486
Shares redeemed
(1,774,824)
(36,469,405)
(961,453)
(23,373,509)
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM
CLASS R6 SHARE TRANSACTIONS
3,094,010
$59,201,475
603,642
$15,871,195
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM TOTAL
FUND SHARE TRANSACTIONS
(3,897,721)
$(85,358,607)
18,996,363
$498,531,312
4. FEDERAL TAX INFORMATION
The tax character of distributions as reported on the Statement of Changes in Net Assets for the years ended July 31, 2023 and 2022, was as follows:
 
2023
2022
Ordinary income1
$2,129,046
$93,648,243
Long-term capital gains
$37,601,108
$86,792,815
1
For tax purposes, short-term capital gains distributions are considered ordinary
income distributions.
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34

As of July 31, 2023, the components of distributable earnings on a tax-basis were as follows:
Undistributed ordinary income
$3,314,541
Net unrealized appreciation
$188,110,402
Capital loss carryforwards and deferrals
$(133,896,025)
TOTAL
$57,528,918
At July 31, 2023, the cost of investments for federal tax purposes was $990,070,322. The net unrealized appreciation of investments for federal tax purposes was $188,110,402. This consists of unrealized appreciation from investments for those securities having an excess of value over cost of $241,779,720 and unrealized depreciation from investments for those securities having an excess of cost over value of $53,669,318. The difference between book-basis and tax-basis net unrealized appreciation/depreciation is attributable to differing treatments for the deferral of losses on wash sales.
As of July 31, 2023, the Fund had a capital loss carryforward of $133,896,025 which will reduce the Fund’s taxable income arising from future net realized gains on investments, if any, to the extent permitted by the Code, thereby reducing the amount of distributions to shareholders which would otherwise be necessary to relieve the Fund of any liability for federal income tax. Pursuant to the Code, these net capital losses retain their character as either short-term or long-term and do not expire.
The following schedule summarizes the Fund’s capital loss carryforwards:
Short-Term
Long-Term
Total
$133,896,025
$
$133,896,025
5. INVESTMENT ADVISER FEE AND OTHER TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES
Investment Adviser Fee
The advisory agreement between the Fund and the Adviser provides for an annual fee equal to 0.80% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Subject to the terms described in the Expense Limitation note, the Adviser may voluntarily choose to waive any portion of its fee and/or reimburse certain operating expenses of the Fund for competitive reasons such as to maintain the Fund’s expense ratio, or as and when appropriate, to maintain positive or zero net yields. For the year ended July 31, 2023, the Adviser voluntarily waived $673,346 of its fee and voluntarily reimbursed $1,005,042 of transfer agent fees.
The Adviser has agreed to reimburse the Fund for certain investment adviser fees as a result of transactions in other affiliated investment companies. For the year ended July 31, 2023, the Adviser reimbursed $36,959.
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Administrative Fee
Federated Administrative Services (FAS), under the Administrative Services Agreement, provides the Fund with administrative personnel and services. For purposes of determining the appropriate rate breakpoint, “Investment Complex” is defined as all of the Federated Hermes Funds subject to a fee under the Administrative Services Agreement. The fee paid to FAS is based on the average daily net assets of the Investment Complex as specified below:
Administrative Fee
Average Daily Net Assets
of the Investment Complex
0.100%
on assets up to $50 billion
0.075%
on assets over $50 billion
Subject to the terms described in the Expense Limitation note, FAS may voluntarily choose to waive any portion of its fee. For the year ended July 31, 2023, the annualized fee paid to FAS was 0.079% of average daily net assets of the Fund.
In addition, FAS may charge certain out-of-pocket expenses to the Fund.
Distribution Services Fee
The Fund has adopted a Distribution Plan (the “Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Act. Under the terms of the Plan, the Fund will compensate Federated Securities Corp. (FSC), the principal distributor, from the daily net assets of the to finance activities intended to result in the sale of these shares. The Plan provides that the Fund may incur distribution expenses at the following percentages of average daily net assets annually, to compensate FSC:
 
Percentage of Average Daily
Net Assets of Class
Class A Shares
0.05%
Class C Shares
0.75%
Subject to the terms described in the Expense Limitation note, FSC may voluntarily choose to waive any portion of its fee. For the year ended July 31, 2023, distribution services fees for the Fund were as follows:
 
Distribution Services
Fees Incurred
Class C Shares
$183,144
When FSC receives fees, it may pay some or all of them to financial intermediaries whose customers purchase shares.
For the year ended July 31, 2023, FSC retained $29,524 of fees paid by the Fund. For the year ended July 31, 2023, Class A Shares did not incur a distribution services fee; however, it may begin to incur this fee upon approval of the Trustees.
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Sales Charges
Front-end sales charges and contingent deferred sales charges (CDSC) do not represent expenses of the Fund. They are deducted from the proceeds of sales of Fund shares prior to investment or from redemption proceeds prior to remittance, as applicable. For the year ended July 31, 2023, FSC retained $3,727 in sales charges from the sale of Class A Shares. FSC also retained $1,769 of CDSC relating to redemptions of Class C Shares.
Other Service Fees
For the year ended July 31, 2023, FSSC received $3,062 of the other service fees disclosed in Note 2.
Expense Limitation
The Adviser and certain of its affiliates (which may include FSC, FAS and FSSC) on their own initiative have agreed to waive certain amounts of their respective fees and/or reimburse expenses. Total annual fund operating expenses (as shown in the financial highlights, excluding interest expense, extraordinary expenses and proxy-related expenses paid by the Fund, if any) paid by the Fund’s Class A Shares, Class C Shares, Institutional Shares and Class R6 Shares (after the voluntary waivers and/or reimbursements) will not exceed 1.13%, 2.00%, 0.88% and 0.87% (the “Fee Limit”), respectively, up to but not including the later of (the “Termination Date”): (a) October 1, 2024; or (b) the date of the Fund’s next effective Prospectus. While the Adviser and its applicable affiliates currently do not anticipate terminating or increasing these arrangements prior to the Termination Date, these arrangements may only be terminated or the Fee Limit increased prior to the Termination Date with the agreement of the Trustees.
Directors’/Trustees’ and Miscellaneous Fees
Certain Officers and Trustees of the Fund are Officers and Directors or Trustees of certain of the above companies. To efficiently facilitate payment, Independent Directors’/Trustees’ fees and certain expenses related to conducting meetings of the Directors/Trustees and other miscellaneous expenses are paid by an affiliate of the Adviser which in due course are reimbursed by the Fund. These expenses related to conducting meetings of the Directors/Trustees and other miscellaneous expenses may be included in Accrued and Miscellaneous Expenses on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Statement of Operations, respectively.
6. INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS
Purchases and sales of investments, excluding long-term U.S. government securities and short-term obligations, for the year ended July 31, 2023, were as follows:
Purchases
$1,425,184,216
Sales
$1,540,272,699
7. LINE OF CREDIT
The Fund participates with certain other Federated Hermes Funds, on a several basis, in an up to $500,000,000 unsecured, 364-day, committed, revolving line of credit (LOC) agreement dated June 21, 2023. The LOC was made available to temporarily finance the repurchase or redemption of shares of the Fund, failed trades, payment of
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dividends, settlement of trades and for other short-term, temporary or emergency general business purposes. The Fund cannot borrow under the LOC if an inter-fund loan is outstanding. The Fund’s ability to borrow under the LOC also is subject to the limitations of the Act and various conditions precedent that must be satisfied before the Fund can borrow. Loans under the LOC are charged interest at a fluctuating rate per annum equal to (a) the highest, on any day, of (i) the federal funds effective rate, (ii) the published secured overnight financing rate plus an assigned percentage, and (iii) 0.0%, plus (b) a margin. Any fund eligible to borrow under the LOC pays its pro rata share of a commitment fee based on the amount of the lenders’ commitment that has not been utilized, quarterly in arrears and at maturity. As of July 31, 2023, the Fund had no outstanding loans. During the year ended July 31, 2023, the Fund did not utilize the LOC.
8. INTERFUND LENDING
Pursuant to an Exemptive Order issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Fund, along with other funds advised by subsidiaries of Federated Hermes, Inc., may participate in an interfund lending program. This program provides an alternative credit facility allowing the Fund to borrow from other participating affiliated funds. As of July 31, 2023, there were no outstanding loans. During the year ended July 31, 2023, the program was not utilized.
9. INDEMNIFICATIONS
Under the Fund’s organizational documents, its Officers and Directors/Trustees are indemnified against certain liabilities arising out of the performance of their duties to the Fund (other than liabilities arising out of their willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of their duties to the Fund). In addition, in the normal course of business, the Fund provides certain indemnifications under arrangements with third parties. Typically, obligations to indemnify a third party arise in the context of an arrangement entered into by the Fund under which the Fund agrees to indemnify such third party for certain liabilities arising out of actions taken pursuant to the arrangement, provided the third party’s actions are not deemed to have breached an agreed-upon standard of care (such as willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of their duties under the contract). The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Fund that have not yet arisen. The Fund does not anticipate any material claims or losses pursuant to these arrangements at this time, and accordingly expects the risk of loss to be remote.
10. OTHER MATTERS
An outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus was first detected in China in late 2019 and subsequently spread globally. As of the date of the issuance of these financial statements, this coronavirus has resulted in, and may continue to result in, closed borders, enhanced health screenings, disruptions to healthcare service preparation and delivery, quarantines, cancellations, and disruptions to supply chains, workflow operations and consumer activity, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The impact of this coronavirus has resulted in substantial economic volatility. Health crises caused by outbreaks, such as the coronavirus outbreak, may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks. The impact of this outbreak, and other epidemics and pandemics that may arise in the future, could continue to negatively
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affect the worldwide economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, individual companies (including certain Fund service providers and issuers of the Fund’s investments) and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. In addition, governments, their regulatory agencies, or self-regulatory organizations may take actions in response to the pandemic, including significant fiscal and monetary policy changes, that may affect the instruments in which the Fund invests or the issuers of such investments. Any such impact could adversely affect the Fund’s performance.
11. FEDERAL TAX INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)
For the year ended July 31, 2023, the amount of long-term capital gains designated by the Fund was $37,601,108.
For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2023, 100% of total ordinary income distributions made by the Fund are qualifying dividends which may be subject to a maximum tax rate of 15%, as provided for by the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Act of 2003. Complete information is reported in conjunction with the reporting of your distributions on Form 1099-DIV.
Of the ordinary income distributions made by the Fund during the year ended July 31, 2023, 100% qualify for the dividend received deduction available to corporate shareholders.
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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
TO THE board of trustees OF federated Hermes MDT Series and shareholders of Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Core Fund:
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities of Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Core Fund (the “Fund”) (one of the portfolios constituting Federated Hermes MDT Series (the “Trust”)), including the portfolio of investments, as of July 31, 2023, and the related statement of operations for the year then ended, the statement of changes in net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended, the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Fund (one of the portfolios constituting Federated Hermes MDT Series), at July 31, 2023, the results of its operations for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended and its financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Trust’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Fund’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Trust in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
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We conducted our audits in accordance with standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements and financial highlights are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Trust is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of the Trust’s internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Trust’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of July 31, 2023, by correspondence with the custodian, brokers, and others; when replies were not received from brokers or others, we performed other auditing procedures. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
We have served as the auditor of one or more Federated Hermes investment companies since 1979.
Boston, Massachusetts
September 25, 2023
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Shareholder Expense Example (unaudited)
As a shareholder of the Fund, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads) on purchase or redemption payments; and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees and to the extent applicable, distribution (12b-1) fees and/or other service fees and other Fund expenses. This Example is intended to help you to understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds. It is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period from February 1, 2023 to July 31, 2023.
ACTUAL EXPENSES
The first section of the table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this section, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you incurred over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first section under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses attributable to your investment during this period.
HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLE FOR COMPARISON PURPOSES
The second section of the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. Thus, you should not use the hypothetical account values and expenses to estimate the actual ending account balance or your expenses for the period. Rather, these figures are required to be provided to enable you to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund with other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.
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Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transaction costs, such as sales charges (loads) on purchase or redemption payments. Therefore, the second section of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transaction costs were included, your costs would have been higher.
 
Beginning
Account Value
2/1/2023
Ending
Account Value
7/31/2023
Expenses Paid
During Period1
Actual:
 
 
 
Class A Shares
$1,000
$1,018.40
$5.66
Class C Shares
$1,000
$1,013.90
$9.89
Institutional Shares
$1,000
$1,019.40
$4.41
Class R6 Shares
$1,000
$1,019.40
$4.36
Hypothetical (assuming a 5% return
before expenses):
 
 
 
Class A Shares
$1,000
$1,019.19
$5.66
Class C Shares
$1,000
$1,014.98
$9.89
Institutional Shares
$1,000
$1,020.43
$4.41
Class R6 Shares
$1,000
$1,020.48
$4.36
1
Expenses are equal to the Fund’s annualized net expense ratios, multiplied by the average
account value over the period, multiplied by 181/365 (to reflect the one-half-year period). The
annualized net expense ratios are as follows:
Class A Shares
1.13%
Class C Shares
1.98%
Institutional Shares
0.88%
Class R6 Shares
0.87%
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43

Board of Trustees and Trust Officers
The Board of Trustees is responsible for managing the Trust’s business affairs and for exercising all the Trust’s powers except those reserved for the shareholders. The following tables give information about each Trustee and the senior officers of the Fund. Where required, the tables separately list Trustees who are “interested persons” of the Fund (i.e., “Interested” Trustees) and those who are not (i.e., “Independent” Trustees). Unless otherwise noted, the address of each person listed is 1001 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779. The address of all Independent Trustees listed is 4000 Ericsson Drive, Warrendale, PA 15086-7561; Attention: Mutual Fund Board. As of December 31, 2022, the Trust comprised five portfolio(s), and the Federated Hermes Fund Family consisted of 33 investment companies (comprising 102 portfolios). Unless otherwise noted, each Officer is elected annually. Unless otherwise noted, each Trustee oversees all portfolios in the Federated Hermes Fund Family and serves for an indefinite term. The Fund’s Statement of Additional Information includes additional information about Trust Trustees and is available, without charge and upon request, by calling 1-800-341-7400, Option #4.
Interested TRUSTEES Background
Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held and Previous Position(s)
J. Christopher Donahue*
Birth Date: April 11, 1949
President and Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: May 2006
Principal Occupations: Principal Executive Officer and President of
certain of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Fund Family; Director or
Trustee of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Fund Family; President,
Chief Executive Officer and Director, Federated Hermes, Inc.;
Chairman and Trustee, Federated Investment Management Company;
Trustee, Federated Investment Counseling; Chairman and Director,
Federated Global Investment Management Corp.; Chairman and
Trustee, Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania;
Trustee, Federated Shareholder Services Company; Director,
Federated Services Company.
Previous Positions: President, Federated Investment Counseling;
President and Chief Executive Officer, Federated Investment
Management Company, Federated Global Investment Management
Corp. and Passport Research, Ltd; Chairman, Passport Research, Ltd.
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Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held and Previous Position(s)
John B. Fisher*
Birth Date: May 16, 1956
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: May 2016
Principal Occupations: Principal Executive Officer and President of
certain of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Fund Family; Director or
Trustee of certain of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Fund Family;
Director and Vice President, Federated Hermes, Inc.; President,
Director/Trustee and CEO, Federated Advisory Services Company,
Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania, Federated
Global Investment Management Corp., Federated Investment
Counseling, Federated Investment Management Company, and
Federated MDTA LLC; Director, Federated Investors Trust Company.
Previous Positions: President and Director of the Institutional Sales
Division of Federated Securities Corp.; President and CEO of Passport
Research, Ltd.; Director and President, Technology, Federated
Services Company.
*
Reasons for “interested” status: J. Christopher Donahue and John B. Fisher are interested due to their beneficial ownership of shares of Federated Hermes, Inc. and due to positions they hold with Federated Hermes, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES Background
Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
John T. Collins
Birth Date: January 24, 1947
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: October 2013
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee, and Chair of the Board
of Directors or Trustees, of the Federated Hermes Fund Family;
formerly, Chairman and CEO, The Collins Group, Inc. (a private equity
firm) (Retired).
Other Directorships Held: Director, KLX Energy Services Holdings,
Inc. (oilfield services); former Director of KLX Corp. (aerospace).
Qualifications: Mr. Collins has served in several business and financial
management roles and directorship positions throughout his career.
Mr. Collins previously served as Chairman and CEO of The Collins
Group, Inc. (a private equity firm) and as a Director of KLX Corp.
Mr. Collins serves as Chairman Emeriti, Bentley University. Mr. Collins
previously served as Director and Audit Committee Member, Bank of
America Corp.; Director, FleetBoston Financial Corp.; and Director,
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Harvard University
Affiliate Hospital).
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45

Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
G. Thomas Hough
Birth Date: February 28, 1955
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: August 2015
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee, Chair of the Audit
Committee of the Federated Hermes Fund Family; formerly, Vice
Chair, Ernst & Young LLP (public accounting firm) (Retired).
Other Directorships Held: Director, Chair of the Audit Committee,
Equifax, Inc.; Lead Director, Member of the Audit and Nominating and
Corporate Governance Committees, Haverty Furniture Companies,
Inc.; formerly, Director, Member of Governance and Compensation
Committees, Publix Super Markets, Inc.
Qualifications: Mr. Hough has served in accounting, business
management and directorship positions throughout his career.
Mr. Hough most recently held the position of Americas Vice Chair of
Assurance with Ernst & Young LLP (public accounting firm). Mr. Hough
serves on the President’s Cabinet and Business School Board of
Visitors for the University of Alabama. Mr. Hough previously served on
the Business School Board of Visitors for Wake Forest University, and
he previously served as an Executive Committee member of the
United States Golf Association.
Maureen Lally-Green
Birth Date: July 5, 1949
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: August 2009
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Fund Family; Adjunct Professor Emerita of Law, Duquesne University
School of Law; formerly, Dean of the Duquesne University School of
Law and Professor of Law and Interim Dean of the Duquesne
University School of Law; formerly, Associate General Secretary and
Director, Office of Church Relations, Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Other Directorships Held: Director, CNX Resources Corporation
(natural gas).
Qualifications: Judge Lally-Green has served in various legal and
business roles and directorship positions throughout her career. Judge
Lally-Green previously held the position of Dean of the School of Law
of Duquesne University (as well as Interim Dean). Judge Lally-Green
previously served as Associate General Secretary of the Diocese of
Pittsburgh, a member of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania and as a
Professor of Law, Duquesne University School of Law. Judge Lally-
Green was appointed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to serve
on the Supreme Court’s Board of Continuing Judicial Education and
the Supreme Court’s Appellate Court Procedural Rules Committee.
Judge Lally-Green also currently holds the positions on not for profit
or for profit boards of directors as follows: Director and Chair, UPMC
Mercy Hospital; Regent, Saint Vincent Seminary; Member,
Pennsylvania State Board of Education (public); Director, Catholic
Charities, Pittsburgh; and Director CNX Resources Corporation
(natural gas). Judge Lally-Green has held the positions of: Director,
Auberle; Director, Epilepsy Foundation of Western and Central
Pennsylvania; Director, Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh; Director, Saint
Thomas More Society; Director and Chair, Catholic High Schools of
the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Inc.; Director, Pennsylvania Bar Institute;
Director, St. Vincent College; Director and Chair, North Catholic High
School, Inc.; Director and Vice Chair, Our Campaign for the Church
Alive!, Inc.; and Director and Vice Chair, Saint Francis University.
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46

Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
Thomas M. O’Neill
Birth Date: June 14, 1951
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: August 2006
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Fund Family; Sole Proprietor, Navigator Management Company
(investment and strategic consulting).
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Mr. O’Neill has served in several business, mutual fund
and financial management roles and directorship positions throughout
his career. Mr. O’Neill serves as Director, Medicines for Humanity.
Mr. O’Neill previously served as Chief Executive Officer and President,
Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer, Fleet Investment
Advisors; President and Chief Executive Officer, Aeltus Investment
Management, Inc.; General Partner, Hellman, Jordan Management
Co., Boston, MA; Chief Investment Officer, The Putnam Companies,
Boston, MA; Credit Analyst and Lending Officer, Fleet Bank; Director
and Consultant, EZE Castle Software (investment order management
software); Director, Midway Pacific (lumber); and Director, The
Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples, Florida.
Madelyn A. Reilly
Birth Date: February 2, 1956
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving:
November 2020
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Fund Family; formerly, Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs,
General Counsel and Secretary of Board of Directors, Duquesne
University (Retired).
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Ms. Reilly has served in various business and legal
management roles throughout her career. Ms. Reilly previously served
as Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs, General Counsel and
Secretary of Board of Directors and Director of Risk Management and
Associate General Counsel, Duquesne University. Prior to her work at
Duquesne University, Ms. Reilly served as Assistant General Counsel
of Compliance and Enterprise Risk as well as Senior Counsel of
Environment, Health and Safety, PPG Industries. Ms. Reilly currently
serves as a member of the Board of Directors of UPMC
Mercy Hospital.
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Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
P. Jerome Richey
Birth Date: February 23, 1949
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: October 2013
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Fund Family; Retired; formerly, Senior Vice Chancellor and Chief Legal
Officer, University of Pittsburgh and Executive Vice President and
Chief Legal Officer, CONSOL Energy Inc. (now split into two separate
publicly traded companies known as CONSOL Energy Inc. and CNX
Resources Corp.).
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Mr. Richey has served in several business and legal
management roles and directorship positions throughout his career.
Mr. Richey most recently held the positions of Senior Vice Chancellor
and Chief Legal Officer, University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Richey previously
served as Chairman of the Board, Epilepsy Foundation of Western
Pennsylvania and Chairman of the Board, World Affairs Council of
Pittsburgh. Mr. Richey previously served as Chief Legal Officer and
Executive Vice President, CONSOL Energy Inc. and CNX Gas
Company; and Board Member, Ethics Counsel and Shareholder,
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC (a law firm).
John S. Walsh
Birth Date:
November 28, 1957
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: June 2006
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Fund Family; President and Director, Heat Wagon, Inc. (manufacturer
of construction temporary heaters); President and Director,
Manufacturers Products, Inc. (distributor of portable construction
heaters); President, Portable Heater Parts, a division of Manufacturers
Products, Inc.
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Mr. Walsh has served in several business management
roles and directorship positions throughout his career. Mr. Walsh
previously served as Vice President, Walsh & Kelly, Inc.
(paving contractors).
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OFFICERS
Name
Birth Date
Address
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years
and Previous Position(s)
Lori A. Hensler
Birth Date: January 6, 1967
TREASURER
Officer since: April 2013
Principal Occupations: Principal Financial Officer and Treasurer of the
Federated Hermes Fund Family; Senior Vice President, Federated
Administrative Services; Financial and Operations Principal for
Federated Securities Corp.; and Assistant Treasurer, Federated
Investors Trust Company. Ms. Hensler has received the Certified
Public Accountant designation.
Previous Positions: Controller of Federated Hermes, Inc.; Senior Vice
President and Assistant Treasurer, Federated Investors Management
Company; Treasurer, Federated Investors Trust Company; Assistant
Treasurer, Federated Administrative Services, Federated
Administrative Services, Inc., Federated Securities Corp., Edgewood
Services, Inc., Federated Advisory Services Company, Federated
Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania, Federated Global
Investment Management Corp., Federated Investment Counseling,
Federated Investment Management Company, Passport Research,
Ltd., and Federated MDTA, LLC; Financial and Operations Principal for
Federated Securities Corp., Edgewood Services, Inc. and Southpointe
Distribution Services, Inc.
Peter J. Germain
Birth Date:
September 3, 1959
CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER,
SECRETARY and EXECUTIVE
VICE PRESIDENT
Officer since: June 2006
Principal Occupations: Mr. Germain is Chief Legal Officer, Secretary
and Executive Vice President of the Federated Hermes Fund Family.
He is General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer, Secretary and Executive
Vice President, Federated Hermes, Inc.; Trustee and Senior Vice
President, Federated Investors Management Company; Trustee and
President, Federated Administrative Services; Director and President,
Federated Administrative Services, Inc.; Director and Vice President,
Federated Securities Corp.; Director and Secretary, Federated Private
Asset Management, Inc.; Secretary, Federated Shareholder Services
Company; and Secretary, Retirement Plan Service Company of
America. Mr. Germain joined Federated Hermes, Inc. in 1984 and is a
member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.
Previous Positions: Deputy General Counsel, Special Counsel,
Managing Director of Mutual Fund Services, Federated Hermes, Inc.;
Senior Vice President, Federated Services Company; and Senior
Corporate Counsel, Federated Hermes, Inc.
Stephen Van Meter
Birth Date: June 5, 1975
CHIEF COMPLIANCE
OFFICER AND SENIOR
VICE PRESIDENT
Officer since: July 2015
Principal Occupations: Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance
Officer of the Federated Hermes Fund Family; Vice President and
Chief Compliance Officer of Federated Hermes, Inc. and Chief
Compliance Officer of certain of its subsidiaries. Mr. Van Meter joined
Federated Hermes, Inc. in October 2011. He holds FINRA licenses
under Series 3, 7, 24 and 66.
Previous Positions: Mr. Van Meter previously held the position of
Compliance Operating Officer, Federated Hermes, Inc. Prior to joining
Federated Hermes, Inc., Mr. Van Meter served at the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission in the positions of Senior
Counsel, Office of Chief Counsel, Division of Investment Management
and Senior Counsel, Division of Enforcement.
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49

Name
Birth Date
Address
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years
and Previous Position(s)
Stephen F. Auth
Birth Date:
September 13, 1956
101 Park Avenue
41st Floor
New York, NY 10178
CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER
Officer since: June 2012
Principal Occupations: Stephen F. Auth is Chief Investment Officer of
various Funds in the Federated Hermes Fund Family; Executive Vice
President, Federated Investment Counseling, Federated Global
Investment Management Corp. and Federated Equity Management
Company of Pennsylvania.
Previous Positions: Executive Vice President, Federated Investment
Management Company and Passport Research, Ltd. (investment
advisory subsidiary of Federated); Senior Vice President, Global
Portfolio Management Services Division; Senior Vice President,
Federated Investment Management Company and Passport
Research, Ltd.; Senior Managing Director and Portfolio Manager,
Prudential Investments.
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50

Evaluation and Approval of Advisory ContractMay 2023
Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Core Fund (the “Fund”)
At its meetings in May 2023 (the “May Meetings”), the Fund’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”), including those Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Fund, as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Independent Trustees”), reviewed and unanimously approved the continuation of the investment advisory contract between the Fund and Federated MDTA LLC (the “Adviser”) with respect to the Fund (the “Contract”) for an additional one-year term. The Board’s determination to approve the continuation of the Contract reflects the exercise of its business judgment after considering all of the information and factors believed to be relevant and appropriate on whether to approve the continuation of the existing arrangement. The information, factors and conclusions that formed the basis for the Board’s approval are summarized below.
Information Received and Review Process
At the request of the Independent Trustees, the Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer (the “CCO”) furnished to the Board in advance of its May Meetings an independent written evaluation of the Fund’s management fee (the “CCO Fee Evaluation Report”). The Board considered the CCO Fee Evaluation Report, along with other information, in evaluating the reasonableness of the Fund’s management fee and in determining to approve the continuation of the Contract. The CCO, in preparing the CCO Fee Evaluation Report, has the authority to retain consultants, experts or staff as reasonably necessary to assist in the performance of his duties, reports directly to the Board, and can be terminated only with the approval of a majority of the Independent Trustees. At the request of the Independent Trustees, the CCO Fee Evaluation Report followed the same general approach and covered the same topics as that of the report that had previously been delivered by the CCO in his capacity as “Senior Officer” prior to the elimination of the Senior Officer position in December 2017.
In addition to the extensive materials that comprise and accompany the CCO Fee Evaluation Report, the Board considered information specifically prepared in connection with the approval of the continuation of the Contract that was presented at the May Meetings. In this regard, in the months preceding the May Meetings, the Board requested and reviewed written responses and supporting materials prepared by the Adviser and its affiliates (collectively, “Federated Hermes”) in response to requests posed to Federated Hermes by independent legal counsel on behalf of the Independent Trustees encompassing a wide variety of topics, including those summarized below. The Board also considered such additional matters as the Independent Trustees deemed
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reasonably necessary to evaluate the Contract, which included detailed information about the Fund and Federated Hermes furnished to the Board at its meetings throughout the year and in between regularly scheduled meetings on particular matters as the need arose.
The Board’s consideration of the Contract included review of materials and information covering the following matters, among others: the nature, quality and extent of the advisory and other services provided to the Fund by Federated Hermes; Federated Hermes’ business and operations; the Adviser’s investment philosophy, personnel and processes; the Fund’s investment objectives and strategies; the Fund’s short-term and long-term performance (in absolute terms, both on a gross basis and net of expenses, and relative to the Fund’s particular investment program and a group of its peer funds and/or its benchmark, as appropriate); the Fund’s fees and expenses, including the advisory fee and the overall expense structure of the Fund (both in absolute terms and relative to a group of its peer funds), with due regard for contractual or voluntary expense limitations (if any); the financial condition of Federated Hermes; the Adviser’s profitability with respect to managing the Fund; distribution and sales activity for the Fund; and the use and allocation of brokerage commissions derived from trading the Fund’s portfolio securities (if any).
The Board also considered judicial decisions allegedly excessive investment advisory fees charged to other registered funds in evaluating the Contract. Using these judicial decisions as a guide, the Board observed that the following factors may be relevant to an adviser’s fiduciary duty with respect to its receipt of compensation from a fund: (1) the nature and quality of the services provided by the adviser to the fund and its shareholders, including the performance of the fund, its benchmark and comparable funds; (2) the adviser’s cost of providing the services and the profitability to the adviser of providing advisory services to the fund; (3) the extent to which the adviser may realize “economies of scale” as the fund grows larger and, if such economies of scale exist, whether they have been appropriately shared with the fund and its shareholders or the family of funds; (4) any “fall-out” benefits that accrue to the adviser because of its relationship with the fund, including research services received from brokers that execute fund trades and any fees paid to affiliates of the adviser for services rendered to the fund; (5) comparative fee and expense structures, including a comparison of management fees paid to the adviser with those paid by similar funds managed by the same adviser or other advisers as well as management fees charged to institutional and other advisory clients of the same adviser for what might be viewed as like services; and (6) the extent of care, conscientiousness and independence with which the fund’s board members perform their duties and their expertise, including whether they are fully informed about all facts the board deems relevant to its consideration of the adviser’s services and fees. The Board noted that the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) disclosure requirements
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regarding the basis for a fund board’s approval of the fund’s investment advisory contract generally align with the factors listed above. The Board was guided by these factors in its review of the Contract to the extent it considered them to be appropriate and relevant, as discussed further below. The Board considered and weighed these factors in light of its substantial accumulated experience in governing the Fund and working with Federated Hermes on matters relating to the oversight of the other funds advised by Federated Hermes (each, a “Federated Hermes Fund” and, collectively, the “Federated Hermes Funds”).
In addition, the Board considered the preferences and expectations of Fund shareholders and the potential disruptions of the Fund’s operations and various risks, uncertainties and other effects that could occur as a result of a decision to terminate or not renew the Contract. In particular, the Board recognized that many shareholders likely have invested in the Fund based on the strength of Federated Hermes’ industry standing and reputation and with the expectation that Federated Hermes will have a continuing role in providing advisory services to the Fund. Thus, the Board observed that there are a range of investment options available to the Fund’s shareholders and such shareholders in the marketplace, having had the opportunity to consider other investment options, have effectively selected Federated Hermes by virtue of investing in the Fund.
In determining to approve the continuation of the Contract, the members of the Board reviewed and evaluated information and factors they believed to be relevant and appropriate through the exercise of their reasonable business judgment. While individual members of the Board may have weighed certain factors differently, the Board’s determination to approve the continuation of the Contract was based on a comprehensive consideration of all information provided to the Board throughout the year and specifically with respect to the continuation of the Contract. The Board recognized that its evaluation process is evolutionary and that the factors considered and emphasis placed on relevant factors may change in recognition of changing circumstances in the registered fund marketplace. The Independent Trustees were assisted throughout the evaluation process by independent legal counsel. In connection with their deliberations at the May Meetings, the Independent Trustees met separately in executive session with their independent legal counsel and without management present to review the relevant materials and consider their responsibilities under applicable laws. In addition, senior management representatives of Federated Hermes also met with the Independent Trustees and their independent legal counsel to discuss the materials and presentations furnished to the Board at the May Meetings. The Board considered the approval of the Contract for the Fund as part of its consideration of agreements for funds across the family of Federated Hermes Funds, but its approvals were made on a fund-by-fund basis.
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53

Nature, Extent and Quality of Services
The Board considered the nature, extent and quality of the services provided to the Fund by the Adviser and the resources of Federated Hermes dedicated to the Fund. In this regard, the Board evaluated, among other things, the terms of the Contract and the range of services provided to the Fund by Federated Hermes. The Board considered the Adviser’s personnel, investment philosophy and process, investment research capabilities and resources, trade operations capabilities, experience and performance track record. The Board reviewed the qualifications, backgrounds and responsibilities of the portfolio management team primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and Federated Hermes’ ability and experience in attracting and retaining qualified personnel to service the Fund. The Board considered the trading operations by the Adviser, including the execution of portfolio transactions and the selection of brokers for those transactions. The Board also considered the Adviser’s ability to deliver competitive investment performance for the Fund when compared to the Fund’s Performance Peer Group (as defined below), which was deemed by the Board to be a useful indicator of how the Adviser is executing the Fund’s investment program.
In addition, the Board considered the financial resources and overall reputation of Federated Hermes and its willingness to consider and make investments in personnel, infrastructure, technology, cybersecurity, business continuity planning and operational enhancements that are designed to benefit the Federated Hermes Funds. The Board noted that the significant acquisition of Hermes Fund Managers Limited by Federated Hermes has deepened Federated Hermes’ investment management expertise and capabilities and expanded its access to analytical resources related to environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) factors and issuer engagement on ESG matters. The Board considered Federated Hermes’ oversight of the securities lending program for the Federated Hermes Funds that engage in securities lending and noted the income earned by the Federated Hermes Funds that participate in such program. In addition, the Board considered the quality of Federated Hermes’ communications with the Board and responsiveness to Board inquiries and requests made from time to time with respect to the Federated Hermes Funds. The Board also considered that Federated Hermes is responsible for providing the Federated Hermes Funds’ officers.
The Board received and evaluated information regarding Federated Hermes’ regulatory and compliance environment. The Board considered Federated Hermes’ compliance program and compliance history and reports from the CCO about Federated Hermes’ compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including responses to regulatory developments and any compliance or other issues raised by regulatory agencies. The Board also noted Federated Hermes’ support of the Federated Hermes Funds’ compliance control structure and the compliance-related resources devoted by Federated Hermes in support of the Fund’s obligations pursuant to Rule 38a-1 under the
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Investment Company Act of 1940, including Federated Hermes’ commitment to respond to rulemaking and other regulatory initiatives of the SEC. The Board considered Federated Hermes’ approach to internal audits and risk management with respect to the Federated Hermes Funds and its day-to-day oversight of the Federated Hermes Funds’ compliance with their investment objectives and policies as well as with applicable laws and regulations, noting that regulatory and other developments had over time led, and continue to lead, to an increase in the scope of Federated Hermes’ oversight in this regard, including in connection with the implementation of new rules on derivatives risk management and fair valuation.
The Board also considered the implementation of Federated Hermes’ business continuity plans. In addition, the Board noted Federated Hermes’ commitment to maintaining high quality systems and expending substantial resources to prepare for and respond to ongoing changes due to the market, regulatory and control environments in which the Fund and its service providers operate.
The Board considered Federated Hermes’ efforts to provide shareholders in the Federated Hermes Funds with a comprehensive array of funds with different investment objectives, policies and strategies. The Board considered the expenses that Federated Hermes had incurred, as well as the entrepreneurial and other risks assumed by Federated Hermes, in sponsoring and providing on-going services to new funds to expand these opportunities for shareholders. The Board noted the benefits to shareholders of being part of the family of Federated Hermes Funds, which include the general right to exchange investments between the same class of shares without the incurrence of additional sales charges.
Based on these considerations, the Board concluded that it was satisfied with the nature, extent and quality of the services provided by the Adviser to the Fund.
Fund Investment Performance
The Board considered the investment performance of the Fund. In evaluating the Fund’s investment performance, the Board considered performance results in light of the Fund’s investment objective, strategies and risks. The Board considered detailed investment reports on, and the Adviser’s analysis of, the Fund’s performance over different time periods that were provided to the Board throughout the year and in connection with the May Meetings. These reports included, among other items, information on the Fund’s gross and net returns, the Fund’s investment performance compared to one or more relevant categories or groups of peer funds and the Fund’s benchmark index, performance attribution information and commentary on the effect of market conditions. The Board considered that, in its evaluation of investment performance at meetings throughout the year, it focused particular attention on information indicating less favorable performance of certain
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55

Federated Hermes Funds for specific time periods and discussed with Federated Hermes the reasons for such performance as well as any specific actions Federated Hermes had taken, or had agreed to take, to seek to enhance Fund investment performance and the results of those actions.
The Board also reviewed comparative information regarding the performance of other registered funds in the category of peer funds selected by Morningstar, Inc. (the “Morningstar”), an independent fund ranking organization (the “Performance Peer Group”). The Board noted the CCO’s view that comparisons to fund peer groups may be helpful, though not conclusive, in evaluating the performance of the Adviser in managing the Fund. The Board considered the CCO’s view that, in evaluating such comparisons, in some cases there may be differences in the funds’ objectives or investment management techniques, or the costs to implement the funds, even within the same Performance Peer Group. In this connection, the Board considered that the quantitative focus of the management of the Fund makes fee and expense comparisons particularly difficult as the funds in the Performance Peer Group varied widely in terms of the complexity of their management, and the management of the Fund is among the more complex relative to its Performance Peer Group. The Board also considered a report comparing the performance of the Fund solely to other funds with a quantitative focus in the Performance Peer Group.
For the periods ended December 31, 2022, the Fund’s performance fell below the Performance Peer Group median for the one-year and five-year periods, and was above the Performance Peer Group median for the three-year period. In addition, the Board was informed by the Adviser that, for the same periods, the Fund outperformed its benchmark index for the three-year period and underperformed its benchmark index for the one-year and five-year periods. The Board discussed the Fund’s performance with the Adviser, and recognized the efforts being taken by the Adviser in the context of other factors considered relevant by the Board.
Based on these considerations, the Board concluded that it had continued confidence in the Adviser’s overall capabilities to manage the Fund.
Fund Expenses
The Board considered the advisory fee, and overall expense structure of the Fund and the comparative fee and expense information that had been provided in connection with the May Meetings. In this regard, the Board was presented with, and considered, information regarding the contractual advisory fee rates, net advisory fee rates, total expense ratios and each element of the Fund’s total expense ratio (i.e., gross and net advisory fees, administrative fees, custody fees, portfolio accounting fees and transfer agency fees) relative to an appropriate group of peer funds compiled by Federated Hermes from the category of peer funds selected by Morningstar (the “Expense Peer Group”).
Annual Shareholder Report
56

The Board received a description of the methodology used to select the Expense Peer Group from the overall Morningstar category. The Board also reviewed comparative information regarding the fees and expenses of the broader group of funds in the overall Morningstar category.
While mindful that courts have cautioned against giving too much weight to comparative information concerning fees charged to funds by other advisers, the use of comparisons between the Fund and its Expense Peer Group assisted the Board in its evaluation of the Fund’s fees and expenses. The Board focused on comparisons with other registered funds with comparable investment programs more heavily than non-registered fund products or services because such comparisons are believed to be more relevant. The Board considered that other registered funds are the products most like the Fund, in that they are readily available to Fund shareholders as alternative investment vehicles, and they are the type of investment vehicle, in fact, chosen and maintained by the Fund’s shareholders. The Board noted that the range of such other registered funds’ fees and expenses, therefore, appears to be a relevant indicator of what investors have found to be reasonable in the marketplace in which the Fund competes.
The Board reviewed the contractual advisory fee rate, net advisory fee rate and other expenses of the Fund and noted the position of the Fund’s fee rates relative to its Expense Peer Group. In this regard, the Board noted that the contractual advisory fee rate was below the median of the Expense Peer Group, and the Board was satisfied that the overall expense structure of the Fund remained competitive.
The Board also received and considered information about the nature and extent of services offered and fees charged by Federated Hermes to other types of clients with investment strategies similar to those of the Federated Hermes Funds, including non-registered fund clients (such as institutional separate accounts) and third-party unaffiliated registered funds for which any of the Adviser or its affiliates serve as sub-adviser. The Board noted the CCO’s conclusion that non-registered fund clients are inherently different products due to the following differences, among others: (i) different types of targeted investors; (ii) different applicable laws and regulations; (iii) different legal structures; (iv) different average account sizes and portfolio management techniques made necessary by different cash flows and different associated costs; (v) the time spent by portfolio managers and their teams (among other personnel across various departments, including legal, compliance and risk management) in reviewing securities pricing and fund liquidity; (vi) different administrative responsibilities; (vii) different degrees of risk associated with management; and (viii) a variety of different costs. The Board also considered information regarding the differences in the nature of the services required for Federated Hermes to manage its proprietary registered fund business versus managing a discrete pool of assets as a sub-adviser to another institution’s registered fund, noting the CCO’s view that Federated Hermes generally
Annual Shareholder Report
57

performs significant additional services and assumes substantially greater risks in managing the Fund and other Federated Hermes Funds than in its role as sub-adviser to an unaffiliated third-party registered fund. The Board noted that the CCO did not consider the fees for providing advisory services to other types of clients to be determinative in judging the appropriateness of the Federated Hermes Funds’ advisory fees.
Based on these considerations, the Board concluded that the fees and total operating expenses of the Fund, in conjunction with other matters considered, are reasonable in light of the services provided.
Profitability
The Board received and considered profitability information furnished by Federated Hermes Such profitability information included revenues reported on a fund-by-fund basis and estimates of the allocation of expenses made on a fund-by-fund basis, using allocation methodologies specified by the CCO and described to the Board. The Board considered the CCO’s view that, while these cost allocation reports apply consistent allocation processes, the inherent difficulties in allocating costs on a fund-by-fund basis continues to cause the CCO to question the precision of the process and to conclude that such reports may be unreliable because a single change in an allocation estimate may dramatically alter the resulting estimate of cost and/or profitability of a Federated Hermes Fund and may produce unintended consequences. In addition, the Board considered the CCO’s view that the allocation methodologies used by Federated Hermes in estimating profitability for purposes of reporting to the Board in connection with the continuation of the Contract are consistent with the methodologies previously reviewed by an independent consultant. The Board noted that the independent consultant had previously conducted a review of the allocation methodologies and reported to the Board that, although there is no single best method to allocate expenses, the methodologies used by Federated Hermes are reasonable. The Board considered the CCO’s view that the estimated profitability to the Adviser from its relationship with the Fund was not unreasonable in relation to the services provided.
The Board also reviewed information compiled by Federated Hermes comparing its profitability information to other publicly held fund management companies, including information regarding profitability trends over time. The Board recognized that profitability comparisons among fund management companies are difficult because of the variation in the type of comparative information that is publicly available, and the profitability of any fund management company is affected by numerous factors. The Board considered the CCO’s conclusion that, based on such profitability information, Federated
Annual Shareholder Report
58

Hermes’ profit margins did not appear to be excessive. The Board also considered the CCO’s view that Federated Hermes appeared financially sound, with the resources necessary to fulfill its obligations under its contracts with the Federated Hermes Funds.
Economies of Scale
The Board received and considered information about the notion of possible realization of “economies of scale” as a fund grows larger, the difficulties of determining economies of scale at an individual fund level, and the extent to which potential scale benefits are shared with shareholders. In this regard, the Board considered that Federated Hermes has made significant and long-term investments in areas that support all of the Federated Hermes Funds, such as: portfolio management, investment research and trading operations; shareholder services; compliance; business continuity, cybersecurity and information security programs; internal audit and risk management functions; and technology and use of data. The Board noted that Federated Hermes’ investments in these areas are extensive and are designed to provide enhanced services to the Federated Hermes Funds and their shareholders. The Board considered that the benefits of these investments are likely to be shared with the family of Federated Hermes Funds as a whole. In addition, the Board considered that fee waivers and expense reimbursements are another means for potential economies of scale to be shared with shareholders and can provide protection from an increase in expenses if a Federated Hermes Fund’s assets decline. The Board considered that, in order for the Federated Hermes Funds to remain competitive in the marketplace, Federated Hermes has frequently waived fees and/or reimbursed expenses for the Federated Hermes Funds and has disclosed to shareholders and/or reported to the Board its intention to do so (or continue to do so) in the future. The Board also considered that Federated Hermes has been active in managing expenses of the Federated Hermes Funds in recent years, which has resulted in benefits being realized by shareholders.
The Board also received and considered information on adviser-paid fees (commonly referred to as “revenue sharing” payments) that was provided to the Board throughout the year and in connection with the May Meetings. The Board considered that Federated Hermes and the CCO believe that this information is relevant to considering whether Federated Hermes had an incentive to either not apply breakpoints, or to apply breakpoints at higher levels, but should not be considered when evaluating the reasonableness of advisory fees. The Board also noted the absence of any applicable regulatory or industry guidelines on economies of scale, which is compounded by the lack of any uniform methodology or pattern with respect to structuring fund advisory fees with breakpoints that serve to reduce the fees as a fund attains a certain size.
Annual Shareholder Report
59

Other Benefits
The Board considered information regarding the compensation and other ancillary (or “fall-out”) benefits that Federated Hermes derived from its relationships with the Federated Hermes Funds. The Board noted that, in addition to receiving advisory fees under the Federated Hermes Funds’ investment advisory contracts, Federated Hermes’ affiliates also receive fees for providing other services to the Federated Hermes Funds under separate service contracts including for serving as the Federated Hermes Funds’ administrator and distributor. In this regard, the Board considered that certain of Federated Hermes’ affiliates provide distribution and shareholder services to the Federated Hermes Funds, for which they may be compensated through distribution and servicing fees paid pursuant to Rule 12b-1 plans or otherwise. The Board also received and considered information detailing the benefits, if any, that Federated Hermes may derive from its receipt of research services from brokers who execute portfolio trades for the Federated Hermes Funds.
Conclusions
The Board considered: (i) the CCO’s conclusion that his observations and the information accompanying the CCO Fee Evaluation Report show that the management fee for the Fund is reasonable; and (ii) the CCO’s recommendation that the Board approve the management fee. The Board noted that, under these circumstances, no changes were recommended to, and no objection was raised to the continuation of, the Contract by the CCO. The CCO also recognized that the Board’s evaluation of the Federated Hermes Funds’ advisory and sub-advisory arrangements is a continuing and ongoing process that is informed by the information that the Board requests and receives from management throughout the course of the year and, in this regard, the CCO noted certain items for future reporting to the Board or further consideration by management as the Board continues its ongoing oversight of the Federated Hermes Funds.
On the basis of the information and factors summarized above, among other information and factors deemed relevant by the Board, and the evaluation thereof, the Board, including the Independent Trustees, unanimously voted to approve the continuation of the Contract. The Board based its determination to approve the Contract on the totality of the circumstances and relevant factors and with a view of past and future long-term considerations. Not all of the factors and considerations identified above were necessarily deemed to be relevant to the Fund, nor did the Board consider any one of them to be determinative.
Annual Shareholder Report
60

Liquidity Risk Management Program
Annual Evaluation of Adequacy and Effectiveness
In accordance with Rule 22e-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Liquidity Rule”), Federated Hermes MDT Series (the “Trust”) has adopted and implemented a liquidity risk management program (the “Program”) for Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Core Fund (the “Fund” and, collectively with the other non-money market open-end funds advised by Federated Hermes, the “Federated Hermes Funds”). The Program seeks to assess and manage the Fund’s liquidity risk. “Liquidity risk” is defined under the Liquidity Rule as the risk that the Fund is unable to meet redemption requests without significantly diluting remaining investors’ interests in the Fund. The Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) has approved the designation of each Federated Hermes Fund’s investment adviser as the administrator for the Program (the “Administrator”) with respect to that Fund. The Administrator, in turn, has delegated day-to-day responsibility for the administration of the Program to multiple Liquidity Risk Management Committees, which are comprised of representatives from certain divisions within Federated Hermes.
The Program is comprised of various components designed to support the assessment and/or management of liquidity risk, including: (1) the periodic assessment (no less frequently than annually) of certain factors that influence the Fund’s liquidity risk; (2) the periodic classification (no less frequently than monthly) of the Fund’s investments into one of four liquidity categories that reflect an estimate of their liquidity under current market conditions; (3) a 15% limit on the acquisition of “illiquid investments” (as defined under the Liquidity Rule); (4) to the extent a Fund does not invest primarily in “highly liquid investments” (as defined under the Liquidity Rule), the determination of a minimum percentage of the Fund’s assets that generally will be invested in highly liquid investments (an “HLIM”); (5) if a Fund has established an HLIM, the periodic review (no less frequently than annually) of the HLIM and the adoption of policies and procedures for responding to a shortfall of the Fund’s highly liquid investments below its HLIM; and (6) periodic reporting to the Board.
At its meetings in May 2023, the Board received and reviewed a written report (the “Report”) from the Federated Hermes Funds’ Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Risk Officer, on behalf of the Administrator, concerning the operation of the Program for the period from April 1, 2022 through March 31, 2023 (the “Period”). The Report addressed the operation of the Program and assessed the adequacy and effectiveness of its implementation, including, where applicable, the operation of any HLIM established for a Federated Hermes Fund. There were no material changes to the Program during the Period. The Report summarized the operation of the Program and
Annual Shareholder Report
61

the information and factors considered by the Administrator in assessing whether the Program has been adequately and effectively implemented with respect to the Federated Hermes Funds. Such information and factors included, among other things:
◾ confirmation that it was not necessary for the Fund to utilize, and the Fund did not utilize, any alternative funding sources that were available to the Federated Hermes Funds during the Period, such as the Federated Hermes Funds’ interfund lending facility, redemptions in-kind, reverse repurchase agreement transactions, redemptions delayed beyond the normal T+1 settlement but within seven days of the redemption request, and committed lines of credit;
◾ the periodic classifications of the Fund’s investments into one of four liquidity categories and the methodologies and inputs used to classify the investments, including the Fund’s reasonably anticipated trade size;
◾ the analysis received from a third-party liquidity assessment vendor that is taken into account in the process of determining the liquidity classifications of the Fund’s investments, and the results of the Administrator’s evaluation of the services performed by the vendor in support of this process, including the Administrator’s view that the methodologies utilized by the vendor continue to be appropriate;
◾ the fact that the Fund invested primarily in highly liquid investments during the Period and, therefore, was not required to establish, and has not established, an HLIM and the operation of the procedures for monitoring the status of the Fund as investing primarily in highly liquid investments;
◾ the fact that the Fund invested no more than 15% of its assets in illiquid investments during the Period, and the operation of the procedures for monitoring this limit;
◾ the fact that there were no liquidity events during the Period that materially affected the Fund’s liquidity risk;
◾ the impact on liquidity and management of liquidity risk, if any, caused by extended non-U.S. market closures and confirmation that there were no issues for any of the affected Federated Hermes Funds in meeting shareholder redemptions at any time during these temporary non-U.S. market closures.
Based on this review, the Administrator concluded that the Program is operating effectively to assess and manage the Fund’s liquidity risk, and that the Program has been and continues to be adequately and effectively implemented to monitor and, as applicable, respond to the Fund’s liquidity developments.
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Voting Proxies on Fund Portfolio Securities
A description of the policies and procedures that the Fund uses to determine how to vote proxies, if any, relating to securities held in the Fund’s portfolio is available, without charge and upon request, by calling 1-800-341-7400, Option #4. A report on “Form N-PX” of how the Fund voted any such proxies during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available via the Proxy Voting Record (Form N-PX) link associated with the Fund and share class name at FederatedHermes.com/us/FundInformation. Form N-PX filings are also available at the SEC’s website at sec.gov.
Quarterly Portfolio Schedule
Each fiscal quarter, the Fund will file with the SEC a complete schedule of its monthly portfolio holdings on “Form N-PORT.” The Fund’s holdings as of the end of the third month of every fiscal quarter, as reported on Form N-PORT, will be publicly available on the SEC’s website at sec.gov within 60 days of the end of the fiscal quarter upon filing. You may also access this information via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedHermes.com/us.
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63

Mutual funds are not bank deposits or obligations, are not guaranteed by any bank and are not insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board or any other government agency. Investment in mutual funds involves investment risk, including the possible loss of principal.
This Report is authorized for distribution to prospective investors only when preceded or accompanied by the Fund’s Prospectus, which contains facts concerning its objective and policies, management fees, expenses and other information.
Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Core Fund
Federated Hermes Funds
4000 Ericsson Drive
Warrendale, PA 15086-7561
Contact us at FederatedHermes.com/us
or call 1-800-341-7400.
Federated Securities Corp., Distributor
CUSIP 31421R817
CUSIP 31421R791
CUSIP 31421R783
CUSIP 31421R627
37328 (9/23)
© 2023 Federated Hermes, Inc.

Annual Shareholder Report
July 31, 2023
Share Class | Ticker
A | QASGX
C | QCSGX
 
 
Institutional | QISGX
R6 | QLSGX
 

Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Growth Fund
Fund Established 2005

A Portfolio of Federated Hermes MDT Series
Dear Valued Shareholder,
We are pleased to present the Annual Shareholder Report for your fund covering the period from August 1, 2022 through July 31, 2023. This report includes Management’s Discussion of Fund Performance, a complete listing of your fund’s holdings, performance information and financial statements along with other important fund information.
As a global leader in active, responsible investment management, Federated Hermes is guided by our conviction that responsible investing is the best way to create wealth over the long term. The company provides capabilities across a wide range of asset classes to investors around the world.
In addition, FederatedHermes.com/us offers quick and easy access to valuable resources that include timely fund updates, economic and market insights from our investment strategists and financial planning tools. You can also access many of those insights by following us on Twitter (@FederatedHermes) and LinkedIn.
Thank you for investing with us. We hope you find this information useful and look forward to keeping you informed.
Sincerely,
J. Christopher Donahue, President

Not FDIC Insured ▪ May Lose Value ▪ No Bank Guarantee

Management’s Discussion of Fund Performance (unaudited)
The total return of Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Growth Fund (the “Fund”), based on net asset value for the 12-month reporting period ended July 31, 2023, was 11.18% for Class A Shares, 10.27% for Class C Shares, 11.49% for Institutional Shares and 11.49% for Class R6 Shares. The total return for the Russell 2000® Growth Index (R2000G),1 the Fund’s broad-based securities market index, was 11.58% for the same period. The total return of the Morningstar Small Growth Funds Average (MSGFA),2 a peer group average for the Fund, was 8.00% during the same period. The Fund’s and MSGFA’s total returns for the most recently completed fiscal year reflected actual cash flows, transaction costs and expenses, which were not reflected in the total return of the R2000G.
During the reporting period, the Fund’s investment strategy focused on stock selection. Stock selection was the most significant factor affecting the Fund’s performance relative to the R2000G during the period.
The following discussion will focus on the performance of the Fund’s Institutional Shares relative to the R2000G.
MARKET OVERVIEW
The reporting period began with three sharp market turns in the first six months (August 2022 January 2023), leaving the Russell 3000 Index (R3000)3 with a fiscal year-to-date return of 0.06% at the end of January. There was one more downturn in February (R3000 at -2.34% for the month), but then inflation numbers started declining, employment numbers held steady, and the R3000 turned weakly positive. In June and July there were more favorable macroeconomic reports and the market began to think that the Federal Reserve might actually be able to engineer a “soft landing”, so the R3000 strengthened. For the full fiscal year, the R3000 returned 12.65%. Growth stocks outran value stocks (the Russell 3000 Growth Index (R3000G)4 returned 16.97% while the Russell 3000 Value Index5 returned 8.03%), and large-cap stocks outran small-cap stocks6 (the mega-cap Russell Top 200 Index (RT200)7 returned 14.39% while the Russell Midcap Index8 returned 8.75% and the small-cap Russell 2000 Index9 returned 7.91%). The higher returns of the R3000G and the RT200 were largely attributable to the very high returns of the “Magnificent 7”10 technology stocks, which, by themselves, provided 5.04% of the R3000’s 12.65% return.
The best performing sectors in the R2000G during the reporting period were Consumer Staples (+22.89%), Energy (+21.85%) and Information Technology (+14.59%). Underperforming sectors during the same period included Utilities (-6.67%), Real Estate (-2.52%) and Communication Services (-1.88%).
Annual Shareholder Report
1

STOCK SELECTION
The Fund buys stocks with many different combinations of fundamental and technical characteristics that have signaled market outperformance historically. The primary drivers of outperformance during the reporting period were the favorable stock selection among stocks with depressed prices but not requiring significant amounts of external financing, and stocks with favorable technical factors and flat or improving earnings to price. The largest offset to that performance came from unfavorable stock selection among younger companies with strong technical factors. Strong stock selection in the Industrials, Communication Services and Consumer Staples sectors contributed the most to Fund outperformance. Unfavorable stock selection in the Information Technology sector provided the most significant offset to performance.
Individual stocks enhancing the Fund’s performance during the reporting period included Prometheus Biosciences, Inc., e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. and Prothena Corporation plc.
Individual stocks detracting from the Fund’s performance during the reporting period included Semtech Corporation, Super Micro Computer, Inc. and Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
1
Please see the footnotes to the line graph below for definitions of, and further information about, the R2000G.
2
Please see the footnotes to the line graph below for definitions of, and further information about, the Morningstar peer group.
3
The Russell 3000® Index measures the performance of the largest 3,000 U.S. companies representing approximately 98% of the investable U.S. equity market. The Russell 3000® Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive, unbiased and stable barometer of the broad market and is completely reconstituted annually to ensure new and growing equities are reflected.*
4
The Russell 3000® Growth Index measures the performance of the broad growth segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 3000® Index companies with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth values. The Russell 3000® Growth Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive, unbiased and stable barometer of the broad growth market. The Russell 3000® Growth Index is completely reconstituted annually to ensure new and growing equities are included and that the represented companies continue to reflect growth characteristics.*
5
The Russell 3000® Value Index measures the performance of the broad value segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 3000® Index companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower forecasted growth values. The Russell 3000® Value Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive, unbiased and stable barometer of the broad value market. The Russell 3000® Value Index is completely reconstituted annually to ensure new and growing equities are included and that the represented companies continue to reflect value characteristics.*
6
Small-cap stocks may be less liquid and subject to greater price volatility than large-cap stocks.
7
The Russell Top 200® Index measures the performance of the largest cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. The Russell Top 200® Index is a subset of the Russell 3000® Index. It includes approximately 200 of the largest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current index membership and represents approximately 71% of the total market capitalization of the Russell 3000 Index. The Russell Top 200® Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive and unbiased barometer for this very large cap segment and is completely reconstituted annually to ensure new and growing equities are reflected.*
Annual Shareholder Report
2

8
The Russell Midcap® Index measures the performance of the mid-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. The Russell Midcap® Index is a subset of the Russell 3000® Index. Based on market cap and current index membership, it includes approximately 800 companies in the Russell Top 200 Index and the smaller companies in the Russell 2000® Index. The Russell Midcap® Index represents approximately 23% of the total market capitalization of the Russell 3000® Index. The Russell Midcap® Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive and unbiased barometer for the mid-cap segment. The Russell Midcap Index is completely reconstituted annually to ensure larger stocks do not distort the performance and characteristics of the true mid-cap opportunity set.*
9
The Russell 2000® Index measures the performance of the small-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. The Russell 2000® Index is a subset of the Russell 3000® Index representing approximately 6% of the total market capitalization of that index. It includes approximately 2000 of the smallest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current index membership. The Russell 2000® Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive and unbiased small-cap barometer and is completely reconstituted annually to ensure larger stocks do not distort the performance and characteristics of the true small-cap opportunity set.*
10
The “Magnificent 7” include Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, NVIDIA and Tesla.
*
The index is unmanaged, and it is not possible to invest directly in an index.
Annual Shareholder Report
3

FUND PERFORMANCE AND GROWTH OF A $10,000 INVESTMENT
The graph below illustrates the hypothetical investment of $10,0001 in the Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Growth Fund (the “Fund”) from July 31, 2013 to July 31, 2023, compared to the Russell 2000® Growth Index (R2000G)2 and the Morningstar Small Growth Funds Average (MSGFA).3 The Average Annual Total Return table below shows returns for each class averaged over the stated periods.
Growth of a $10,000 Investment
Growth of $10,000 as of July 31, 2023
◾ Total returns shown for Class C Shares include the maximum contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00% as applicable.
The Fund offers multiple share classes whose performance may be greater than or less than its other share class(es) due to differences in sales charges and expenses. See the Average Annual Total Return table below for the returns of additional classes not shown in the line graph above.
Average Annual Total Returns for the Period Ended 7/31/2023
(returns reflect all applicable sales charges and contingent deferred sales charges as specified below in footnote #1)
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
 
Class A Shares
5.06%
3.93%
9.39%
 
Class C Shares
9.27%
4.29%
9.35%
 
Institutional Shares
11.49%
5.37%
10.29%
 
Class R6 Shares4
11.49%
5.39%
10.26%
 
R2000G
11.58%
4.82%
8.54%
 
MSGFA
8.00%
7.21%
9.40%
 
Annual Shareholder Report
4

Performance data quoted represents past performance which is no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Mutual fund performance changes over time and current performance may be lower or higher than what is stated. For current to the most recent month-end performance and after-tax returns, visit FederatedHermes.com/us or call 1-800-341-7400. Returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares. Mutual funds are not obligations of or guaranteed by any bank and are not federally insured.
1
Represents a hypothetical investment of $10,000 in the Fund after deducting applicable sales charges: for Class A Shares, the maximum sales charge of 5.50% ($10,000 investment minus $550 sales charges = $9,450); for Class C Shares, a 1.00% contingent deferred sales charge would be applied to any redemption less than one year from the purchase date. The Fund’s performance assumes the reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. The R2000G and MSGFA have been adjusted to reflect reinvestment of dividends on securities.
2
The R2000G measures the performance of the small-cap growth segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 2000® Index companies with higher price-to-value ratios and higher forecasted growth values. The R2000G is constructed to provide a comprehensive and unbiased barometer for the small-cap growth segment. The R2000G is completely reconstituted annually to ensure larger stocks do not distort the performance and characteristics of the true small-cap opportunity set and that the represented companies continue to reflect growth characteristics. The R2000G is unmanaged and, unlike the Fund, is not affected by cash flows. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. The R2000G is not adjusted to reflect sales charges, expenses or other fees that the Securities and Exchange Commission requires to be reflected in the Fund’s performance.
3
Morningstar figures represent the average of the total returns reported by all the funds designated by Morningstar as falling into the respective category indicated. They do not reflect sales charges. The Morningstar figures in the Growth of a $10,000 Investment line graph are based on historical return information published by Morningstar and reflect the return of the funds comprising the category in the year of publication. Because the funds designated by Morningstar as falling into the category can change over time, the Morningstar figures in the line graph may not match the Morningstar figures in the Average Annual Total Returns table, which reflect the return of the funds that currently comprise the category.
4
The Fund’s Class R6 Shares commenced operations on June 29, 2016. For the period prior to the commencement of operations of Class R6 Shares, the performance information shown is for the Fund’s Institutional Shares adjusted to reflect expenses of the Class R6 Shares for each year for which the gross expenses of Class R6 Shares would have exceeded the actual expenses paid by Institutional Shares.
Annual Shareholder Report
5

Portfolio of Investments Summary Table (unaudited)
At July 31, 2023, the Fund’s sector composition1 was as follows:
Sector Composition
Percentage of
Total Net Assets
Health Care
22.4%
Information Technology
20.2%
Industrials
19.6%
Consumer Discretionary
11.0%
Financials
6.3%
Energy
5.8%
Consumer Staples
5.4%
Materials
3.2%
Real Estate
2.5%
Communication Services
2.4%
Utilities
0.5%
Securities Lending Collateral2
2.8%
Cash Equivalents3
0.9%
Other Assets and Liabilities—Net4
(3.0)%
TOTAL
100%
1
Except for Securities Lending Collateral, Cash Equivalents and Other Assets and Liabilities,
sector classifications are based upon, and individual portfolio securities are assigned to, the
classifications of the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS), except that the Adviser
assigns a classification to securities not classified by the GICS and to securities for which the
Adviser does not have access to the classification made by the GICS.
2
Represents cash collateral received for portfolio securities on loan that may be invested in
affiliated money market funds, other money market instruments and/or repurchase agreements.
3
Cash Equivalents include any investments in money market mutual funds and/or overnight
repurchase agreements other than those representing cash collateral for securities lending.
4
Assets, other than investments in securities, less liabilities. See Statement of Assets and
Liabilities.
Annual Shareholder Report
6

Portfolio of Investments
July 31, 2023
Shares
 
 
Value
          
 
COMMON STOCKS—   99.3%
 
 
 
Communication Services—   2.4%
 
137,016
1
CarGurus, Inc.
$  3,104,782
207,346
1
Cinemark Holdings, Inc.
  3,460,605
239,267
1
Eventbrite, Inc.
  2,753,963
184,730
 
Gray Television, Inc.
  1,749,393
251,459
1
Vimeo Holdings, Inc.
  1,036,011
21,174
1
Yelp, Inc.
    953,889
 
 
TOTAL
13,058,643
 
 
Consumer Discretionary—   11.0%
 
32,402
 
Bloomin Brands, Inc.
    870,642
37,411
 
Camping World Holdings, Inc.
  1,198,274
155,432
1
Chegg, Inc.
  1,574,526
614,207
 
Clarus Corp.
  5,466,442
30,861
1,2
Duolingo, Inc.
  4,789,319
56,928
1
GoPro, Inc.
    232,836
156,817
1,2
Groupon, Inc.
  1,238,854
117,565
1
Inspired Entertainment, Inc.
  1,480,143
25,575
 
International Game Technology PLC
    865,202
4,182
1
K12, Inc.
    159,794
74,012
1,2
Kirkland’s, Inc.
    230,917
31,057
1
MCBC Holdings, Inc.
    951,897
37,621
 
Murphy USA, Inc.
11,550,776
96,344
1,2
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers
  1,401,805
7,853
 
Red Rock Resorts, Inc.
    380,871
592,475
1
Rush Street Interactive, Inc.
  2,269,179
2,723
1
SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc.
    150,773
11,788
1
Shake Shack, Inc.
    915,456
74,890
 
Texas Roadhouse, Inc.
  8,353,979
77,879
 
Upbound Group, Inc.
  2,696,950
19,392
1
Visteon Corp.
  2,988,113
40,581
 
Wingstop, Inc.
  6,841,145
222,627
1,2
WW International, Inc.
  2,593,605
 
 
TOTAL
59,201,498
 
 
Consumer Staples—   5.4%
 
59,121
1
Bellring Brands, Inc.
  2,125,400
71,820
 
Cal-Maine Foods, Inc.
  3,317,366
7,404
 
Coca-Cola Bottling Co.
  4,689,768
95,831
1
elf Beauty, Inc.
11,185,394
Annual Shareholder Report
7

Shares
 
 
Value
          
 
COMMON STOCKS—   continued
 
 
 
Consumer Staples—   continued
 
22,387
 
Energizer Holdings, Inc.
$    799,216
11,887
 
Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc.
    147,993
106,572
1
Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc.
  4,182,951
31,456
 
Turning Point Brands, Inc.
    750,226
170,475
1
Vital Farms, Inc.
  1,994,557
 
 
TOTAL
29,192,871
 
 
Energy—   5.8%
 
25,032
1
Callon Petroleum Corp.
    940,202
4,385
 
CONSOL Energy, Inc.
    326,770
17,701
1
Dorian LPG Ltd.
    526,428
302,821
 
Equitrans Midstream Corp.
  3,140,254
69,054
 
Liberty Energy, Inc.
  1,137,319
141,787
1
Oceaneering International, Inc.
  3,183,118
39,194
 
PBF Energy, Inc.
  1,859,363
21,130
 
SM Energy Co.
    766,808
163,558
1
US Silica Holdings, Inc.
  2,127,890
80,922
1
Vital Energy, Inc.
  4,271,063
155,782
1
Weatherford International PLC
12,945,484
 
 
TOTAL
31,224,699
 
 
Financials—   6.3%
 
296,022
1
AvidXchange Holdings, Inc.
  3,673,633
7,543
 
Brightsphere Investment Group, Inc.
    160,515
111,290
1
Cantaloupe, Inc.
    858,046
5,216
1
Coastal Financial Corp.
    235,607
22,728
1
Flywire Corp.
    775,934
441,526
1
Green Dot Corp.
  8,631,833
12,161
 
Hometrust Bancshares, Inc.
    295,634
13,340
 
Kinsale Capital Group, Inc.
  4,970,884
44,886
1
LendingTree, Inc.
  1,095,219
19,203
1
NerdWallet, Inc.
    215,266
101,788
1
PROG Holdings, Inc.
  4,130,557
164,442
1
Remitly Global, Inc.
  3,170,442
12,464
 
RLI Corp.
  1,662,822
276,489
1
SelectQuote, Inc.
    522,564
244,176
1
StoneCo Ltd.
  3,538,110
 
 
TOTAL
33,937,066
 
 
Health Care—   22.4%
 
26,307
1
Acadia Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
    769,217
316,008
1
ADMA Biologics, Inc.
  1,311,433
908,352
1,2
Akebia Therapeutics, Inc.
  1,516,948
21,063
1,2
Aldeyra Therapeutics, Inc.
    170,926
Annual Shareholder Report
8

Shares
 
 
Value
          
 
COMMON STOCKS—   continued
 
 
 
Health Care—   continued
 
211,290
1
Alector, Inc.
$  1,449,449
108,029
1
Alkermes, Inc.
  3,163,089
45,453
1
Alphatec Holdings, Inc.
    803,155
21,679
1
AMN Healthcare Services, Inc.
  2,322,905
99,997
1
Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
  6,068,818
341,858
1,2
Assembly Biosciences, Inc.
    379,462
175,774
1
Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
    602,905
8,882
1,2
Biomea Fusion, Inc.
    197,624
126,649
1
Bridgebio Pharma, Inc.
  4,433,981
93,445
1
Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc.
  1,292,344
749,236
1
Codexis, Inc.
  2,697,250
38,333
1
Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc.
    872,459
251,666
1
Community Health Systems, Inc.
  1,104,814
164,178
1
Cross Country Healthcare, Inc.
  4,235,792
7,537
 
Ensign Group, Inc.
    730,109
41,261
1,2
EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
    515,762
949,269
1
Fate Therapeutics, Inc.
  3,920,481
7,934
1
Glaukos Corp.
    612,029
417,564
1,2
Gossamer Bio, Inc.
    563,711
12,941
1
Haemonetics Corp.
  1,193,678
222,566
1
Hims & Hers Health, Inc.
  1,996,417
109,924
1
Innovage Holding Corp.
    791,453
5,576
1
Inspire Medical Systems, Inc.
  1,604,829
103,854
1
Intercept Group, Inc.
  1,121,623
31,381
1
Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
    348,015
34,722
1
Lantheus Holdings, Inc.
  3,003,106
32,554
1
Ligand Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Class B
  2,178,839
55,786
1
Livanova PLC
  3,260,692
238,413
1
MacroGenics, Inc.
  1,137,230
112,244
1
Marinus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
  1,194,276
4,794
1
Medpace Holdings, Inc.
  1,213,697
440,927
1
MiMedx Group, Inc.
  3,558,281
5,403
1
Morphic Holding, Inc.
    306,512
353,575
1
NextCure, Inc.
    608,149
378,626
1
NGM Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
    897,344
213,303
1,2
Novavax, Inc.
  1,979,452
24,428
1
NuVasive, Inc.
  1,006,678
53,932
1
Omnicell, Inc.
  3,405,806
243,309
1
OptimizeRX Corp
  3,394,161
90,300
1
Organogenesis Holdings, Inc.
    385,581
68,712
1
Owens & Minor, Inc.
  1,322,019
Annual Shareholder Report
9

Shares
 
 
Value
          
 
COMMON STOCKS—   continued
 
 
 
Health Care—   continued
 
33,255
1
Pacific Biosciences of California Inc.
$    439,299
103,011
1
Pacira BioSciences, Inc.
  3,744,450
46,423
1
PetIQ, Inc.
    777,121
82,628
1
Phathom Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
  1,256,772
107,112
1
Point Biopharma Global, Inc.
    957,581
360,562
1,2
Praxis Precision Medicines Inc.
    356,992
93,650
1,2
Privia Health Group, Inc.
  2,614,708
37,193
1
Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc.
    721,544
179,118
1
Puma Biotechnology, Inc.
    648,407
112,001
1
Relmada Therapeutics, Inc.
    293,443
121,478
1
RxSight, Inc.
  4,053,721
22,077
1
SAGE Therapeutics, Inc.
    765,630
440,282
1
Sangamo BioSciences, Inc.
    578,971
11,451
1
Shockwave Medical, Inc.
  2,984,131
133,622
1
SI-BONE, Inc.
  3,442,103
1,504,454
 
Siga Technologies, Inc.
  8,635,566
9,351
1
Staar Surgical Co.
    512,154
216,627
1,2
Tabula Rasa HealthCare, Inc.
  1,739,515
177,992
1
Tactile Systems Technology, Inc.
  4,077,797
157,566
1
The Joint Corp.
  2,127,141
9,600
1
TransMedics Group, Inc.
    894,528
111,253
1
Vanda Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
    643,042
3,703
1
Vaxcyte, Inc.
    177,966
22,626
1
Vir Biotechnology, Inc.
    318,574
296,109
1
Voyager Therapeutics, Inc.
  2,759,736
 
 
TOTAL
121,163,393
 
 
Industrials—   19.6%
 
158,704
1
ACV Auctions, Inc.
  2,775,733
5,595
1
Allegiant Travel Co.
    692,102
40,295
1
APi Group Corp.
  1,158,884
46,073
 
Apogee Enterprises, Inc.
  2,281,996
21,149
1
Array Technologies, Inc.
    402,888
2,246
1
ASGN, Inc.
    171,415
75,262
1
Atkore, Inc.
11,941,822
8,512
1
Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc.
    729,223
30,170
 
Boise Cascade Co.
  3,122,293
8,880
1
CBIZ, Inc.
    469,663
41,939
1
Cimpress PLC
  2,914,761
10,884
 
Comfort Systems USA, Inc.
  1,893,490
36,933
 
Emcor Group, Inc.
  7,942,072
9,301
 
EnerSys, Inc.
  1,007,484
Annual Shareholder Report
10

Shares
 
 
Value
          
 
COMMON STOCKS—   continued
 
 
 
Industrials—   continued
 
327,162
1
Enviri Corp.
$  3,085,138
40,111
1
Exlservice Holding, Inc.
  5,653,645
2,044
 
Exponent, Inc.
    183,102
67,935
1,2
Fluence Energy, Inc.
  1,986,419
4,998
1,2
Fluor Corp.
    154,838
121,613
1
Forrester Research, Inc.
  3,875,806
78,222
1
Franklin Covey Co.
  3,727,278
99,741
1
GMS, Inc.
  7,349,914
664,701
 
GrafTech International Ltd.
  3,509,621
117,572
 
Healthcare Services Group, Inc.
  1,482,583
96,341
 
Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc.
  2,627,219
21,415
1
HireRight Holdings Corp.
    229,355
32,517
1
Huron Consulting Group, Inc.
  3,075,133
2,375
 
ICF International, Inc.
    279,276
1,370
 
Insperity, Inc.
    161,181
242,288
1
JELD-WEN Holding, Inc.
  4,315,149
2,295
 
John Bean Technologies Corp.
    283,685
33,946
 
KForce Com, Inc.
  2,153,534
141,916
1
Legalzoom.com, Inc.
  2,168,477
2,409
1
Masonite International Corp.
    251,861
185,056
1
Mistras Group, Inc.
  1,432,333
50,760
1
MRC Global, Inc.
    573,080
12,466
1
MYR Group, Inc.
  1,777,153
24,836
1,2
NEXTracker, Inc.
  1,051,805
5,587
1
Proto Labs, Inc.
    185,209
2,556
 
Tennant Co.
    205,093
104,141
 
Terex Corp.
  6,105,787
4,926
 
TTEC Holdings, Inc.
    169,651
11,840
 
Universal Truckload Services, Inc.
    368,106
204,736
1
Upwork, Inc.
  2,135,397
24,053
 
Veritiv Corp.
  3,370,547
21,142
 
Watts Industries, Inc., Class A
  3,943,617
7,750
1
Willdan Group, Inc.
    156,395
 
 
TOTAL
105,531,213
 
 
Information Technology—   20.2%
 
355,682
1
8x8, Inc.
  1,685,933
61,935
 
A10 Networks, Inc.
    961,231
35,987
1
Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.
  1,986,842
39,374
1
Altair Engineering, Inc.
  2,950,688
44,249
 
American Software, Inc., Class A
    510,191
6,235
1
AppFolio, Inc.
  1,125,979
Annual Shareholder Report
11

Shares
 
 
Value
          
 
COMMON STOCKS—   continued
 
 
 
Information Technology—   continued
 
205,853
1
Arlo Technologies, Inc.
$  2,338,490
191,388
1
AvePoint, Inc.
  1,186,606
4,261
1
Axcelis Technologies, Inc.
    854,245
1,481
 
Badger Meter, Inc.
    243,832
1,800
 
Belden, Inc.
    173,952
28,453
1
Blackbaud, Inc.
  2,146,779
47,678
1
Box, Inc.
  1,489,938
376,126
1
Brightcove, Inc.
  1,688,806
51,617
1
Ceva, Inc.
  1,401,918
57,105
1,2
Coda Octopus Group, Inc.
    495,100
19,263
1
Commvault Systems, Inc.
  1,501,166
51,559
1,2
Digitalocean Holdings, Inc.
  2,553,202
99,541
1
Everbridge, Inc.
  3,069,844
57,976
1
Extreme Networks, Inc.
  1,541,582
155,790
1
Freshworks, Inc.
  2,907,041
55,870
1
Harmonic Lightwaves, Inc.
    833,580
33,223
 
Information Services Group, Inc.
    171,098
77,304
1
Intapp, Inc.
  3,174,102
33,800
1
Live Oak Acquisition Corp. II
    357,604
481,456
1
LivePerson, Inc.
  2,286,916
114,982
1
MaxLinear, Inc.
  2,836,606
80,056
1
Mitek Systems, Inc.
    817,372
152,923
1
Model N, Inc.
  5,095,394
370,183
1
ON24, Inc.
  3,276,120
21,019
1
Photronics, Inc.
    555,953
66,324
1
Q2 Holdings, Inc.
  2,352,512
39,376
1
Qualys, Inc.
  5,465,389
123,598
1
Rimini Street, Inc.
    336,187
19,619
1
Rogers Corp.
  3,307,960
150,977
 
Sapiens International Corp. NV
  4,067,320
39,534
1
Secureworks Corp.
    303,621
52,101
1
SMART Global Holdings, Inc.
  1,385,887
255,382
1
Sprinklr, Inc.
  3,585,563
9,093
1
SPS Commerce, Inc.
  1,640,286
179,761
1
Squarespace, Inc.
  5,957,280
27,511
1
Synaptics, Inc.
  2,484,518
302,575
1
Telos Corp.
    759,463
656,187
1
Unisys Corp.
  3,569,657
212,590
1
Varonis Systems, Inc.
  6,101,333
163,566
1
Weave Communications, Inc.
  1,962,792
34,653
1
Workiva, Inc.
  3,648,614
Annual Shareholder Report
12

Shares
 
 
Value
          
 
COMMON STOCKS—   continued
 
 
 
Information Technology—   continued
 
132,673
 
Xperi Holding Corp.
$  1,594,729
829,577
1
Yext, Inc.
  8,063,488
27,985
1
Zuora, Inc.
    328,264
 
 
TOTAL
109,132,973
 
 
Materials—   3.2%
 
44,784
1
ATI, Inc.
  2,135,301
32,467
 
Commercial Metals Corp.
  1,857,762
72,548
1
Constellium SE
  1,384,941
22,295
 
Koppers Holdings, Inc.
    853,007
39,358
 
Kronos Worldwide, Inc.
    367,997
152,957
1
LSB Industries, Inc.
  1,708,530
17,793
 
Myers Industries, Inc.
    348,921
158,275
1
O-I Glass, Inc.
  3,633,994
13,454
2
Orion S.A.
    294,912
86,100
1,3
Rentech, Inc.
          0
43,137
 
Ryerson Holding Corp.
  1,832,891
66,818
 
Warrior Met Coal, Inc.
  2,956,696
 
 
TOTAL
17,374,952
 
 
Real Estate—   2.5%
 
63,133
 
Industrial Logistics Properties Trust
    267,684
328,386
 
Newmark Group, Inc.
  2,272,431
427,150
1,2
Redfin Corp.
  6,398,707
183,674
 
RMR Group, Inc./The
  4,331,033
 
 
TOTAL
13,269,855
 
 
Utilities—   0.5%
 
108,355
 
Clearway Energy, Inc.
  2,673,118
2,987
 
Otter Tail Corp.
    241,977
 
 
TOTAL
2,915,095
 
 
TOTAL COMMON STOCKS
(IDENTIFIED COST $444,387,208)
536,002,258
 
 
INVESTMENT COMPANIES—   3.7%
 
14,815,356
 
Federated Hermes Government Obligations Fund, Premier Shares, 5.16%4
14,815,356
4,937,106
 
Federated Hermes Institutional Prime Value Obligations Fund, Institutional
Shares, 5.32%4
  4,936,612
 
 
TOTAL INVESTMENT COMPANIES
(IDENTIFIED COST $19,751,898)
19,751,968
 
 
TOTAL INVESTMENT IN SECURITIES—103.0%
(IDENTIFIED COST $464,139,106)5
555,754,226
 
 
OTHER ASSETS AND LIABILITIES - NET—(3.0)%6
(15,968,768)
 
 
TOTAL NET ASSETS—100%
$539,785,458
Annual Shareholder Report
13

An affiliated company is a company in which the Fund, alone or in combination with other funds, has ownership of at least 5% of the voting shares. Transactions with affiliated companies during the period ended July 31, 2023, were as follows:
Affiliated
Value as of
7/31/2022
Purchases
at Cost*
Proceeds
from Sales*
Health Care:
 
 
 
Alector, Inc.**
$8,176,082
$828,972
$(6,295,051)
Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
$1,033,497
$2,746,927
$(539,725)
Siga Technologies, Inc.
$
$10,282,190
$(454,971)
Information Technology:
 
 
 
Brightcove, Inc.**
$5,844,048
$
$(3,251,310)
Affiliated issuers no longer in the portfolio at period end
$3,247,541
$1,333,475
$(5,271,275)
TOTAL OF AFFILIATED COMPANIES
TRANSACTIONS
$18,301,168
$15,191,564
$(15,812,332)
Annual Shareholder Report
14

Change in
Unrealized
Appreciation/
(Depreciation)*
Net
Realized Gain/
(Loss)*
Value as of
7/31/2023
Shares
Held as of
7/31/2023
Dividend
Income*
 
 
 
 
 
$3,043,646
$(4,304,200)
$1,449,449
211,290
$
$2,540,798
$287,321
$6,068,818
99,997
$
$(805,208)
$(386,445)
$8,635,566
1,504,454
$3,189,432
 
 
 
 
 
$1,709,678
$(2,613,610)
$1,688,806
376,126
$
$1,697,165
$(1,006,906)
$
$
$8,186,079
$(8,023,840)
$17,842,639
2,191,867
$3,189,432
*
A portion of the amount shown may have been recorded when the Fund no longer had
ownership of at least 5% of the voting shares.
**
At July 31, 2023, the Fund no longer has ownership of at least 5% of the voting shares.
Annual Shareholder Report
15

Transactions with affiliated investment companies, which are funds managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser, during the period ended July 31, 2023, were as follows:
 
Federated
Hermes
Government
Obligations Fund,
Premier Shares*
Federated
Hermes
Institutional
Prime Value
Obligations Fund,
Institutional Shares*
Total of
Affiliated
Transactions
Value as of 7/31/2022
$25,008,151
$8,511,854
$33,520,005
Purchases at Cost
$147,766,687
$144,247,066
$292,013,753
Proceeds from Sales
$(157,959,482)
$(147,826,500)
$(305,785,982)
Change in Unrealized Appreciation/
Depreciation
$
$(779)
$(779)
Net Realized Gain/(Loss)
$
$4,971
$4,971
Value as of 7/31/2023
$14,815,356
$4,936,612
$19,751,968
Shares Held as of 7/31/2023
14,815,356
4,937,106
19,752,462
Dividend Income
$567,109
$399,933
$967,042
*
All or a portion of the balance/activity for the fund relates to cash collateral received on
securities lending transactions.
1
Non-income-producing security.
2
All or a portion of these securities are temporarily on loan to unaffiliated broker/dealers.
3
Market quotations and price valuations are not available. Fair value determined using significant
unobservable inputs in accordance with procedures established by and under the supervision of
the Fund’s Adviser acting through its Valuation Committee (“Valuation Committee”).
4
7-day net yield.
5
The cost of investments for federal tax purposes amounts to $470,372,968.
6
Assets, other than investments in securities, less liabilities. See Statement of Assets and
Liabilities.
Note: The categories of investments are shown as a percentage of total net assets at July 31, 2023.
Various inputs are used in determining the value of the Fund’s investments. These inputs are summarized in the three broad levels listed below:
Level 1—quoted prices in active markets for identical securities.
Level 2—other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.). Also includes securities valued at amortized cost.
Level 3—significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments).
The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.
Annual Shareholder Report
16


The following is a summary of the inputs used, as of July 31, 2023, in valuing the Fund’s assets carried at fair value:
Valuation Inputs
 
Level 1—
Quoted
Prices
Level 2—
Other
Significant
Observable
Inputs
Level 3—
Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
Total
Equity Securities:
 
 
 
 
Common Stocks
 
 
 
 
Domestic
$525,187,155
$
$0
$525,187,155
International
10,815,103
10,815,103
Investment Companies
19,751,968
19,751,968
TOTAL SECURITIES
$555,754,226
$
$0
$555,754,226
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
17

Financial HighlightsClass A Shares
(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)
 
Year Ended July 31,
 
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$20.80
$33.76
$23.89
$23.30
$25.67
Income From Investment Operations:
 
 
 
 
 
Net investment income (loss)1
(0.03)
(0.04)
(0.15)
(0.07)
(0.08)
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
2.24
(4.34)
10.16
0.66
(0.84)
Total From Investment Operations
2.21
(4.38)
10.01
0.59
(0.92)
Less Distributions:
 
 
 
 
 
Distributions from net realized gain
(0.63)
(8.58)
(0.14)
(1.45)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$22.38
$20.80
$33.76
$23.89
$23.30
Total Return2
11.18%
(18.45)%
42.03%
2.53%
(2.83)%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:
 
 
 
 
 
Net expenses3
1.13%
1.13%
1.13%
1.13%
1.13%
Net investment income (loss)
(0.16)%
(0.16)%
(0.50)%
(0.32)%
(0.36)%
Expense waiver/reimbursement4
0.24%
0.21%
0.23%
0.30%
0.29%
Supplemental Data:
 
 
 
 
 
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
$80,993
$88,900
$129,226
$92,389
$82,170
Portfolio turnover5
138%
140%
163%
227%
142%
1
Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
2
Based on net asset value, which does not reflect the sales charge, redemption fee or contingent
deferred sales charge, if applicable.
3
Amount does not reflect net expenses incurred by investment companies in which the Fund
may invest.
4
This expense decrease is reflected in both the net expense and the net investment income
(loss) ratios shown above. Amount does not reflect expense waiver/reimbursement recorded by
investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
5
Securities that mature are considered sales for purposes of this calculation.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
18

Financial HighlightsClass C Shares
(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)
 
Year Ended July 31,
 
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$16.75
$28.99
$20.69
$20.32
$22.77
Income From Investment Operations:
 
 
 
 
 
Net investment income (loss)1
(0.16)
(0.21)
(0.33)
(0.21)
(0.23)
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
1.77
(3.45)
8.77
0.58
(0.77)
Total From Investment Operations
1.61
(3.66)
8.44
0.37
(1.00)
Less Distributions:
 
 
 
 
 
Distributions from net realized gain
(0.63)
(8.58)
(0.14)
(1.45)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$17.73
$16.75
$28.99
$20.69
$20.32
Total Return2
10.27%
(19.14)%
40.93%
1.82%
(3.58)%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:
 
 
 
 
 
Net expenses3
1.96%
1.96%
1.88%
1.88%
1.88%
Net investment income (loss)
(0.99)%
(0.99)%
(1.25)%
(1.07)%
(1.12)%
Expense waiver/reimbursement4
0.12%
0.12%
0.15%
0.20%
0.29%
Supplemental Data:
 
 
 
 
 
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
$18,262
$19,373
$28,084
$17,481
$22,639
Portfolio turnover5
138%
140%
163%
227%
142%
1
Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
2
Based on net asset value, which does not reflect the sales charge, redemption fee or contingent
deferred sales charge, if applicable.
3
Amount does not reflect net expenses incurred by investment companies in which the Fund
may invest.
4
This expense decrease is reflected in both the net expense and the net investment income
(loss) ratios shown above. Amount does not reflect expense waiver/reimbursement recorded by
investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
5
Securities that mature are considered sales for purposes of this calculation.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
19

Financial HighlightsInstitutional Shares
(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)
 
Year Ended July 31,
 
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$22.27
$35.50
$25.05
$24.37
$26.71
Income From Investment Operations:
 
 
 
 
 
Net investment income (loss)1
0.02
0.02
(0.08)
(0.02)
(0.02)
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
2.42
(4.67)
10.67
0.70
(0.87)
Total From Investment Operations
2.44
(4.65)
10.59
0.68
(0.89)
Less Distributions:
 
 
 
 
 
Distributions from net investment income
(0.01)
Distributions from net realized gain
(0.63)
(8.58)
(0.14)
(1.45)
Total Distributions
(0.64)
(8.58)
(0.14)
(1.45)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$24.07
$22.27
$35.50
$25.05
$24.37
Total Return2
11.49%
(18.29)%
42.40%
2.79%
(2.60)%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:
 
 
 
 
 
Net expenses3
0.88%
0.88%
0.88%
0.88%
0.88%
Net investment income (loss)
0.09%
0.08%
(0.25)%
(0.07)%
(0.10)%
Expense waiver/reimbursement4
0.20%
0.18%
0.16%
0.19%
0.25%
Supplemental Data:
 
 
 
 
 
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
$258,459
$304,721
$428,578
$354,204
$455,597
Portfolio turnover5
138%
140%
163%
227%
142%
1
Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
2
Based on net asset value.
3
Amount does not reflect net expenses incurred by investment companies in which the Fund
may invest.
4
This expense decrease is reflected in both the net expense and the net investment income
(loss) ratios shown above. Amount does not reflect expense waiver/reimbursement recorded by
investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
5
Securities that mature are considered sales for purposes of this calculation.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
20

Financial HighlightsClass R6 Shares
(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)
 
Year Ended July 31,
 
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$22.29
$35.51
$25.06
$24.36
$26.70
Income From Investment Operations:
 
 
 
 
 
Net investment income (loss)1
0.02
0.02
(0.08)
(0.02)
(0.02)
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
2.42
(4.66)
10.67
0.72
(0.87)
Total From Investment Operations
2.44
(4.64)
10.59
0.70
(0.89)
Less Distributions:
 
 
 
 
 
Distributions from net investment income
(0.01)
Distributions from net realized gain
(0.63)
(8.58)
(0.14)
(1.45)
Total Distributions
(0.64)
(8.58)
(0.14)
(1.45)
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$24.09
$22.29
$35.51
$25.06
$24.36
Total Return2
11.49%
(18.24)%
42.38%
2.87%
(2.60)%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:
 
 
 
 
 
Net expenses3
0.87%
0.87%
0.87%
0.87%
0.87%
Net investment income (loss)
0.11%
0.10%
(0.24)%
(0.07)%
(0.07)%
Expense waiver/reimbursement4
0.12%
0.09%
0.09%
0.09%
0.15%
Supplemental Data:
 
 
 
 
 
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)
$182,071
$256,060
$309,117
$283,103
$333,059
Portfolio turnover5
138%
140%
163%
227%
142%
1
Per share numbers have been calculated using the average shares method.
2
Based on net asset value.
3
Amount does not reflect net expenses incurred by investment companies in which the Fund
may invest.
4
This expense decrease is reflected in both the net expense and the net investment income
(loss) ratios shown above. Amount does not reflect expense waiver/reimbursement recorded by
investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
5
Securities that mature are considered sales for purposes of this calculation.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
21

Statement of Assets and Liabilities
July 31, 2023
Assets:
 
Investment in securities, at value including $14,768,990 of securities loaned and
$37,594,607 of investments in affiliated holdings*(identified cost $464,139,106,
including $37,621,166 of identified cost in affiliated holdings)
$555,754,226
Income receivable
80,972
Income receivable from affiliated holdings
35,489
Receivable for investments sold
5,686,906
Receivable for shares sold
439,763
Total Assets
561,997,356
Liabilities:
 
Payable for investments purchased
4,411,465
Payable for shares redeemed
2,703,741
Payable to bank
26,331
Payable for collateral due to broker for securities lending (Note 2)
14,815,356
Payable for investment adviser fee (Note5)
10,091
Payable for administrative fee (Note5)
1,140
Payable for Directors’/Trustees’ fees (Note5)
143
Payable for distribution services fee (Note5)
11,152
Payable for other service fees (Notes 2 and5)
44,801
Accrued expenses (Note5)
187,678
Total Liabilities
22,211,898
Net assets for 22,944,470 shares outstanding
$539,785,458
Net Assets Consist of:
 
Paid-in capital
$515,573,182
Total distributable earnings (loss)
24,212,276
Total Net Assets
$539,785,458
Annual Shareholder Report
22

Statement of Assets and Liabilitiescontinued
Net Asset Value, Offering Price and Redemption Proceeds Per Share:
 
Class A Shares:
 
Net asset value per share ($80,992,788 ÷ 3,619,153 shares outstanding), no par value,
unlimited shares authorized
$22.38
Offering price per share (100/94.50 of $22.38)
$23.68
Redemption proceeds per share
$22.38
Class C Shares:
 
Net asset value per share ($18,262,281 ÷ 1,030,014 shares outstanding), no par value,
unlimited shares authorized
$17.73
Offering price per share
$17.73
Redemption proceeds per share (99.00/100 of $17.73)
$17.55
Institutional Shares:
 
Net asset value per share ($258,459,139 ÷ 10,737,207 shares outstanding), no par
value, unlimited shares authorized
$24.07
Offering price per share
$24.07
Redemption proceeds per share
$24.07
Class R6 Shares:
 
Net asset value per share ($182,071,250 ÷ 7,558,096 shares outstanding), no par value,
unlimited shares authorized
$24.09
Offering price per share
$24.09
Redemption proceeds per share
$24.09
*
See information listed after the Fund’s Portfolio of Investments.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
23

Statement of Operations
Year Ended July 31, 2023
Investment Income:
 
Dividends (including $3,579,515 received from affiliated holdings* and net of foreign
taxes withheld of $10,091)
$5,270,065
Net income on securities loaned (includes $576,959 earned from affiliated holdings
related to cash collateral balances*) (Note 2)
459,962
TOTAL INCOME
5,730,027
Expenses:
 
Investment adviser fee (Note5)
4,682,148
Administrative fee (Note5)
461,733
Custodian fees
82,132
Transfer agent fees (Note 2)
588,611
Directors’/Trustees’ fees (Note5)
4,665
Auditing fees
29,501
Legal fees
11,666
Portfolio accounting fees
138,049
Distribution services fee (Note5)
131,703
Other service fees (Notes 2 and5)
243,057
Share registration costs
69,472
Printing and postage
83,576
Miscellaneous (Note5)
32,998
TOTAL EXPENSES
6,559,311
Waiver and Reimbursements:
 
Waiver/reimbursement of investment adviser fee (Note5)
(707,094)
Reimbursement of other operating expenses (Notes 2 and 5)
(301,619)
TOTAL WAIVER AND REIMBURSEMENTS
(1,008,713)
Net expenses
5,550,598
Net investment income
179,429
Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments:
 
Net realized loss on investments (including net realized loss of $(8,018,869) on sales of
investments in affiliated holdings*)
(57,004,841)
Net change in unrealized depreciation of investments (including net change in
unrealized depreciation of $8,185,300 on investments in affiliated holdings*)
113,583,742
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments
56,578,901
Change in net assets resulting from operations
$56,758,330
*
See information listed after the Fund’s Portfolio of Investments.
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
24

Statement of Changes in Net Assets
Year Ended July 31
2023
2022
Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets
 
 
Operations:
 
 
Net investment income
$179,429
$154,388
Net realized gain (loss)
(57,004,841)
28,024,914
Net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation
113,583,742
(181,648,487)
CHANGE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS
56,758,330
(153,469,185)
Distributions to Shareholders:
 
 
Class A Shares
(2,603,153)
(32,079,796)
Class C Shares
(679,479)
(7,866,562)
Institutional Shares
(7,667,185)
(99,337,616)
Class R6 Shares
(7,065,520)
(72,484,125)
CHANGE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM DISTRIBUTIONS
TO SHAREHOLDERS
(18,015,337)
(211,768,099)
Share Transactions:
 
 
Proceeds from sale of shares
108,452,150
271,272,721
Net asset value of shares issued to shareholders in payment of
distributions declared
16,710,898
192,640,426
Cost of shares redeemed
(293,174,418)
(324,627,058)
CHANGE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM
SHARE TRANSACTIONS
(168,011,370)
139,286,089
Change in net assets
(129,268,377)
(225,951,195)
Net Assets:
 
 
Beginning of period
669,053,835
895,005,030
End of period
$539,785,458
$669,053,835
See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements
Annual Shareholder Report
25

Notes to Financial Statements
July 31, 2023
1. ORGANIZATION
Federated Hermes MDT Series (the “Trust”) is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Act”), as an open-end management investment company. The Trust consists of five portfolios. The financial statements included herein are only those of Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Growth Fund (the “Fund”), a diversified portfolio. The financial statements of the other portfolios are presented separately. The assets of each portfolio are segregated and a shareholder’s interest is limited to the portfolio in which shares are held. Each portfolio pays its own expenses. The Fund offers four classes of shares: Class A Shares, Class C Shares, Institutional Shares and Class R6 Shares. All shares of the Fund have equal rights with respect to voting, except on class-specific matters. The investment objective of the Fund is to provide long-term capital appreciation.
2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
The following is a summary of significant accounting policies consistently followed by the Fund in the preparation of its financial statements. These policies are in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).
Investment Valuation
In calculating its net asset value (NAV), the Fund generally values investments as follows:

Equity securities listed on an exchange or traded through a regulated market system are valued at their last reported sale price or official closing price in their principal exchange or market.

Shares of other mutual funds or non-exchange-traded investment companies are valued based upon their reported NAVs, or NAV per share practical expedient, as applicable.

For securities that are fair valued in accordance with procedures established by and under the general supervision of Federated MDTA LLC (the “Adviser”), certain factors may be considered, such as: the last traded or purchase price of the security, information obtained by contacting the issuer or dealers, analysis of the issuer’s financial statements or other available documents, fundamental analytical data, the nature and duration of restrictions on disposition, the movement of the market in which the security is normally traded, public trading in similar securities or derivative contracts of the issuer or comparable issuers, movement of a relevant index, or other factors including but not limited to industry changes and relevant government actions.
If any price, quotation, price evaluation or other pricing source is not readily available when the NAV is calculated, if the Fund cannot obtain price evaluations from a pricing service or from more than one dealer for an investment within a reasonable period of time as set forth in the Adviser’s valuation policies and procedures for the Fund, or if information furnished by a pricing service, in the opinion of the Adviser’s valuation committee (“Valuation Committee”), is deemed not representative of the fair value of such security, the Fund uses the fair value of the investment determined in accordance
Annual Shareholder Report
26

with the procedures described below. There can be no assurance that the Fund could obtain the fair value assigned to an investment if it sold the investment at approximately the time at which the Fund determines its NAV per share, and the actual value obtained could be materially different.
Fair Valuation and Significant Events Procedures
Pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the Act, the Fund’s Board of Trustees (the “Trustees”) has designated the Adviser as the Fund’s valuation designee to perform any fair value determinations for securities and other assets held by the Fund. The Adviser is subject to the Trustees’ oversight and certain reporting and other requirements intended to provide the Trustees the information needed to oversee the Adviser’s fair value determinations.
The Adviser, acting through its Valuation Committee, is responsible for determining the fair value of investments for which market quotations are not readily available. The Valuation Committee is comprised of officers of the Adviser and certain of the Adviser’s affiliated companies and determines fair value and oversees the calculation of the NAV. The Valuation Committee is also authorized to use pricing services to provide fair value evaluations of the current value of certain investments for purposes of calculating the NAV. The Valuation Committee employs various methods for reviewing third-party pricing-service evaluations including periodic reviews of third-party pricing services’ policies, procedures and valuation methods (including key inputs, methods, models and assumptions), transactional back-testing, comparisons of evaluations of different pricing services, and review of price challenges by the Adviser based on recent market activity. In the event that market quotations and price evaluations are not available for an investment, the Valuation Committee determines the fair value of the investment in accordance with procedures adopted by the Adviser. The Trustees periodically review the fair valuations made by the Valuation Committee. The Trustees have also approved the Adviser’s fair valuation and significant events procedures as part of the Fund’s compliance program and will review any changes made to the procedures.
Factors considered by pricing services in evaluating an investment include the yields or prices of investments of comparable quality, coupon, maturity, call rights and other potential prepayments, terms and type, reported transactions, indications as to values from dealers and general market conditions. Some pricing services provide a single price evaluation reflecting the bid-side of the market for an investment (a “bid” evaluation). Other pricing services offer both bid evaluations and price evaluations indicative of a price between the prices bid and ask for the investment (a “mid” evaluation). The Fund normally uses bid evaluations for any U.S. Treasury and Agency securities, mortgage-backed securities and municipal securities. The Fund normally uses mid evaluations for any other types of fixed-income securities and any OTC derivative contracts. In the event that market quotations and price evaluations are not available for an investment, the fair value of the investment is determined in accordance with procedures adopted by the Adviser.
The Adviser has also adopted procedures requiring an investment to be priced at its fair value whenever the Valuation Committee determines that a significant event affecting the value of the investment has occurred between the time as of which the price of the investment would otherwise be determined and the time as of which the NAV is computed. An event is considered significant if there is both an affirmative expectation that the investment’s value will change in response to the event and a
Annual Shareholder Report
27

reasonable basis for quantifying the resulting change in value. Examples of significant events that may occur after the close of the principal market on which a security is traded, or after the time of a price evaluation provided by a pricing service or a dealer, include:

With respect to securities traded principally in foreign markets, significant trends in U.S. equity markets or in the trading of foreign securities index futures contracts;

Political or other developments affecting the economy or markets in which an issuer conducts its operations or its securities are traded;

Announcements concerning matters such as acquisitions, recapitalizations, litigation developments, or a natural disaster affecting the issuer’s operations or regulatory changes or market developments affecting the issuer’s industry.
The Adviser has adopted procedures whereby the Valuation Committee uses a pricing service to provide factors to update the fair value of equity securities traded principally in foreign markets from the time of the close of their respective foreign stock exchanges to the pricing time of the Fund. For other significant events, the Fund may seek to obtain more current quotations or price evaluations from alternative pricing sources. If a reliable alternative pricing source is not available, the Valuation Committee will determine the fair value of the investment in accordance with the fair valuation procedures approved by the Adviser. The Trustees periodically review fair valuations made in response to significant events.
Repurchase Agreements
The Fund may invest in repurchase agreements for short-term liquidity purposes. It is the policy of the Fund to require the other party to a repurchase agreement to transfer to the Fund’s custodian or sub-custodian eligible securities or cash with a market value (after transaction costs) at least equal to the repurchase price to be paid under the repurchase agreement. The eligible securities are transferred to accounts with the custodian or sub-custodian in which the Fund holds a “securities entitlement” and exercises “control” as those terms are defined in the Uniform Commercial Code. The Fund has established procedures for monitoring the market value of the transferred securities and requiring the transfer of additional eligible securities if necessary to equal at least the repurchase price. These procedures also allow the other party to require securities to be transferred from the account to the extent that their market value exceeds the repurchase price or in exchange for other eligible securities of equivalent market value.
The insolvency of the other party or other failure to repurchase the securities may delay the disposition of the underlying securities or cause the Fund to receive less than the full repurchase price. Under the terms of the repurchase agreement, any amounts received by the Fund in excess of the repurchase price and related transaction costs must be remitted to the other party.
The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements in which eligible securities are transferred into joint trading accounts maintained by the custodian or sub-custodian for investment companies and other clients advised by the Fund’s Adviser and its affiliates. The Fund will participate on a pro rata basis with the other investment companies and clients in its share of the securities transferred under such repurchase agreements and in its share of proceeds from any repurchase or other disposition of such securities.
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28

Investment Income, Gains and Losses, Expenses and Distributions
Investment transactions are accounted for on a trade-date basis. Realized gains and losses from investment transactions are recorded on an identified-cost basis. Interest income and expenses are accrued daily. Dividend income and distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Foreign dividends are recorded on the ex-dividend date or when the Fund is informed of the ex-dividend date. Distributions of net investment income, if any, are declared and paid annually. Non-cash dividends included in dividend income, if any, are recorded at fair value. Amortization/accretion of premium and discount is included in investment income. Investment income, realized and unrealized gains and losses, and certain fund-level expenses are allocated to each class based on relative average daily net assets, except that select classes will bear certain expenses unique to those classes. The detail of the total fund expense waiver and reimbursements of $1,008,713 is disclosed in this Note 2 and Note 5. Dividends are declared separately for each class. No class has preferential dividend rights; differences in per share dividend rates are generally due to differences in separate class expenses.
Transfer Agent Fees
For the year ended July 31, 2023, transfer agent fees for the Fund were as follows:
 
Transfer Agent
Fees Incurred
Transfer Agent
Fees Reimbursed
Class A Shares
$144,418
$(98,708)
Class C Shares
22,767
(81)
Institutional Shares
332,467
(202,830)
Class R6 Shares
88,959
TOTAL
$588,611
$(301,619)
Other Service Fees
The Fund may pay other service fees up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Fund’s Class A Shares and Class C Shares to financial intermediaries or to Federated Shareholder Services Company (FSSC) for providing services to shareholders and maintaining shareholder accounts. Subject to the terms described in the Expense Limitation note, FSSC may voluntarily reimburse the Fund for other service fees.
For the year ended July 31, 2023, other service fees for the Fund were as follows:
 
Other Service
Fees Incurred
Class A Shares
$199,414
Class C Shares
43,643
TOTAL
$243,057
Federal Taxes
It is the Fund’s policy to comply with the Subchapter M provision of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”) and to distribute to shareholders each year substantially all of its income. Accordingly, no provision for federal income tax is necessary. As of and during the year ended July 31, 2023, the Fund did not have a liability for any uncertain tax positions. The Fund recognizes interest and penalties, if
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29

any, related to tax liabilities as income tax expense in the Statement of Operations. As of July 31, 2023, tax years 2020 through 2023 remain subject to examination by the Fund’s major tax jurisdictions, which include the United States of America and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The Fund may be subject to taxes imposed by governments of countries in which it invests. Such taxes are generally based on either income or gains earned or repatriated. The Fund accrues and applies such taxes to net investment income, net realized gains and net unrealized gains as income and/or gains are earned.
When-Issued and Delayed-Delivery Transactions
The Fund may engage in when-issued or delayed-delivery transactions. The Fund records when-issued securities on the trade date and maintains security positions such that sufficient liquid assets will be available to make payment for the securities purchased. Securities purchased on a when-issued or delayed-delivery basis are marked to market daily and begin earning interest on the settlement date. Losses may occur on these transactions due to changes in market conditions or the failure of counterparties to perform under the contract.
Securities Lending
The Fund participates in a securities lending program providing for the lending of equity securities to qualified brokers. The term of the loans within the program is one year or less. The Fund normally receives cash collateral for securities loaned that may be invested in affiliated money market funds, other money market instruments and/or repurchase agreements. Investments in money market funds may include funds with a “floating” NAV that can impose redemption fees and liquidity gates, impose certain operational impediments to investing cash collateral, and, if the investee fund’s NAV decreases, result in the Fund recognizing losses and being required to cover the decrease in the value of the cash collateral. Collateral is maintained at a minimum level of 100% of the market value of investments loaned, plus interest, if applicable. In accordance with the Fund’s securities lending agreement, the market value of securities on loan is determined each day at the close of business and any additional collateral required to cover the value of securities on loan is delivered to the Fund on the next business day. Earnings from collateral invested in affiliated holdings as presented parenthetically on the Statement of Operations do not reflect fees and rebates and are allocated between the borrower of the security, the securities lending agent, as a fee for its services under the program and the Fund, according to agreed-upon rates. The Fund will not have the right to vote on securities while they are on loan. However, the Fund will attempt to terminate a loan in an effort to reacquire the securities in time to vote on matters that are deemed to be material by the Adviser. There can be no assurance that the Fund will have sufficient notice of such matters to be able to terminate the loan in time to vote thereon.
Securities lending transactions are subject to Master Netting Agreements which are agreements between the Fund and its counterparties that provide for the net settlement of all transactions and collateral with the Fund, through a single payment, in the event of default or termination. Amounts presented on the Portfolio of Investments and Statement of Assets and Liabilities are not net settlement amounts but gross. As indicated below, the cash collateral received by the Fund exceeds the market value of the securities loaned reducing the net settlement amount to zero. The chart below
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30

identifies the amount of collateral received as well as the market value of securities on loan. Additionally, the securities lending agreement executed by the Fund includes an indemnification clause. This clause stipulates that the borrower will reimburse the Fund for any losses as a result of any failure of the borrower to return equivalent securities to the Fund.
As of July 31, 2023, securities subject to this type of arrangement and related collateral were as follows:
Fair Value of
Securities Loaned
Collateral
Received
$14,768,990
$14,815,356
Other
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts of assets, liabilities, expenses and revenues reported in the financial statements. Actual results could differ materially from those estimated. The Fund applies investment company accounting and reporting guidance.
3. SHARES OF BENEFICIAL INTEREST
The following tables summarize share activity:
 
Year Ended
7/31/2023
Year Ended
7/31/2022
Class A Shares:
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares sold
364,732
$7,410,545
734,706
$19,688,546
Shares issued to shareholders in payment of
distributions declared
118,380
2,245,671
985,701
26,130,926
Shares redeemed
(1,138,869)
(23,147,646)
(1,273,380)
(32,473,563)
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM CLASS A
SHARE TRANSACTIONS
(655,757)
$(13,491,430)
447,027
$13,345,909
 
Year Ended
7/31/2023
Year Ended
7/31/2022
Class C Shares:
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares sold
148,712
$2,428,011
128,708
$2,774,689
Shares issued to shareholders in payment of
distributions declared
44,306
669,467
359,807
7,725,066
Shares redeemed
(319,656)
(5,189,606)
(300,582)
(6,470,668)
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM CLASS C
SHARE TRANSACTIONS
(126,638)
$(2,092,128)
187,933
$4,029,087
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31

 
Year Ended
7/31/2023
Year Ended
7/31/2022
Institutional Shares:
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares sold
2,583,227
$56,282,758
5,702,540
$156,084,766
Shares issued to shareholders in payment of
distributions declared
357,614
7,287,807
3,232,168
91,631,959
Shares redeemed
(5,884,345)
(128,470,285)
(7,327,971)
(197,657,381)
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM
INSTITUTIONAL SHARE TRANSACTIONS
(2,943,504)
$(64,899,720)
1,606,737
$50,059,344
 
Year Ended
7/31/2023
Year Ended
7/31/2022
Class R6 Shares:
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares sold
1,965,413
$42,330,836
3,421,932
$92,724,720
Shares issued to shareholders in payment of
distributions declared
319,036
6,507,953
2,367,859
67,152,475
Shares redeemed
(6,214,536)
(136,366,881)
(3,005,937)
(88,025,446)
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM CLASS R6
SHARE TRANSACTIONS
(3,930,087)
$(87,528,092)
2,783,854
$71,851,749
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM TOTAL
FUND SHARE TRANSACTIONS
(7,655,986)
$(168,011,370)
5,025,551
$139,286,089
4. FEDERAL TAX INFORMATION
The tax character of distributions as reported on the Statement of Changes in Net Assets for the years ended July 31, 2023 and 2022, was as follows:
 
2023
2022
Ordinary income1
$270,788
$132,977,030
Long-term capital gains
$17,744,549
$78,791,069
1
For tax purposes, short-term capital gain distributions are considered ordinary
income distributions.
As of July 31, 2023, the components of distributable earnings on a tax-basis were as follows:
Undistributed ordinary income
$187,325
Net unrealized appreciation
$85,381,258
Capital loss carryforwards
$(61,356,307)
TOTAL
$24,212,276
At July 31, 2023, the cost of investments for federal tax purposes was $470,372,968. The net unrealized appreciation of investments for federal tax purposes was $85,381,258. This consists of unrealized appreciation from investments for those securities having an excess of value over cost of $115,900,735 and unrealized depreciation from investments for those securities having an excess of cost over value of $30,519,477. The difference between book-basis and tax-basis net unrealized appreciation is attributable to differing treatments for the deferral of losses on wash sales.
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32

As of July 31, 2023, the Fund had a capital loss carryforward of $61,356,307 which will reduce the Fund’s taxable income arising from future net realized gains on investments, if any, to the extent permitted by the Code, thereby reducing the amount of distributions to shareholders which would otherwise be necessary to relieve the Fund of any liability for federal income tax. Pursuant to the Code, these net capital losses retain their character as either short-term or long-term and do not expire.
The following schedule summarizes the Fund’s capital loss carryforwards:
Short-Term
Long-Term
Total
$61,356,307
$
$61,356,307
5. INVESTMENT ADVISER FEE AND OTHER TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES
Investment Adviser Fee
The advisory agreement between the Fund and the Adviser provides for an annual fee equal to 0.80% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. Subject to the terms described in the Expense Limitation note, the Adviser may voluntarily choose to waive any portion of its fee and/or reimburse certain operating expenses of the Fund for competitive reasons such as to maintain the Fund’s expense ratio, or as and when appropriate, to maintain positive or zero net yields. For the year ended July 31, 2023, the Adviser voluntarily waived $685,618 of its fee and voluntarily reimbursed $301,619 of transfer agent fees.
The Adviser has agreed to reimburse the Fund for certain investment adviser fees as a result of transactions in other affiliated investment companies. For the year ended July 31, 2023, the Adviser reimbursed $21,476.
Administrative Fee
Federated Administrative Services (FAS), under the Administrative Services Agreement, provides the Fund with administrative personnel and services. For purposes of determining the appropriate rate breakpoint, “Investment Complex” is defined as all of the Federated Hermes Funds subject to a fee under the Administrative Services Agreement. The fee paid to FAS is based on the average daily net assets of the Investment Complex as specified below:
Administrative Fee
Average Daily Net Assets
of the Investment Complex
0.100%
on assets up to $50 billion
0.075%
on assets over $50 billion
Subject to the terms described in the Expense Limitation note, FAS may voluntarily choose to waive any portion of its fee. For the year ended July 31, 2023, the annualized fee paid to FAS was 0.079% of average daily net assets of the Fund.
In addition, FAS may charge certain out-of-pocket expenses to the Fund.
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33

Distribution Services Fee
The Fund has adopted a Distribution Plan (the “Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Act. Under the terms of the Plan, the Fund will compensate Federated Securities Corp. (FSC), the principal distributor, from the daily net assets of the Fund’s Class A Shares and Class C Shares to finance activities intended to result in the sale of these shares. The Plan provides that the Fund may incur distribution expenses at the following percentages of average daily net assets annually, to compensate FSC:
 
Percentage of Average Daily
Net Assets of Class
Class A Shares
0.05%
Class C Shares
0.75%
Subject to the terms described in the Expense Limitation note, FSC may voluntarily choose to waive any portion of its fee. For the year ended July 31, 2023, distribution services fees for the Fund were as follows:
 
Distribution Services
Fees Incurred
Class C Shares
$131,703
For the year ended July 31, 2023, FSC retained $5,917 of fees paid by the Fund.
When FSC receives fees, it may pay some or all of them to financial intermediaries whose customers purchase shares. For the year ended July 31, 2023, the Fund’s Class A Shares did not incur a distribution services fee; however, it may begin to incur this fee upon approval of the Trustees.
Sales Charges
Front-end sales charges and contingent deferred sales charges (CDSC) do not represent expenses of the Fund. They are deducted from the proceeds of sales of Fund shares prior to investment or from redemption proceeds prior to remittance, as applicable. For the year ended July 31, 2023, FSC retained $1,847 in sales charges from the sale of Class A Shares. FSC also retained $142 of CDSC relating to redemptions of Class C Shares.

Other Service Fees
For the year ended July 31, 2023, FSSC received $12,881 of the other service fees disclosed in Note 2.
Expense Limitation
The Adviser and certain of its affiliates (which may include FSC, FAS and FSSC) on their own initiative have agreed to waive certain amounts of their respective fees and/or reimburse expenses. Total annual fund operating expenses (as shown in the financial highlights, excluding interest expense, extraordinary expenses and proxy-related expenses paid by the Fund, if any) paid by the Fund’s Class A Shares, Class C Shares, Institutional Shares and Class R6 Shares (after the voluntary waivers and/or reimbursements) will not exceed 1.13%, 2.01%, 0.88% and 0.87% (the “Fee Limit”), respectively, up to but not including the later of (the “Termination Date”): (a) October 1, 2024; or (b) the date of the Fund’s next effective Prospectus. While the
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34

Adviser and its applicable affiliates currently do not anticipate terminating or increasing these arrangements prior to the Termination Date, these arrangements may only be terminated or the Fee Limit increased prior to the Termination Date with the agreement of the Trustees.
Directors’/Trustees’ and Miscellaneous Fees
Certain Officers and Trustees of the Fund are Officers and Directors or Trustees of certain of the above companies. To efficiently facilitate payment, Independent Directors’/Trustees’ fees and certain expenses related to conducting meetings of the Directors/Trustees and other miscellaneous expenses are paid by an affiliate of the Adviser which in due course are reimbursed by the Fund. These expenses related to conducting meetings of the Directors/Trustees and other miscellaneous expenses may be included in Accrued and Miscellaneous Expenses on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Statement of Operations, respectively.
6. INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS
Purchases and sales of investments, excluding long-term U.S. government securities and short-term obligations, for the year ended July 31, 2023, were as follows:
Purchases
$794,645,563
Sales
$970,707,679
7. CONCENTRATION OF RISK
The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in securities of companies that are deemed by the Fund’s management to be classified in similar business sectors. Economic developments may have an effect on the liquidity and volatility of the portfolio securities.
8. LINE OF CREDIT
The Fund participates with certain other Federated Hermes Funds, on a several basis, in an up to $500,000,000 unsecured, 364-day, committed, revolving line of credit (LOC) agreement dated June 21, 2023. The LOC was made available to temporarily finance the repurchase or redemption of shares of the Fund, failed trades, payment of dividends, settlement of trades and for other short-term, temporary or emergency general business purposes. The Fund cannot borrow under the LOC if an inter-fund loan is outstanding. The Fund’s ability to borrow under the LOC also is subject to the limitations of the Act and various conditions precedent that must be satisfied before the Fund can borrow. Loans under the LOC are charged interest at a fluctuating rate per annum equal to (a) the highest, on any day, of (i) the federal funds effective rate, (ii) the published secured overnight financing rate plus an assigned percentage, and (iii) 0.0%, plus (b) a margin. Any fund eligible to borrow under the LOC pays its pro rata share of a commitment fee based on the amount of the lenders’ commitment that has not been utilized, quarterly in arrears and at maturity. As of July 31, 2023, the Fund had no outstanding loans. During the year ended July 31, 2023, the Fund did not utilize the LOC.
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35

9. INTERFUND LENDING
Pursuant to an Exemptive Order issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Fund, along with other funds advised by subsidiaries of Federated Hermes, Inc., may participate in an interfund lending program. This program provides an alternative credit facility allowing the Fund to borrow from other participating affiliated funds. As of July 31, 2023, there were no outstanding loans. During the year ended July 31, 2023, the program was not utilized.
10. INDEMNIFICATIONS
Under the Fund’s organizational documents, its Officers and Directors/Trustees are indemnified against certain liabilities arising out of the performance of their duties to the Fund (other than liabilities arising out of their willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of their duties to the Fund). In addition, in the normal course of business, the Fund provides certain indemnifications under arrangements with third parties. Typically, obligations to indemnify a third party arise in the context of an arrangement entered into by the Fund under which the Fund agrees to indemnify such third party for certain liabilities arising out of actions taken pursuant to the arrangement, provided the third party’s actions are not deemed to have breached an agreed-upon standard of care (such as willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of their duties under the contract). The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Fund that have not yet arisen. The Fund does not anticipate any material claims or losses pursuant to these arrangements at this time, and accordingly expects the risk of loss to be remote.
11. OTHER MATTERS
An outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus was first detected in China in late 2019 and subsequently spread globally. As of the date of the issuance of these financial statements, this coronavirus has resulted in, and may continue to result in, closed borders, enhanced health screenings, disruptions to healthcare service preparation and delivery, quarantines, cancellations, and disruptions to supply chains, workflow operations and consumer activity, as well as general concern and uncertainty. The impact of this coronavirus has resulted in substantial economic volatility. Health crises caused by outbreaks, such as the coronavirus outbreak, may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks. The impact of this outbreak, and other epidemics and pandemics that may arise in the future, could continue to negatively affect the worldwide economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, individual companies (including certain Fund service providers and issuers of the Fund’s investments) and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. In addition, governments, their regulatory agencies, or self-regulatory organizations may take actions in response to the pandemic, including significant fiscal and monetary policy changes, that may affect the instruments in which the Fund invests or the issuers of such investments. Any such impact could adversely affect the Fund’s performance.
12. FEDERAL TAX INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)
For the year ended July 31, 2023, the amount of long-term capital gains designated by the Fund was $17,744,549.
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36

Of the ordinary income distributions made by the Fund during the year ended July 31, 2023, 100.00% qualify for the dividend received deduction available to corporate shareholders.
For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2023, 100% of total ordinary income distributions made by the Fund are qualifying dividends which may be subject to a maximum tax rate of 15%, as provided for by the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Act of 2003. Complete information is reported in conjunction with the reporting of your distributions on Form 1099-DIV.
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37

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
TO THE board of trustees OF federated Hermes MDT Series and shareholders of Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Growth Fund:
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities of Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Growth Fund (the “Fund”) (one of the portfolios constituting Federated Hermes MDT Series (the “Trust”)), including the portfolio of investments, as of July 31, 2023, and the related statement of operations for the year then ended, the statement of changes in net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended, the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Fund (one of the portfolios constituting Federated Hermes MDT Series), at July 31, 2023, the results of its operations for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended and its financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Trust’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Fund’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Trust in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
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We conducted our audits in accordance with standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Trust is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of the Trust’s internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Trust’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of July 31, 2023, by correspondence with the custodian, brokers, and others; when replies were not received from brokers or others, we performed other auditing procedures. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
We have served as the auditor of one or more Federated Hermes investment companies since 1979.
Boston, Massachusetts
September 25, 2023
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39

Shareholder Expense Example (unaudited)
As a shareholder of the Fund, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads) on purchase or redemption payments; and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees and to the extent applicable, distribution (12b-1) fees and/or other service fees and other Fund expenses. This Example is intended to help you to understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds. It is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period from February 1, 2023 to July 31, 2023.
ACTUAL EXPENSES
The first section of the table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this section, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you incurred over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first section under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses attributable to your investment during this period.
HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLE FOR COMPARISON PURPOSES
The second section of the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. Thus, you should not use the hypothetical account values and expenses to estimate the actual ending account balance or your expenses for the period. Rather, these figures are required to be provided to enable you to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund with other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.
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Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transaction costs, such as sales charges (loads) on purchase or redemption payments. Therefore, the second section of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transaction costs were included, your costs would have been higher.
 
Beginning
Account Value
2/1/2023
Ending
Account Value
7/31/2023
Expenses Paid
During Period1
Actual:
 
 
 
Class A Shares
$1,000
$1,051.70
$5.75
Class C Shares
$1,000
$1,047.30
$9.95
Institutional Shares
$1,000
$1,052.90
$4.48
Class R6 Shares
$1,000
$1,052.90
$4.43
Hypothetical (assuming a 5% return
before expenses):
 
 
 
Class A Shares
$1,000
$1,019.19
$5.66
Class C Shares
$1,000
$1,015.08
$9.79
Institutional Shares
$1,000
$1,020.43
$4.41
Class R6 Shares
$1,000
$1,020.48
$4.36
1
Expenses are equal to the Fund’s annualized net expense ratios, multiplied by the average
account value over the period, multiplied by 181/365 (to reflect the one-half-year period). The
annualized net expense ratios are as follows:
Class A Shares
1.13%
Class C Shares
1.96%
Institutional Shares
0.88%
Class R6 Shares
0.87%
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41

Board of Trustees and Trust Officers
The Board of Trustees is responsible for managing the Trust’s business affairs and for exercising all the Trust’s powers except those reserved for the shareholders. The following tables give information about each Trustee and the senior officers of the Fund. Where required, the tables separately list Trustees who are “interested persons” of the Fund (i.e., “Interested” Trustees) and those who are not (i.e., “Independent” Trustees). Unless otherwise noted, the address of each person listed is 1001 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779. The address of all Independent Trustees listed is 4000 Ericsson Drive, Warrendale, PA 15086-7561; Attention: Mutual Fund Board. As of December 31, 2022, the Trust comprised five portfolio(s), and the Federated Hermes Fund Family consisted of 33 investment companies (comprising 102 portfolios). Unless otherwise noted, each Officer is elected annually. Unless otherwise noted, each Trustee oversees all portfolios in the Federated Hermes Fund Family and serves for an indefinite term. The Fund’s Statement of Additional Information includes additional information about Trust Trustees and is available, without charge and upon request, by calling 1-800-341-7400, Option #4.
Interested TRUSTEES Background
Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held and Previous Position(s)
J. Christopher Donahue*
Birth Date: April 11, 1949
President and Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: May 2006
Principal Occupations: Principal Executive Officer and President of
certain of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Fund Family; Director or
Trustee of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Fund Family; President,
Chief Executive Officer and Director, Federated Hermes, Inc.;
Chairman and Trustee, Federated Investment Management Company;
Trustee, Federated Investment Counseling; Chairman and Director,
Federated Global Investment Management Corp.; Chairman and
Trustee, Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania;
Trustee, Federated Shareholder Services Company; Director,
Federated Services Company.
Previous Positions: President, Federated Investment Counseling;
President and Chief Executive Officer, Federated Investment
Management Company, Federated Global Investment Management
Corp. and Passport Research, Ltd; Chairman, Passport Research, Ltd.
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Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held and Previous Position(s)
John B. Fisher*
Birth Date: May 16, 1956
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: May 2016
Principal Occupations: Principal Executive Officer and President of
certain of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Fund Family; Director or
Trustee of certain of the Funds in the Federated Hermes Fund Family;
Director and Vice President, Federated Hermes, Inc.; President,
Director/Trustee and CEO, Federated Advisory Services Company,
Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania, Federated
Global Investment Management Corp., Federated Investment
Counseling, Federated Investment Management Company, and
Federated MDTA LLC; Director, Federated Investors Trust Company.
Previous Positions: President and Director of the Institutional Sales
Division of Federated Securities Corp.; President and CEO of Passport
Research, Ltd.; Director and President, Technology, Federated
Services Company.
*
Reasons for “interested” status: J. Christopher Donahue and John B. Fisher are interested due to their beneficial ownership of shares of Federated Hermes, Inc. and due to positions they hold with Federated Hermes, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES Background
Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
John T. Collins
Birth Date: January 24, 1947
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: October 2013
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee, and Chair of the Board
of Directors or Trustees, of the Federated Hermes Fund Family;
formerly, Chairman and CEO, The Collins Group, Inc. (a private equity
firm) (Retired).
Other Directorships Held: Director, KLX Energy Services Holdings,
Inc. (oilfield services); former Director of KLX Corp. (aerospace).
Qualifications: Mr. Collins has served in several business and financial
management roles and directorship positions throughout his career.
Mr. Collins previously served as Chairman and CEO of The Collins
Group, Inc. (a private equity firm) and as a Director of KLX Corp.
Mr. Collins serves as Chairman Emeriti, Bentley University. Mr. Collins
previously served as Director and Audit Committee Member, Bank of
America Corp.; Director, FleetBoston Financial Corp.; and Director,
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Harvard University
Affiliate Hospital).
Annual Shareholder Report
43

Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
G. Thomas Hough
Birth Date: February 28, 1955
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: August 2015
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee, Chair of the Audit
Committee of the Federated Hermes Fund Family; formerly, Vice
Chair, Ernst & Young LLP (public accounting firm) (Retired).
Other Directorships Held: Director, Chair of the Audit Committee,
Equifax, Inc.; Lead Director, Member of the Audit and Nominating and
Corporate Governance Committees, Haverty Furniture Companies,
Inc.; formerly, Director, Member of Governance and Compensation
Committees, Publix Super Markets, Inc.
Qualifications: Mr. Hough has served in accounting, business
management and directorship positions throughout his career.
Mr. Hough most recently held the position of Americas Vice Chair of
Assurance with Ernst & Young LLP (public accounting firm). Mr. Hough
serves on the President’s Cabinet and Business School Board of
Visitors for the University of Alabama. Mr. Hough previously served on
the Business School Board of Visitors for Wake Forest University, and
he previously served as an Executive Committee member of the
United States Golf Association.
Maureen Lally-Green
Birth Date: July 5, 1949
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: August 2009
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Fund Family; Adjunct Professor Emerita of Law, Duquesne University
School of Law; formerly, Dean of the Duquesne University School of
Law and Professor of Law and Interim Dean of the Duquesne
University School of Law; formerly, Associate General Secretary and
Director, Office of Church Relations, Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Other Directorships Held: Director, CNX Resources Corporation
(natural gas).
Qualifications: Judge Lally-Green has served in various legal and
business roles and directorship positions throughout her career. Judge
Lally-Green previously held the position of Dean of the School of Law
of Duquesne University (as well as Interim Dean). Judge Lally-Green
previously served as Associate General Secretary of the Diocese of
Pittsburgh, a member of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania and as a
Professor of Law, Duquesne University School of Law. Judge Lally-
Green was appointed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to serve
on the Supreme Court’s Board of Continuing Judicial Education and
the Supreme Court’s Appellate Court Procedural Rules Committee.
Judge Lally-Green also currently holds the positions on not for profit
or for profit boards of directors as follows: Director and Chair, UPMC
Mercy Hospital; Regent, Saint Vincent Seminary; Member,
Pennsylvania State Board of Education (public); Director, Catholic
Charities, Pittsburgh; and Director CNX Resources Corporation
(natural gas). Judge Lally-Green has held the positions of: Director,
Auberle; Director, Epilepsy Foundation of Western and Central
Pennsylvania; Director, Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh; Director, Saint
Thomas More Society; Director and Chair, Catholic High Schools of
the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Inc.; Director, Pennsylvania Bar Institute;
Director, St. Vincent College; Director and Chair, North Catholic High
School, Inc.; Director and Vice Chair, Our Campaign for the Church
Alive!, Inc.; and Director and Vice Chair, Saint Francis University.
Annual Shareholder Report
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Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
Thomas M. O’Neill
Birth Date: June 14, 1951
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: August 2006
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Fund Family; Sole Proprietor, Navigator Management Company
(investment and strategic consulting).
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Mr. O’Neill has served in several business, mutual fund
and financial management roles and directorship positions throughout
his career. Mr. O’Neill serves as Director, Medicines for Humanity.
Mr. O’Neill previously served as Chief Executive Officer and President,
Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer, Fleet Investment
Advisors; President and Chief Executive Officer, Aeltus Investment
Management, Inc.; General Partner, Hellman, Jordan Management
Co., Boston, MA; Chief Investment Officer, The Putnam Companies,
Boston, MA; Credit Analyst and Lending Officer, Fleet Bank; Director
and Consultant, EZE Castle Software (investment order management
software); Director, Midway Pacific (lumber); and Director, The
Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples, Florida.
Madelyn A. Reilly
Birth Date: February 2, 1956
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving:
November 2020
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Fund Family; formerly, Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs,
General Counsel and Secretary of Board of Directors, Duquesne
University (Retired).
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Ms. Reilly has served in various business and legal
management roles throughout her career. Ms. Reilly previously served
as Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs, General Counsel and
Secretary of Board of Directors and Director of Risk Management and
Associate General Counsel, Duquesne University. Prior to her work at
Duquesne University, Ms. Reilly served as Assistant General Counsel
of Compliance and Enterprise Risk as well as Senior Counsel of
Environment, Health and Safety, PPG Industries. Ms. Reilly currently
serves as a member of the Board of Directors of UPMC
Mercy Hospital.
Annual Shareholder Report
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Name
Birth Date
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years,
Other Directorships Held, Previous Position(s) and Qualifications
P. Jerome Richey
Birth Date: February 23, 1949
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: October 2013
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Fund Family; Retired; formerly, Senior Vice Chancellor and Chief Legal
Officer, University of Pittsburgh and Executive Vice President and
Chief Legal Officer, CONSOL Energy Inc. (now split into two separate
publicly traded companies known as CONSOL Energy Inc. and CNX
Resources Corp.).
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Mr. Richey has served in several business and legal
management roles and directorship positions throughout his career.
Mr. Richey most recently held the positions of Senior Vice Chancellor
and Chief Legal Officer, University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Richey previously
served as Chairman of the Board, Epilepsy Foundation of Western
Pennsylvania and Chairman of the Board, World Affairs Council of
Pittsburgh. Mr. Richey previously served as Chief Legal Officer and
Executive Vice President, CONSOL Energy Inc. and CNX Gas
Company; and Board Member, Ethics Counsel and Shareholder,
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC (a law firm).
John S. Walsh
Birth Date:
November 28, 1957
Trustee
Indefinite Term
Began serving: June 2006
Principal Occupations: Director or Trustee of the Federated Hermes
Fund Family; President and Director, Heat Wagon, Inc. (manufacturer
of construction temporary heaters); President and Director,
Manufacturers Products, Inc. (distributor of portable construction
heaters); President, Portable Heater Parts, a division of Manufacturers
Products, Inc.
Other Directorships Held: None.
Qualifications: Mr. Walsh has served in several business management
roles and directorship positions throughout his career. Mr. Walsh
previously served as Vice President, Walsh & Kelly, Inc.
(paving contractors).
Annual Shareholder Report
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OFFICERS
Name
Birth Date
Address
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years
and Previous Position(s)
Lori A. Hensler
Birth Date: January 6, 1967
TREASURER
Officer since: April 2013
Principal Occupations: Principal Financial Officer and Treasurer of the
Federated Hermes Fund Family; Senior Vice President, Federated
Administrative Services; Financial and Operations Principal for
Federated Securities Corp.; and Assistant Treasurer, Federated
Investors Trust Company. Ms. Hensler has received the Certified
Public Accountant designation.
Previous Positions: Controller of Federated Hermes, Inc.; Senior Vice
President and Assistant Treasurer, Federated Investors Management
Company; Treasurer, Federated Investors Trust Company; Assistant
Treasurer, Federated Administrative Services, Federated
Administrative Services, Inc., Federated Securities Corp., Edgewood
Services, Inc., Federated Advisory Services Company, Federated
Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania, Federated Global
Investment Management Corp., Federated Investment Counseling,
Federated Investment Management Company, Passport Research,
Ltd., and Federated MDTA, LLC; Financial and Operations Principal for
Federated Securities Corp., Edgewood Services, Inc. and Southpointe
Distribution Services, Inc.
Peter J. Germain
Birth Date:
September 3, 1959
CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER,
SECRETARY and EXECUTIVE
VICE PRESIDENT
Officer since: June 2006
Principal Occupations: Mr. Germain is Chief Legal Officer, Secretary
and Executive Vice President of the Federated Hermes Fund Family.
He is General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer, Secretary and Executive
Vice President, Federated Hermes, Inc.; Trustee and Senior Vice
President, Federated Investors Management Company; Trustee and
President, Federated Administrative Services; Director and President,
Federated Administrative Services, Inc.; Director and Vice President,
Federated Securities Corp.; Director and Secretary, Federated Private
Asset Management, Inc.; Secretary, Federated Shareholder Services
Company; and Secretary, Retirement Plan Service Company of
America. Mr. Germain joined Federated Hermes, Inc. in 1984 and is a
member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.
Previous Positions: Deputy General Counsel, Special Counsel,
Managing Director of Mutual Fund Services, Federated Hermes, Inc.;
Senior Vice President, Federated Services Company; and Senior
Corporate Counsel, Federated Hermes, Inc.
Stephen F. Auth
Birth Date:
September 13, 1956
101 Park Avenue
41st Floor
New York, NY 10178
CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER
Officer since: June 2012
Principal Occupations: Stephen F. Auth is Chief Investment Officer of
various Funds in the Federated Hermes Fund Family; Executive Vice
President, Federated Investment Counseling, Federated Global
Investment Management Corp. and Federated Equity Management
Company of Pennsylvania.
Previous Positions: Executive Vice President, Federated Investment
Management Company and Passport Research, Ltd. (investment
advisory subsidiary of Federated); Senior Vice President, Global
Portfolio Management Services Division; Senior Vice President,
Federated Investment Management Company and Passport
Research, Ltd.; Senior Managing Director and Portfolio Manager,
Prudential Investments.
Annual Shareholder Report
47

Name
Birth Date
Address
Positions Held with Trust
Date Service Began
Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years
and Previous Position(s)
Stephen Van Meter
Birth Date: June 5, 1975
CHIEF COMPLIANCE
OFFICER AND SENIOR
VICE PRESIDENT
Officer since: July 2015
Principal Occupations: Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance
Officer of the Federated Hermes Fund Family; Vice President and
Chief Compliance Officer of Federated Hermes, Inc. and Chief
Compliance Officer of certain of its subsidiaries. Mr. Van Meter joined
Federated Hermes, Inc. in October 2011. He holds FINRA licenses
under Series 3, 7, 24 and 66.
Previous Positions: Mr. Van Meter previously held the position of
Compliance Operating Officer, Federated Hermes, Inc. Prior to joining
Federated Hermes, Inc., Mr. Van Meter served at the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission in the positions of Senior
Counsel, Office of Chief Counsel, Division of Investment Management
and Senior Counsel, Division of Enforcement.
Annual Shareholder Report
48

Evaluation and Approval of Advisory ContractMay 2023
Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Growth Fund (the “Fund”)
At its meetings in May 2023 (the “May Meetings”), the Fund’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”), including those Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Fund, as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Independent Trustees”), reviewed and unanimously approved the continuation of the investment advisory contract between the Fund and Federated MDTA LLC (the “Adviser”) with respect to the Fund (the “Contract”) for an additional one-year term. The Board’s determination to approve the continuation of the Contract reflects the exercise of its business judgment after considering all of the information and factors believed to be relevant and appropriate on whether to approve the continuation of the existing arrangement. The information, factors and conclusions that formed the basis for the Board’s approval are summarized below.
Information Received and Review Process
At the request of the Independent Trustees, the Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer (the “CCO”) furnished to the Board in advance of its May Meetings an independent written evaluation of the Fund’s management fee (the “CCO Fee Evaluation Report”). The Board considered the CCO Fee Evaluation Report, along with other information, in evaluating the reasonableness of the Fund’s management fee and in determining to approve the continuation of the Contract. The CCO, in preparing the CCO Fee Evaluation Report, has the authority to retain consultants, experts or staff as reasonably necessary to assist in the performance of his duties, reports directly to the Board, and can be terminated only with the approval of a majority of the Independent Trustees. At the request of the Independent Trustees, the CCO Fee Evaluation Report followed the same general approach and covered the same topics as that of the report that had previously been delivered by the CCO in his capacity as “Senior Officer” prior to the elimination of the Senior Officer position in December 2017.
In addition to the extensive materials that comprise and accompany the CCO Fee Evaluation Report, the Board considered information specifically prepared in connection with the approval of the continuation of the Contract that was presented at the May Meetings. In this regard, in the months preceding the May Meetings, the Board requested and reviewed written responses and supporting materials prepared by the Adviser and its affiliates (collectively, “Federated Hermes”) in response to requests posed to Federated Hermes by independent legal counsel on behalf of the Independent Trustees encompassing a wide variety of topics, including those summarized below. The Board also considered such additional matters as the Independent Trustees deemed
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49

reasonably necessary to evaluate the Contract, which included detailed information about the Fund and Federated Hermes furnished to the Board at its meetings throughout the year and in between regularly scheduled meetings on particular matters as the need arose.
The Board’s consideration of the Contract included review of materials and information covering the following matters, among others: the nature, quality and extent of the advisory and other services provided to the Fund by Federated Hermes; Federated Hermes’ business and operations; the Adviser’s investment philosophy, personnel and processes; the Fund’s investment objectives and strategies; the Fund’s short-term and long-term performance (in absolute terms, both on a gross basis and net of expenses, and relative to the Fund’s particular investment program and a group of its peer funds and/or its benchmark, as appropriate); the Fund’s fees and expenses, including the advisory fee and the overall expense structure of the Fund (both in absolute terms and relative to a group of its peer funds), with due regard for contractual or voluntary expense limitations (if any); the financial condition of Federated Hermes; the Adviser’s profitability with respect to managing the Fund; distribution and sales activity for the Fund; and the use and allocation of brokerage commissions derived from trading the Fund’s portfolio securities (if any).
The Board also considered judicial decisions allegedly excessive investment advisory fees charged to other registered funds in evaluating the Contract. Using these judicial decisions as a guide, the Board observed that the following factors may be relevant to an adviser’s fiduciary duty with respect to its receipt of compensation from a fund: (1) the nature and quality of the services provided by the adviser to the fund and its shareholders, including the performance of the fund, its benchmark and comparable funds; (2) the adviser’s cost of providing the services and the profitability to the adviser of providing advisory services to the fund; (3) the extent to which the adviser may realize “economies of scale” as the fund grows larger and, if such economies of scale exist, whether they have been appropriately shared with the fund and its shareholders or the family of funds; (4) any “fall-out” benefits that accrue to the adviser because of its relationship with the fund, including research services received from brokers that execute fund trades and any fees paid to affiliates of the adviser for services rendered to the fund; (5) comparative fee and expense structures, including a comparison of management fees paid to the adviser with those paid by similar funds managed by the same adviser or other advisers as well as management fees charged to institutional and other advisory clients of the same adviser for what might be viewed as like services; and (6) the extent of care, conscientiousness and independence with which the fund’s board members perform their duties and their expertise, including whether they are fully informed about all facts the board deems relevant to its consideration of the adviser’s services and fees. The Board noted that the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) disclosure requirements
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regarding the basis for a fund board’s approval of the fund’s investment advisory contract generally align with the factors listed above. The Board was guided by these factors in its review of the Contract to the extent it considered them to be appropriate and relevant, as discussed further below. The Board considered and weighed these factors in light of its substantial accumulated experience in governing the Fund and working with Federated Hermes on matters relating to the oversight of the other funds advised by Federated Hermes (each, a “Federated Hermes Fund” and, collectively, the “Federated Hermes Funds”).
In addition, the Board considered the preferences and expectations of Fund shareholders and the potential disruptions of the Fund’s operations and various risks, uncertainties and other effects that could occur as a result of a decision to terminate or not renew the Contract. In particular, the Board recognized that many shareholders likely have invested in the Fund based on the strength of Federated Hermes’ industry standing and reputation and with the expectation that Federated Hermes will have a continuing role in providing advisory services to the Fund. Thus, the Board observed that there are a range of investment options available to the Fund’s shareholders and such shareholders in the marketplace, having had the opportunity to consider other investment options, have effectively selected Federated Hermes by virtue of investing in the Fund.
In determining to approve the continuation of the Contract, the members of the Board reviewed and evaluated information and factors they believed to be relevant and appropriate through the exercise of their reasonable business judgment. While individual members of the Board may have weighed certain factors differently, the Board’s determination to approve the continuation of the Contract was based on a comprehensive consideration of all information provided to the Board throughout the year and specifically with respect to the continuation of the Contract. The Board recognized that its evaluation process is evolutionary and that the factors considered and emphasis placed on relevant factors may change in recognition of changing circumstances in the registered fund marketplace. The Independent Trustees were assisted throughout the evaluation process by independent legal counsel. In connection with their deliberations at the May Meetings, the Independent Trustees met separately in executive session with their independent legal counsel and without management present to review the relevant materials and consider their responsibilities under applicable laws. In addition, senior management representatives of Federated Hermes also met with the Independent Trustees and their independent legal counsel to discuss the materials and presentations furnished to the Board at the May Meetings. The Board considered the approval of the Contract for the Fund as part of its consideration of agreements for funds across the family of Federated Hermes Funds, but its approvals were made on a fund-by-fund basis.
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51

Nature, Extent and Quality of Services
The Board considered the nature, extent and quality of the services provided to the Fund by the Adviser and the resources of Federated Hermes dedicated to the Fund. In this regard, the Board evaluated, among other things, the terms of the Contract and the range of services provided to the Fund by Federated Hermes. The Board considered the Adviser’s personnel, investment philosophy and process, investment research capabilities and resources, trade operations capabilities, experience and performance track record. The Board reviewed the qualifications, backgrounds and responsibilities of the portfolio management team primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund and Federated Hermes’ ability and experience in attracting and retaining qualified personnel to service the Fund. The Board considered the trading operations by the Adviser, including the execution of portfolio transactions and the selection of brokers for those transactions. The Board also considered the Adviser’s ability to deliver competitive investment performance for the Fund when compared to the Fund’s Performance Peer Group (as defined below), which was deemed by the Board to be a useful indicator of how the Adviser is executing the Fund’s investment program.
In addition, the Board considered the financial resources and overall reputation of Federated Hermes and its willingness to consider and make investments in personnel, infrastructure, technology, cybersecurity, business continuity planning and operational enhancements that are designed to benefit the Federated Hermes Funds. The Board noted that the significant acquisition of Hermes Fund Managers Limited by Federated Hermes has deepened Federated Hermes’ investment management expertise and capabilities and expanded its access to analytical resources related to environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) factors and issuer engagement on ESG matters. The Board considered Federated Hermes’ oversight of the securities lending program for the Federated Hermes Funds that engage in securities lending and noted the income earned by the Federated Hermes Funds that participate in such program. In addition, the Board considered the quality of Federated Hermes’ communications with the Board and responsiveness to Board inquiries and requests made from time to time with respect to the Federated Hermes Funds. The Board also considered that Federated Hermes is responsible for providing the Federated Hermes Funds’ officers.
The Board received and evaluated information regarding Federated Hermes’ regulatory and compliance environment. The Board considered Federated Hermes’ compliance program and compliance history and reports from the CCO about Federated Hermes’ compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including responses to regulatory developments and any compliance or other issues raised by regulatory agencies. The Board also noted Federated Hermes’ support of the Federated Hermes Funds’ compliance control structure and the compliance-related resources devoted by Federated Hermes in support of the Fund’s obligations pursuant to Rule 38a-1 under the
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Investment Company Act of 1940, including Federated Hermes’ commitment to respond to rulemaking and other regulatory initiatives of the SEC. The Board considered Federated Hermes’ approach to internal audits and risk management with respect to the Federated Hermes Funds and its day-to-day oversight of the Federated Hermes Funds’ compliance with their investment objectives and policies as well as with applicable laws and regulations, noting that regulatory and other developments had over time led, and continue to lead, to an increase in the scope of Federated Hermes’ oversight in this regard, including in connection with the implementation of new rules on derivatives risk management and fair valuation.
The Board also considered the implementation of Federated Hermes’ business continuity plans. In addition, the Board noted Federated Hermes’ commitment to maintaining high quality systems and expending substantial resources to prepare for and respond to ongoing changes due to the market, regulatory and control environments in which the Fund and its service providers operate.
The Board considered Federated Hermes’ efforts to provide shareholders in the Federated Hermes Funds with a comprehensive array of funds with different investment objectives, policies and strategies. The Board considered the expenses that Federated Hermes had incurred, as well as the entrepreneurial and other risks assumed by Federated Hermes, in sponsoring and providing on-going services to new funds to expand these opportunities for shareholders. The Board noted the benefits to shareholders of being part of the family of Federated Hermes Funds, which include the general right to exchange investments between the same class of shares without the incurrence of additional sales charges.
Based on these considerations, the Board concluded that it was satisfied with the nature, extent and quality of the services provided by the Adviser to the Fund.
Fund Investment Performance
The Board considered the investment performance of the Fund. In evaluating the Fund’s investment performance, the Board considered performance results in light of the Fund’s investment objective, strategies and risks. The Board considered detailed investment reports on, and the Adviser’s analysis of, the Fund’s performance over different time periods that were provided to the Board throughout the year and in connection with the May Meetings. These reports included, among other items, information on the Fund’s gross and net returns, the Fund’s investment performance compared to one or more relevant categories or groups of peer funds and the Fund’s benchmark index, performance attribution information and commentary on the effect of market conditions. The Board considered that, in its evaluation of investment performance at meetings throughout the year, it focused particular attention on information indicating less favorable performance of certain
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Federated Hermes Funds for specific time periods and discussed with Federated Hermes the reasons for such performance as well as any specific actions Federated Hermes had taken, or had agreed to take, to seek to enhance Fund investment performance and the results of those actions.
The Board also reviewed comparative information regarding the performance of other registered funds in the category of peer funds selected by Morningstar, Inc. (the “Morningstar”), an independent fund ranking organization (the “Performance Peer Group”). The Board noted the CCO’s view that comparisons to fund peer groups may be helpful, though not conclusive, in evaluating the performance of the Adviser in managing the Fund. The Board considered the CCO’s view that, in evaluating such comparisons, in some cases there may be differences in the funds’ objectives or investment management techniques, or the costs to implement the funds, even within the same Performance Peer Group. In this connection, the Board considered that the quantitative focus of the management of the Fund makes fee and expense comparisons particularly difficult as the funds in the Performance Peer Group varied widely in terms of the complexity of their management, and the management of the Fund is among the more complex relative to its Performance Peer Group. The Board also considered a report comparing the performance of the Fund solely to other funds with a quantitative focus in the Performance Peer Group.
The Board considered that the Fund’s performance fell below the median of the Performance Peer Group for the one-year, three-year and five-year periods ended December 31, 2022. In addition, the Board was informed by the Adviser that, for the same periods, the Fund underperformed its benchmark index for the one-year period. The Board discussed the Fund’s performance with the Adviser and recognized the efforts being taken by the Adviser in the context of other factors considered relevant by the Board.
Based on these considerations, the Board concluded that it had continued confidence in the Adviser’s overall capabilities to manage the Fund.
Fund Expenses
The Board considered the advisory fee, and overall expense structure of the Fund and the comparative fee and expense information that had been provided in connection with the May Meetings. In this regard, the Board was presented with, and considered, information regarding the contractual advisory fee rates, net advisory fee rates, total expense ratios and each element of the Fund’s total expense ratio (i.e., gross and net advisory fees, administrative fees, custody fees, portfolio accounting fees and transfer agency fees) relative to an appropriate group of peer funds compiled by Federated Hermes from the category of peer funds selected by Morningstar (the “Expense Peer Group”).
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The Board received a description of the methodology used to select the Expense Peer Group from the overall Morningstar category. The Board also reviewed comparative information regarding the fees and expenses of the broader group of funds in the overall Morningstar category.
While mindful that courts have cautioned against giving too much weight to comparative information concerning fees charged to funds by other advisers, the use of comparisons between the Fund and its Expense Peer Group assisted the Board in its evaluation of the Fund’s fees and expenses. The Board focused on comparisons with other registered funds with comparable investment programs more heavily than non-registered fund products or services because such comparisons are believed to be more relevant. The Board considered that other registered funds are the products most like the Fund, in that they are readily available to Fund shareholders as alternative investment vehicles, and they are the type of investment vehicle, in fact, chosen and maintained by the Fund’s shareholders. The Board noted that the range of such other registered funds’ fees and expenses, therefore, appears to be a relevant indicator of what investors have found to be reasonable in the marketplace in which the Fund competes.
The Board reviewed the contractual advisory fee rate, net advisory fee rate and other expenses of the Fund and noted the position of the Fund’s fee rates relative to its Expense Peer Group. In this regard, the Board noted that the contractual advisory fee rate was below the median of the Expense Peer Group, and the Board was satisfied that the overall expense structure of the Fund remained competitive.
The Board also received and considered information about the nature and extent of services offered and fees charged by Federated Hermes to other types of clients with investment strategies similar to those of the Federated Hermes Funds, including non-registered fund clients (such as institutional separate accounts) and third-party unaffiliated registered funds for which any of the Adviser or its affiliates serve as sub-adviser. The Board noted the CCO’s conclusion that non-registered fund clients are inherently different products due to the following differences, among others: (i) different types of targeted investors; (ii) different applicable laws and regulations; (iii) different legal structures; (iv) different average account sizes and portfolio management techniques made necessary by different cash flows and different associated costs; (v) the time spent by portfolio managers and their teams (among other personnel across various departments, including legal, compliance and risk management) in reviewing securities pricing and fund liquidity; (vi) different administrative responsibilities; (vii) different degrees of risk associated with management; and (viii) a variety of different costs. The Board also considered information regarding the differences in the nature of the services required for Federated Hermes to manage its proprietary registered fund business versus managing a discrete pool of assets as a sub-adviser to another institution’s registered fund, noting the CCO’s view that Federated Hermes generally
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performs significant additional services and assumes substantially greater risks in managing the Fund and other Federated Hermes Funds than in its role as sub-adviser to an unaffiliated third-party registered fund. The Board noted that the CCO did not consider the fees for providing advisory services to other types of clients to be determinative in judging the appropriateness of the Federated Hermes Funds’ advisory fees.
Based on these considerations, the Board concluded that the fees and total operating expenses of the Fund, in conjunction with other matters considered, are reasonable in light of the services provided.
Profitability
The Board received and considered profitability information furnished by Federated Hermes Such profitability information included revenues reported on a fund-by-fund basis and estimates of the allocation of expenses made on a fund-by-fund basis, using allocation methodologies specified by the CCO and described to the Board. The Board considered the CCO’s view that, while these cost allocation reports apply consistent allocation processes, the inherent difficulties in allocating costs on a fund-by-fund basis continues to cause the CCO to question the precision of the process and to conclude that such reports may be unreliable because a single change in an allocation estimate may dramatically alter the resulting estimate of cost and/or profitability of a Federated Hermes Fund and may produce unintended consequences. In addition, the Board considered the CCO’s view that the allocation methodologies used by Federated Hermes in estimating profitability for purposes of reporting to the Board in connection with the continuation of the Contract are consistent with the methodologies previously reviewed by an independent consultant. The Board noted that the independent consultant had previously conducted a review of the allocation methodologies and reported to the Board that, although there is no single best method to allocate expenses, the methodologies used by Federated Hermes are reasonable. The Board considered the CCO’s view that the estimated profitability to the Adviser from its relationship with the Fund was not unreasonable in relation to the services provided.
The Board also reviewed information compiled by Federated Hermes comparing its profitability information to other publicly held fund management companies, including information regarding profitability trends over time. The Board recognized that profitability comparisons among fund management companies are difficult because of the variation in the type of comparative information that is publicly available, and the profitability of any fund management company is affected by numerous factors. The Board considered the CCO’s conclusion that, based on such profitability information, Federated
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Hermes’ profit margins did not appear to be excessive. The Board also considered the CCO’s view that Federated Hermes appeared financially sound, with the resources necessary to fulfill its obligations under its contracts with the Federated Hermes Funds.
Economies of Scale
The Board received and considered information about the notion of possible realization of “economies of scale” as a fund grows larger, the difficulties of determining economies of scale at an individual fund level, and the extent to which potential scale benefits are shared with shareholders. In this regard, the Board considered that Federated Hermes has made significant and long-term investments in areas that support all of the Federated Hermes Funds, such as: portfolio management, investment research and trading operations; shareholder services; compliance; business continuity, cybersecurity and information security programs; internal audit and risk management functions; and technology and use of data. The Board noted that Federated Hermes’ investments in these areas are extensive and are designed to provide enhanced services to the Federated Hermes Funds and their shareholders. The Board considered that the benefits of these investments are likely to be shared with the family of Federated Hermes Funds as a whole. In addition, the Board considered that fee waivers and expense reimbursements are another means for potential economies of scale to be shared with shareholders and can provide protection from an increase in expenses if a Federated Hermes Fund’s assets decline. The Board considered that, in order for the Federated Hermes Funds to remain competitive in the marketplace, Federated Hermes has frequently waived fees and/or reimbursed expenses for the Federated Hermes Funds and has disclosed to shareholders and/or reported to the Board its intention to do so (or continue to do so) in the future. The Board also considered that Federated Hermes has been active in managing expenses of the Federated Hermes Funds in recent years, which has resulted in benefits being realized by shareholders.
The Board also received and considered information on adviser-paid fees (commonly referred to as “revenue sharing” payments) that was provided to the Board throughout the year and in connection with the May Meetings. The Board considered that Federated Hermes and the CCO believe that this information is relevant to considering whether Federated Hermes had an incentive to either not apply breakpoints, or to apply breakpoints at higher levels, but should not be considered when evaluating the reasonableness of advisory fees. The Board also noted the absence of any applicable regulatory or industry guidelines on economies of scale, which is compounded by the lack of any uniform methodology or pattern with respect to structuring fund advisory fees with breakpoints that serve to reduce the fees as a fund attains a certain size.
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57

Other Benefits
The Board considered information regarding the compensation and other ancillary (or “fall-out”) benefits that Federated Hermes derived from its relationships with the Federated Hermes Funds. The Board noted that, in addition to receiving advisory fees under the Federated Hermes Funds’ investment advisory contracts, Federated Hermes’ affiliates also receive fees for providing other services to the Federated Hermes Funds under separate service contracts including for serving as the Federated Hermes Funds’ administrator and distributor. In this regard, the Board considered that certain of Federated Hermes’ affiliates provide distribution and shareholder services to the Federated Hermes Funds, for which they may be compensated through distribution and servicing fees paid pursuant to Rule 12b-1 plans or otherwise. The Board also received and considered information detailing the benefits, if any, that Federated Hermes may derive from its receipt of research services from brokers who execute portfolio trades for the Federated Hermes Funds.
Conclusions
The Board considered: (i) the CCO’s conclusion that his observations and the information accompanying the CCO Fee Evaluation Report show that the management fee for the Fund is reasonable; and (ii) the CCO’s recommendation that the Board approve the management fee. The Board noted that, under these circumstances, no changes were recommended to, and no objection was raised to the continuation of, the Contract by the CCO. The CCO also recognized that the Board’s evaluation of the Federated Hermes Funds’ advisory and sub-advisory arrangements is a continuing and ongoing process that is informed by the information that the Board requests and receives from management throughout the course of the year and, in this regard, the CCO noted certain items for future reporting to the Board or further consideration by management as the Board continues its ongoing oversight of the Federated Hermes Funds.
On the basis of the information and factors summarized above, among other information and factors deemed relevant by the Board, and the evaluation thereof, the Board, including the Independent Trustees, unanimously voted to approve the continuation of the Contract. The Board based its determination to approve the Contract on the totality of the circumstances and relevant factors and with a view of past and future long-term considerations. Not all of the factors and considerations identified above were necessarily deemed to be relevant to the Fund, nor did the Board consider any one of them to be determinative.
Annual Shareholder Report
58

Liquidity Risk Management Program
Annual Evaluation of Adequacy and Effectiveness
In accordance with Rule 22e-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Liquidity Rule”), Federated Hermes MDT Series (the “Trust”) has adopted and implemented a liquidity risk management program (the “Program”) for Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Growth Fund (the “Fund” and, collectively with the other non-money market open-end funds advised by Federated Hermes, the “Federated Hermes Funds”). The Program seeks to assess and manage the Fund’s liquidity risk. “Liquidity risk” is defined under the Liquidity Rule as the risk that the Fund is unable to meet redemption requests without significantly diluting remaining investors’ interests in the Fund. The Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) has approved the designation of each Federated Hermes Fund’s investment adviser as the administrator for the Program (the “Administrator”) with respect to that Fund. The Administrator, in turn, has delegated day-to-day responsibility for the administration of the Program to multiple Liquidity Risk Management Committees, which are comprised of representatives from certain divisions within Federated Hermes.
The Program is comprised of various components designed to support the assessment and/or management of liquidity risk, including: (1) the periodic assessment (no less frequently than annually) of certain factors that influence the Fund’s liquidity risk; (2) the periodic classification (no less frequently than monthly) of the Fund’s investments into one of four liquidity categories that reflect an estimate of their liquidity under current market conditions; (3) a 15% limit on the acquisition of “illiquid investments” (as defined under the Liquidity Rule); (4) to the extent a Fund does not invest primarily in “highly liquid investments” (as defined under the Liquidity Rule), the determination of a minimum percentage of the Fund’s assets that generally will be invested in highly liquid investments (an “HLIM”); (5) if a Fund has established an HLIM, the periodic review (no less frequently than annually) of the HLIM and the adoption of policies and procedures for responding to a shortfall of the Fund’s highly liquid investments below its HLIM; and (6) periodic reporting to the Board.
At its meetings in May 2023, the Board received and reviewed a written report (the “Report”) from the Federated Hermes Funds’ Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Risk Officer, on behalf of the Administrator, concerning the operation of the Program for the period from April 1, 2022 through March 31, 2023 (the “Period”). The Report addressed the operation of the Program and assessed the adequacy and effectiveness of its implementation, including, where applicable, the operation of any HLIM established for a Federated Hermes Fund. There were no material changes to the Program during the Period. The Report summarized the operation of the Program and
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the information and factors considered by the Administrator in assessing whether the Program has been adequately and effectively implemented with respect to the Federated Hermes Funds. Such information and factors included, among other things:
◾ confirmation that it was not necessary for the Fund to utilize, and the Fund did not utilize, any alternative funding sources that were available to the Federated Hermes Funds during the Period, such as the Federated Hermes Funds’ interfund lending facility, redemptions in-kind, reverse repurchase agreement transactions, redemptions delayed beyond the normal T+1 settlement but within seven days of the redemption request, and committed lines of credit;
◾ the periodic classifications of the Fund’s investments into one of four liquidity categories and the methodologies and inputs used to classify the investments, including the Fund’s reasonably anticipated trade size;
◾ the analysis received from a third-party liquidity assessment vendor that is taken into account in the process of determining the liquidity classifications of the Fund’s investments, and the results of the Administrator’s evaluation of the services performed by the vendor in support of this process, including the Administrator’s view that the methodologies utilized by the vendor continue to be appropriate;
◾ the fact that the Fund invested primarily in highly liquid investments during the Period and, therefore, was not required to establish, and has not established, an HLIM and the operation of the procedures for monitoring the status of the Fund as investing primarily in highly liquid investments;
◾ the fact that the Fund invested no more than 15% of its assets in illiquid investments during the Period, and the operation of the procedures for monitoring this limit;
◾ the fact that there were no liquidity events during the Period that materially affected the Fund’s liquidity risk;
◾ the impact on liquidity and management of liquidity risk, if any, caused by extended non-U.S. market closures and confirmation that there were no issues for any of the affected Federated Hermes Funds in meeting shareholder redemptions at any time during these temporary non-U.S. market closures.
Based on this review, the Administrator concluded that the Program is operating effectively to assess and manage the Fund’s liquidity risk, and that the Program has been and continues to be adequately and effectively implemented to monitor and, as applicable, respond to the Fund’s liquidity developments.
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Voting Proxies on Fund Portfolio Securities
A description of the policies and procedures that the Fund uses to determine how to vote proxies, if any, relating to securities held in the Fund’s portfolio is available, without charge and upon request, by calling 1-800-341-7400, Option #4. A report on “Form N-PX” of how the Fund voted any such proxies during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available via the Proxy Voting Record (Form N-PX) link associated with the Fund and share class name at FederatedHermes.com/us/FundInformation. Form N-PX filings are also available at the SEC’s website at sec.gov.
Quarterly Portfolio Schedule
Each fiscal quarter, the Fund will file with the SEC a complete schedule of its monthly portfolio holdings on “Form N-PORT.” The Fund’s holdings as of the end of the third month of every fiscal quarter, as reported on Form N-PORT, will be publicly available on the SEC’s website at sec.gov within 60 days of the end of the fiscal quarter upon filing. You may also access this information via the link to the Fund and share class name at FederatedHermes.com/us.
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61

Mutual funds are not bank deposits or obligations, are not guaranteed by any bank and are not insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board or any other government agency. Investment in mutual funds involves investment risk, including the possible loss of principal.
This Report is authorized for distribution to prospective investors only when preceded or accompanied by the Fund’s Prospectus, which contains facts concerning its objective and policies, management fees, expenses and other information.
Federated Hermes MDT Small Cap Growth Fund
Federated Hermes Funds
4000 Ericsson Drive
Warrendale, PA 15086-7561
Contact us at FederatedHermes.com/us
or call 1-800-341-7400.
Federated Securities Corp., Distributor
CUSIP 31421R775
CUSIP 31421R767
CUSIP 31421R759
CUSIP 31421R619
37313 (9/23)
© 2023 Federated Hermes, Inc.

 

 

 

Item 2.Code of Ethics

 

(a) As of the end of the period covered by this report, the registrant has adopted a code of ethics (the "Section 406 Standards for Investment Companies - Ethical Standards for Principal Executive and Financial Officers") that applies to the registrant's Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer; the registrant's Principal Financial Officer also serves as the Principal Accounting Officer.

(c) There was no amendment to the registrant’s code of ethics described in Item 2(a) above during the period covered by the report.

(d) There was no waiver granted, either actual or implicit, from a provision to the registrant’s code of ethics described in Item 2(a) above during the period covered by the report.

(e) Not Applicable

(f)(3) The registrant hereby undertakes to provide any person, without charge, upon request, a copy of the code of ethics. To request a copy of the code of ethics, contact the registrant at 1-800-341-7400, and ask for a copy of the Section 406 Standards for Investment Companies - Ethical Standards for Principal Executive and Financial Officers.

Item 3. Audit Committee Financial Expert

The registrant's Board has determined that each of the following members of the Board's Audit Committee is an “audit committee financial expert,” and is "independent," for purposes of this Item:   G. Thomas Hough and Thomas M. O'Neill. 

 

Item 4.Principal Accountant Fees and Services

 

(a)       Audit Fees billed to the registrant for the two most recent fiscal years:

Fiscal year ended 2023 – $155,705

Fiscal year ended 2022 - $138,900

(b)       Audit-Related Fees billed to the registrant for the two most recent fiscal years:

Fiscal year ended 2023 - $0

Fiscal year ended 2022 - $0

Amount requiring approval of the registrant’s Audit Committee pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(ii) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X, $0 and $0 respectively.

(c)        Tax Fees billed to the registrant for the two most recent fiscal years:

Fiscal year ended 2023 - $0

Fiscal year ended 2022 - $0

Amount requiring approval of the registrant’s Audit Committee pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(ii) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X, $0 and $0 respectively.

(d)       All Other Fees billed to the registrant for the two most recent fiscal years:

Fiscal year ended 2023 - $0

Fiscal year ended 2022 - $0

Amount requiring approval of the registrant’s Audit Committee pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(ii) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X, $67,725 and $63,165 respectively. Fiscal year ended 2023- Service fees for analysis of potential Passive Foreign Investment Company holdings. Fiscal year ended 2022- Service fees for analysis of potential Passive Foreign Investment Company holdings.

(e)(1) Audit Committee Policies regarding Pre-approval of Services.

The Audit Committee is required to pre-approve audit and non-audit services performed by the independent auditor in order to assure that the provision of such services do not impair the auditor’s independence. Unless a type of service to be provided by the independent auditor has received general pre-approval, it will require specific pre-approval by the Audit Committee. Any proposed services exceeding pre-approved cost levels will require specific pre-approval by the Audit Committee.

Certain services have the general pre-approval of the Audit Committee. The term of the general pre-approval is 12 months from the date of pre-approval, unless the Audit Committee specifically provides for a different period. The Audit Committee will annually review the services that may be provided by the independent auditor without obtaining specific pre-approval from the Audit Committee and may grant general pre-approval for such services. The Audit Committee will revise the list of general pre-approved services from time to time, based on subsequent determinations. The Audit Committee will not delegate to management its responsibilities to pre-approve services performed by the independent auditor.

The Audit Committee has delegated pre-approval authority to its chairman (the “Chairman”) for services that do not exceed a specified dollar threshold. The Chairman or Chief Audit Executive will report any such pre-approval decisions to the Audit Committee at its next scheduled meeting. The Committee will designate another member with such pre-approval authority when the Chairman is unavailable.

AUDIT SERVICES

The annual audit services engagement terms and fees will be subject to the specific pre-approval of the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee will approve, if necessary, any changes in terms, conditions and fees resulting from changes in audit scope, registered investment company (RIC) structure or other matters.

In addition to the annual audit services engagement specifically approved by the Audit Committee, the Audit Committee may grant general pre-approval for other audit services, which are those services that only the independent auditor reasonably can provide. The Audit Committee has pre-approved certain audit services; with limited exception, all other audit services must be specifically pre-approved by the Audit Committee.

AUDIT-RELATED SERVICES

Audit-related services are assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of the RIC’s financial statements or that are traditionally performed by the independent auditor. The Audit Committee believes that the provision of audit-related services does not impair the independence of the auditor, and has pre-approved certain audit-related services; all other audit-related services must be specifically pre-approved by the Audit Committee.

TAX SERVICES

The Audit Committee believes that the independent auditor can provide tax services to the RIC such as tax compliance, tax planning and tax advice without impairing the auditor’s independence. However, the Audit Committee will not permit the retention of the independent auditor in connection with a transaction initially recommended by the independent auditor, the purpose of which may be tax avoidance and the tax treatment of which may not be supported in the Internal Revenue Code and related regulations. The Audit Committee has pre-approved certain tax services; with limited exception, all tax services involving large and complex transactions must be specifically pre-approved by the Audit Committee.

ALL OTHER SERVICES

With respect to the provision of permissible services other than audit, review or attest services the pre-approval requirement is waived if:

(1)With respect to such services rendered to the Funds, the aggregate amount of all such services provided constitutes no more than five percent of the total amount of revenues paid by the audit client to its accountant during the fiscal year in which the services are provided; and,

 

(2)With respect to such services rendered to the Fund’s investment adviser ( the “Adviser”)and any entity controlling, controlled by to under common control with the Adviser such as affiliated non-U.S. and U.S. funds not under the Audit Committee’s purview and which do not fall within a category of service which has been determined by the Audit Committee not to have a direct impact on the operations or financial reporting of the RIC, the aggregate amount of all services provided constitutes no more than five percent of the total amount of revenues paid to the RIC’s auditor by the RIC, its Adviser and any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Adviser during the fiscal year in which the services are provided; and

 

(3)Such services were not recognized by the issuer or RIC at the time of the engagement to be non-audit services; and

 

(4)Such services are promptly brought to the attention of the Audit Committee and approved prior to the completion of the audit by the Audit Committee or by one or more members of the Audit Committee who are members of the Board of Directors to whom authority to grant such approvals has been delegated by the Audit Committee.

 

The Audit Committee may grant general pre-approval to those permissible non-audit services which qualify for pre-approval and which it believes are routine and recurring services, and would not impair the independence of the auditor.

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s (the “SEC”) rules and relevant guidance should be consulted to determine the precise definitions of these services and applicability of exceptions to certain of the prohibitions.

PRE-APPROVAL FEE LEVELS

Pre-approval fee levels for all services to be provided by the independent auditor will be established annually by the Audit Committee. Any proposed services exceeding these levels will require specific pre-approval by the Audit Committee.

PROCEDURES

Requests or applications to provide services that require specific approval by the Audit Committee will be submitted to the Audit Committee by the Fund’s Principal Accounting Officer and/or the Chief Audit Executive of Federated Hermes, Inc., only after those individuals have determined that the request or application is consistent with the SEC’s rules on auditor independence.

(e)(2) Percentage of services identified in items 4(b) through 4(d) that were approved by the registrant’s Audit Committee pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(i)(C) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X:

 

4(b)

Fiscal year ended 2023 – 0%

Fiscal year ended 2022 - 0%

Percentage of services provided to the registrant’s Adviser and any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Adviser that provides ongoing services to the registrant that were approved by the registrant’s Audit Committee pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(i)(C) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X, 0% and 0% respectively.

4(c)

Fiscal year ended 2023 – 0%

Fiscal year ended 2022 – 0%

Percentage of services provided to the registrant’s Adviser and any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Adviser that provides ongoing services to the registrant that were approved by the registrant’s Audit Committee pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(i)(C) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X, 0% and 0% respectively.

4(d)

Fiscal year ended 2023 – 0%

Fiscal year ended 2022 – 0%

Percentage of services provided to the registrant’s Adviser and any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Adviser that provides ongoing services to the registrant that were approved by the registrant’s Audit Committee pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(i)(C) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X, 0% and 0% respectively.

(f)NA

 

(g)Non-Audit Fees billed to the registrant, the registrant’s Adviser, and certain entities controlling, controlled by or under common control with the Adviser:

 

Fiscal year ended 2023 - $237,698

Fiscal year ended 2022 - $200,134

(h)The registrant’s Audit Committee has considered that the provision of non-audit services that were rendered to the registrant’s Adviser (not including any sub-adviser whose role is primarily portfolio management and is subcontracted with or overseen by another investment adviser), and any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Adviser that provides ongoing services to the registrant that were not pre-approved pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(ii) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X is compatible with maintaining the principal accountant’s independence.
Item 5.Audit Committee of Listed Registrants

 

Not Applicable

 

Item 6.Schedule of Investments

 

(a) The registrant’s Schedule of Investments is included as part of the Report to Stockholders filed under Item 1 of this form.

 

(b) Not Applicable; Fund had no divestments during the reporting period covered since the previous Form N-CSR filing.

 

Item 7.Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures for Closed-End Management Investment Companies

 

Not Applicable

 

Item 8.Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Management Investment Companies

 

Not Applicable

 

Item 9.Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Company and Affiliated Purchasers

 

Not Applicable

 

Item 10.Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

 

No Changes to Report

 

Item 11.Controls and Procedures

 

(a) The registrant’s President and Treasurer have concluded that the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in rule 30a-3(c) under the Act) are effective in design and operation and are sufficient to form the basis of the certifications required by Rule 30a-(2) under the Act, based on their evaluation of these disclosure controls and procedures within 90 days of the filing date of this report on Form N-CSR.

 

(b) There were no changes in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in rule 30a-3(d) under the Act) during the period covered by this report that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

Item 12.Disclosure of Securities Lending Activities for Closed-End Management Investment Companies

 

Not Applicable

 

Item 13.Exhibits

 

(a)(1) Code of Ethics- Not Applicable to this Report.

 

(a)(2) Certifications of Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer.

 

(a)(3) Not Applicable.

 

(b) Certifications pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

Registrant Federated Hermes MDT Series

 

By /S/ Lori A. Hensler

 

Lori A. Hensler, Principal Financial Officer

 

Date September 25, 2023

 

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

 

By /S/ J. Christopher Donahue

 

J. Christopher Donahue, Principal Executive Officer

 

Date September 25, 2023

 

 

By /S/ Lori A. Hensler

 

Lori A. Hensler, Principal Financial Officer

 

Date September 25, 2023