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Jan. 31, 2021
Federated Hermes International Leaders Fund
<span style="color:#000000;font-family:Arial;font-size:8.5pt;font-weight:bold;">Federated Hermes International Leaders Fund (the “Fund”)</span>
<span style="color:#000000;font-family:Arial;font-size:8pt;font-weight:bold;margin-left:0%;text-transform:uppercase;">RISK/RETURN SUMMARY: INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE</span>
The Fund’s investment objective is to provide long-term capital growth.
<span style="color:#000000;font-family:Arial;font-size:8pt;font-weight:bold;margin-left:0%;text-transform:uppercase;">RISK/RETURN SUMMARY: FEES AND EXPENSES</span>
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell Class A Shares (A), Class BShares (B),Class C Shares (C), Class R Shares (R), Institutional Shares (IS) and Class R6 Shares (R6) of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000in certain classes (e.g., A class) of Federated Hermes funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional, in the “What Do Shares Cost?” section of the Prospectus on page 16 and in “Appendix B” to this Prospectus. If you purchase the Fund’s IS and R6 shares through a broker acting as an agent on behalf of its customers, you may be required to pay a commission to such broker; such commissions, if any, are not reflected in the Example below.
<span style="color:#000000;font-family:Arial;font-size:8.5pt;font-weight:bold;margin-left:0%;">Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)</span>
<span style="color:#000000;font-family:Arial;font-size:8.5pt;font-weight:bold;">Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)</span>
<span style="color:#000000;font-family:Arial;font-size:8.5pt;font-weight:bold;margin-left:0%;">Example</span>
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your Shares at the end of those periods. Expenses assuming no redemption are also shown. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that operating expenses (excluding any sales loads on reinvested dividends, fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements) are as shown in the table above and remain the same. Although your actual costs and returns may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
<span style="color:#000000;font-family:Arial;font-size:8.5pt;font-weight:bold;">Portfolio Turnover</span>
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 46% of the average value of its portfolio.
<span style="color:#000000;font-family:Arial;font-size:8pt;font-weight:bold;margin-left:0%;text-transform:uppercase;">RISK/RETURN SUMMARY: INVESTMENTS, RISKS and PERFORMANCE</span><span style="color:#000000;font-family:Arial;font-size:8.5pt;font-weight:bold;margin-left:0%;">What are the Fund’s Main Investment Strategies?</span>
The Fund pursues its investment objective of long-term capital growth by investing primarily in a portfolio of equity securities issued by foreign (non U.S.) companies that the Fund’s investment adviser, Federated Global Investment Management Corp. (the “Adviser”), has deemed as the best opportunities across its investable universe relative to the company’s competitive position or its growth prospects. The Adviser expects that, normally, the Fund will be invested primarily in foreign stocks in developed markets. The Fund is permitted, however, to invest in companies from both developed (including the United States) and emerging market countries. The strategy gives broad exposure to industry leading companies in developed markets, many of which have a strong or growing presence in the emerging markets. The Fund may invest in exchange-traded funds, derivative contracts (such as options, swaps and futures contracts) and hybrid instruments (such as notes linked to underlying securities, indices or commodities) in order to implement its investment strategies. For example, the Fund may use derivative contracts or hybrid instruments to increase or decrease the portfolio’s exposure to the investment(s) underlying the derivative or hybrid instrument in an attempt to benefit from changes in the value of the underlying investment(s) or to obtain premiums from the sale of derivative contracts. The Fund may also hedge its currency risk by using derivatives such as futures or forward contracts.
<span style="color:#000000;font-family:Arial;font-size:8.5pt;font-weight:bold;margin-left:0%;">What are the Main Risks of Investing in the Fund?</span>
All mutual funds take investment risks. Therefore, it is possible to lose money by investing in the Fund. The primary factors that may reduce the Fund’s returns include:■  Stock Market Risk. The value of equity securities in the Fund’s portfolio will fluctuate and, as a result, the Fund’s Share price may decline suddenly or over a sustained period of time. Information publicly available about a company, whether from the company’s financial statements or other disclosures or from third parties, or information available to some but not all market participants, can affect the price of a company’s shares in the market. Among other factors, equity securities may decline in value because of an increase in interest rates or changes in the stock market. Recent and potential future changes in industry and/or economic trends, as well as changes in monetary policy made by central banks and/or their governments, also can affect the level of interest rates and contribute to the development of or increase in volatility, illiquidity, shareholder redemptions and other adverse effects (such as a decline in a company’s stock price), which could negatively impact the Fund’s performance.■  Risk of Foreign Investing. The foreign markets in which the Fund invests may be subject to economic or political conditions which are less favorable than those of the United States and may lack financial reporting standards or regulatory requirements comparable to those applicable to U.S. companies.■  Risk of Investing in Depositary Receipts and Domestically Traded Securities of Foreign Issuers. Because the Fund may invest in American Depositary Receipts and other domestically traded securities of foreign companies, whether in the United States or in foreign local markets, the Fund’s Share price may be more affected by foreign economic and political conditions, taxation policies and accounting and auditing standards than would otherwise be the case.■  Currency Risk. Because the exchange rates for currencies fluctuate daily, prices of the foreign securities in which the Fund invests are more volatile than prices of securities traded exclusively in the United States.■  European Union and Eurozone Related Risk. A number of countries in the European Union (EU), including certain countries within the EU that have adopted the euro (Eurozone), have experienced, and may continue to experience, severe economic and financial difficulties. Additional countries within the EU may also fall subject to such difficulties. These events could negatively affect the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments in euro-denominated securities and derivatives contracts, securities of issuers located in the EU or with significant exposure to EU issuers or countries.■  Sector Risk. Companies with similar characteristics may be grouped together in broad categories called sectors. Sector risk is the possibility that a certain sector may underperform other sectors or the market as a whole. As the Adviser allocates more of the Fund’s portfolio holdings to a particular sector, the Fund’s performance will be more susceptible to any economic, business or other developments which generally affect that sector.■  Investment Style Risk. The Fund may employ a combination of styles that impact its risk characteristics, such as growth and value investing. Due to the Fund’s style of investing, the Fund’s Share price may lag that of other funds using a different investment style.■  Risk of Investing in Emerging Market Countries. Securities issued or traded in emerging markets generally entail greater risks than securities issued or traded in developed markets. Emerging market countries may have relatively unstable governments and may present the risk of nationalization of businesses, expropriation, confiscatory taxation or, in certain instances, reversion to closed market, centrally planned economies.■  Custodial Services and Related Investment Costs. Custodial services and other costs relating to investment in international securities markets generally are more expensive due to differing settlement and clearance procedures than those of the United States. The inability of the Fund to make intended securities purchases due to settlement problems could cause the Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities. In addition, security settlement and clearance procedures in some emerging market countries may not fully protect the Fund against loss of its assets.■  Exchange-Traded Funds Risk. An investment in an ETF generally presents the same primary risks as an investment in a conventional fund (i.e., one that is not exchange traded). In addition, ETFs may be subject to the following risks that do not apply to conventional funds: (i) the market price of an ETF’s shares may trade above or below their net asset value; (ii) an active trading market for an ETF’s shares may not develop or be maintained; or (iii) trading of an ETF’s shares may be halted if the listing exchange’s officials deem such action appropriate.■  Risk of Investing in Derivative Contracts and Hybrid Instruments. Derivative contracts and hybrid instruments involve risks different from, or possibly greater than, risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. Specific risk issues related to the use of such contracts and instruments include valuation and tax issues, increased potential for losses and/or costs to the Fund, and a potential reduction in gains to the Fund. Each of these issues is described in greater detail in this Prospectus. Derivative contracts and hybrid instruments may also involve other risks described in this Prospectus such as stock market, credit, currency, liquidity and leverage risks.■  Liquidity Risk. Trading opportunities are more limited for equity securities that are not widely held. This may make it more difficult to sell or buy a security at a favorable price or time. Liquidity risk also refers to the possibility that the Fund may not be able to sell a security or close out a derivative contract when it wants to.■  Leverage Risk. Leverage risk is created when an investment, which includes, for example, an investment in a derivative contract, exposes the Fund to a level of risk that exceeds the amount invested. Changes in the value of such an investment magnify the Fund’s risk of loss and potential for gain. Investments can have these same results if their returns are based on a multiple of a specified index, security or other benchmark.■  Counterparty Credit Risk. Credit risk includes the possibility that a party to a transaction involving the Fund will fail to meet its obligations. This could cause the Fund to lose the benefit of the transaction or prevent the Fund from selling or buying other securities to implement its investment strategy.■  Risk Related to the Economy. The value of the Fund’s portfolio may decline in tandem with a drop in the overall value of the markets in which the Fund invests and/or other markets. Economic, political and financial conditions, industry or economic trends and developments or public health risks, such as epidemics or pandemics, may, from time to time, and for varying periods of time, cause the Fund to experience volatility, illiquidity, shareholder redemptions, or other potentially adverse effects.■  Technology Risk. The Adviser uses various technologies in managing the Fund, consistent with its investment objective and strategy described in this Prospectus. For example, proprietary and third-party data and systems are utilized to support decision making for the Fund. Data imprecision, software or other technology malfunctions, programming inaccuracies and similar circumstances may impair the performance of these systems, which may negatively affect Fund performance.The Shares offered by this Prospectus are not deposits or obligations of any bank, are not endorsed or 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.
<span style="color:#000000;font-family:Arial;font-size:8pt;font-weight:bold;margin-left:0%;text-transform:uppercase;">Performance: Bar Chart and Table</span><span style="color:#000000;font-family:Arial;font-size:8.5pt;font-weight:bold;margin-left:0%;">Risk/Return Bar Chart</span>
The bar chart and performance table below reflect historical performance data for the Fund and are intended to help you analyze the Fund’s investment risks in light of its historical returns. The bar chart shows the variability of the Fund’s A class total returns on a calendar year-by-year basis. The Average Annual Total Return table shows returns for each class averaged over the stated periods, and includes comparative performance information. The Fund’s performance will fluctuate, and past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of future results.Updated performance information for the Fund is available under the “Products” section at FederatedInvestors.com or by calling 1-800-341-7400.
Federated Hermes International Leaders Fund – A Class
The total returns shown in the bar chart do not reflect the payment of any sales charges or recurring shareholder account fees. If these charges or fees had been included, the returns shown would have been lower.Within the periods shown in the bar chart, the Fund’s A class highest quarterly return was 19.73% (quarter ended June 30, 2020). Its lowest quarterly return was (25.69)% (quarter ended September 30, 2011).
<span style="color:#000000;font-family:Arial;font-size:8.5pt;font-weight:bold;margin-left:0%;">Average Annual Total Return Table</span>
The Fund’s R class commenced operations on June 24, 2013. The Fund’s R6 class commenced operations on August 5, 2013. For the period prior to the commencement of operations of the R class and R6 class the performance information shown is for the A class, respectively. The performance of the A class has not been adjusted to reflect the expenses applicable to the R6 class, since R6 class has a lower expense ratio than the expense ratio of A class. The performance of A class has been adjusted to reflect the absence of sales charges and adjusted to remove any voluntary waiver of Fund expenses related to A class that may have occurred during the period prior to commencement of operations of R class, and R6 class. In addition to Return Before Taxes, Return After Taxes is shown for the Fund’s A class to illustrate the effect of federal taxes on Fund returns. After-tax returns are shown only for A class, and after-tax returns for B, C, R, IS and R6 classes will differ from those shown below for A class.Actual after-tax returns depend on each investor’s personal tax situation, and are likely to differ from those shown.After-tax returns are calculated using a standard set of assumptions. The stated returns assume the highest historical federal income and capital gains tax rates. These after-tax returns do not reflect the effect of any applicable state and local taxes.After-tax returns are not relevant to investors holding Shares through tax-deferred programs, such as a 401(k) plan, an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) or other tax-advantaged investment plan.(For the Period Ended December 31, 2020)