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N-CSR 1 form1308finst.htm EDGAR HTML

United States

Securities and Exchange Commission

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form N-CSR

Certified Shareholder Report of Registered Management Investment Companies

811-7193

(Investment Company Act File Number)

Federated Hermes Institutional Trust

_______________________________________________________________

(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: 08/31/23

Date of Reporting Period: 08/31/23

Item 1.

Reports to Stockholders

Annual Shareholder Report

August 31, 2023

Share Class | Ticker

A | FGCAX

Institutional | FGCIX

Service | FGCSX

R6 | SRBRX

Federated Hermes Short-Intermediate Total Return Bond Fund

Fund Established 2005

A Portfolio of Federated Hermes Institutional Trust

Dear Valued Shareholder,

We are pleased to present the Annual Shareholder Report for your fund covering the period from September 1, 2022 through August 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

CONTENTS

Management’s Discussion of Fund Performance	1
Portfolio of Investments Summary Table	6
Portfolio of Investments	7
Financial Highlights	21
Statement of Assets and Liabilities	25
Statement of Operations	27
Statement of Changes in Net Assets	28
Notes to Financial Statements	29
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm	42
Shareholder Expense Example	44
Board of Trustees and Trust Officers	46
Evaluation and Approval of Advisory Contract	53
Liquidity Risk Management Program– Annual Evaluation of Adequacy and Effectiveness	63
Voting Proxies on Fund Portfolio Securities	65
Quarterly Portfolio Schedule	65

Management’s Discussion of Fund Performance (unaudited)

The total return of Federated Hermes Short-Intermediate Total Return Bond Fund (the “Fund”), based on net asset value for the 12-month reporting period ended August 31, 2023, was 1.16% for Class A Shares, 1.51% for Institutional Shares, 1.16% for Service Shares and 1.52% for Class R6 Shares. The total return for the Bloomberg 1-5 Year U.S. Government/Credit Index (BGC1-5),1 the Fund’s broad-based securities market index, was 1.19% during the same period. The total return of the Morningstar Short-Term Bond Funds Average (MSTBFA),2 a peer group average for the Fund, was 2.09% during the same period. The Fund’s and the MSTBFA’s total returns for the most recently completed fiscal year reflect actual cash flows, transaction costs and expenses which are not reflected in the total return of the BGC1-5.

During the reporting period, the Fund’s investment strategy focused on: (a) movement among the various sectors and quality spectrums of the bond market such as corporate bonds3 and international securities;4 (b) selection of individual securities; and (c) the selection of securities with different maturities (expressed by a “yield curve” showing the relative yield of similar securities with different maturities).5 These were the most significant factors affecting the Fund’s performance relative to the BGC1-5.

The following discussion will focus on the performance of the Fund’s Class R6 Shares relative to the BGC1-5.

MARKET OVERVIEW

During the reporting period, the U.S. economy remained surprisingly resilient in the face of continuing Federal Reserve (“Fed”) rate hikes, geopolitical risks and financial system turmoil. Fed Chair Powell was crystal clear that the Fed would maintain its 2% inflation target and not relent until the battle was won. Though various measures of inflation have fallen, they all remain well above the Fed’s target. During the reporting period, markets continued to test the Fed’s resolve but have steadily pushed out their expectations for a final rate hike and eventual rate cuts. The war in Ukraine continued to pressure commodity prices, but its effects have eased somewhat, while instability in Russia and faltering growth prospects in China have injected additional uncertainty into markets. Regional bank turmoil in March was dealt with swiftly by regulators, easing concerns of a wider systemic shock. Against this backdrop, the labor market has remained strong, with consumer confidence rebounding as inflation has eased and with unemployment ranging between 3.4% and 3.8%, touching 50-year lows. In this environment, the 10-year Treasury yield has continued to rise, hitting higher highs and higher low yields, ranging from a low of 3.19% to a high of 4.34%. Yields across the curve have risen sharply, mostly in shorter maturities and less so in longer maturities.

Annual Shareholder Report

SECTOR AND QUALITY MANAGEMENT

Over the reporting period, the Fund actively invested in those securities that the manager believed had higher total return potential. It was a challenging period for fixed-income sectors, as higher quality and longer maturities posted negative total returns while lower quality and shorter maturities posted positive total returns according to Bloomberg index data. The Fund tactically adjusted sector exposure such that exposure to trade finance, emerging market,6 bank loan and investment-grade credit all contributed to performance.

SECURITY SELECTION

On balance, security selection detracted from Fund performance over the fiscal year, as contributions from Capital Goods, Consumer Cyclical and Transportation sector holdings were offset by Treasury selection.

INTEREST RATE, YIELD CURVE AND DERIVATIVE MANAGEMENT

The Fund’s average interest rate sensitivity, or duration,7 was in-line with that of the BGC1-5 over the reporting period, and therefore had the least impact on performance. The sharp flattening in the two-year/five-year part of the U.S. Treasury yield curve helped performance in the Fund’s yield curve positioning, as yields on maturities less than two years rose more than yields on longer maturities. Treasury note and bond futures contracts,8 which were used to execute the Fund’s strategies with respect to interest rate sensitivity and yield curve exposure management, made a slight negative contribution to performance.

Please see the footnotes to the line graphs under “Fund Performance and Growth of a $10,000 Investment” for the definitions of, and further information about, the BGC1-5.

Please see the footnotes to the line graphs under “Fund Performance and Growth of a $10,000 Investment” for the definitions of, and further information about, the Morningstar peer group.

Bond prices are sensitive to changes in interest rates, and a rise in interest rates can cause a decline in their prices.

International investing involves special risks including currency risk, increased volatility of foreign securities, political risks and differences in auditing and other financial standards.

The yield curve is a graph showing the comparative yields of securities in a particular class according to maturity. Securities on the long end of the yield curve have longer maturities.

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.

Duration is a measure of a security’s price sensitivity to changes in interest rates. Securities with longer durations are more sensitive to changes in interest rates than securities with shorter durations.

The Fund’s use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional instruments.

Annual Shareholder Report

FUND PERFORMANCE AND GROWTH OF A $10,000 INVESTMENT

The graphs below illustrate the hypothetical investment of $10,0001 in the Federated Hermes Short-Intermediate Total Return Bond Fund (the “Fund”) from August 31, 2013 to August 31, 2023 for Institutional Shares and Service Shares, and from January 31, 2014 to August 31, 2023 for Class A and Class R6 Shares, compared to the Bloomberg 1-5 Year U.S. Government/Credit Index (BGC1-5)2 and the Morningstar Short-Term Bond Funds Average (MSTBFA).3 The Average Annual Total Return table below shows returns for each class averaged over the stated periods.

GROWTH OF A $10,000 INVESTMENT–CLASS A SHARES AND CLASS R6 SHARES

Growth of $10,000 as of August 31, 2023

◾ Total returns shown for Class A Shares includes the maximum sales charge of 1.00% ($10,000 minus $100 sales charge = $9,900).

Annual Shareholder Report

GROWTH OF A $10,000 INVESTMENT–INSTITUTIONAL SHARES AND SERVICE SHARES

Growth of $10,000 as of August 31, 2023

Average Annual Total Returns for the Period Ended 8/31/2023

(returns reflect all applicable sales charges as specified below in footnote #1)

	1 Year	5 Years	10 Years	Start of Performance*
Class A Shares	0.15%	0.89%	-	1.07%
Institutional Shares	1.51%	1.34%	1.65%	—
Service Shares	1.16%	1.09%	1.39%	—
Class R6 Shares4	1.52%	1.35%	-	1.24%
BGC1-5	1.19%	1.19%	1.20%	1.13%
MSTBFA	2.09%	1.36%	1.38%	1.14%

The Fund’s Class A and R6 Shares start of performance date was January 31, 2014. The returns for the BGC1-5 and MSTBFA are from the Fund’s Class A and R6 Shares start of performance date.

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.

Annual Shareholder Report

Represents a hypothetical investment of $10,000 in the Fund after deducting the applicable sales charges: for A Shares, the maximum sales charge of 1.00% ($10,000 investment minus $100 sales charge = $9,900). The Fund’s performance assumes the reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. The BGC1-5 and MSTBFA have been adjusted to reflect reinvestment of dividends on securities in the index and average.

The BGC1-5 measures the performance of U.S. dollar-denominated U.S. Treasury bonds, government-related bonds (i.e., U.S. and non-U.S. agencies, sovereign, quasi-sovereign, supranational and local authority debt) and investment-grade U.S. corporate bonds that have a remaining maturity of greater than or equal to one year and less than five years. The index is unmanaged and it is not possible to invest directly in an index. The BGC1-5 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.

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.

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.

Annual Shareholder Report

Portfolio of Investments Summary Table (unaudited)

At August 31, 2023, the Fund’s portfolio composition1 was as follows:

Security Type	Percentage of Total Net Assets
U.S. Treasury Securities	48.6%
Corporate Debt Securities	33.6%
Mortgage Core Fund	6.0%
Project and Trade Finance Core Fund	5.2%
Bank Loan Core Fund	2.6%
Asset-Backed Securities	2.0%
Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities	0.7%
Mortgage-Backed Securities2	0.1%
Emerging Markets Core Fund	0.1%
Collateralized Mortgage Obligations3	0.0%
Securities Lending Collateral4	0.2%
Cash Equivalents5	0.3%
Derivative Contracts3,6	0.0%
Other Assets and Liabilities—Net7	0.6%
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 less than 10% of its net assets, are listed individually in the table.
2	For purposes of this table, Mortgage-Backed Securities include mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by Government Sponsored Entities and adjustable rate mortgage-backed securities.
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.
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.

Annual Shareholder Report

Portfolio of Investments

August 31, 2023

Principal Amount or Shares		Value
	U.S. TREASURIES— 48.6%
	U.S. Treasury Notes— 48.6%
$ 2,500,000	United States Treasury Notes, 0.250%, 6/15/2024	$ 2,401,093
23,500,000	United States Treasury Notes, 0.250%, 5/31/2025	21,651,673
65,000,000	United States Treasury Notes, 0.250%, 6/30/2025	59,720,960
52,500,000	United States Treasury Notes, 0.250%, 7/31/2025	48,077,379
27,500,000	United States Treasury Notes, 0.250%, 8/31/2025	25,101,480
20,000,000	United States Treasury Notes, 0.250%, 9/30/2025	18,215,722
10,000,000	United States Treasury Notes, 0.250%, 10/31/2025	9,076,256
7,500,000	United States Treasury Notes, 0.375%, 11/30/2025	6,806,371
22,750,000	United States Treasury Notes, 0.375%, 1/31/2026	20,526,731
12,500,000	United States Treasury Notes, 0.500%, 3/31/2025	11,641,752
30,000,000	United States Treasury Notes, 0.625%, 7/31/2026	26,814,435
7,500,000	United States Treasury Notes, 0.750%, 5/31/2026	6,762,340
12,500,000	United States Treasury Notes, 0.750%, 8/31/2026	11,188,980
10,000,000	United States Treasury Notes, 0.875%, 6/30/2026	9,038,010
20,000,000	United States Treasury Notes, 1.875%, 2/28/2027	18,344,770
425,000	United States Treasury Notes, 2.625%, 4/15/2025	409,050
31,150,000	United States Treasury Notes, 2.750%, 4/30/2027	29,398,177
37,500,000	United States Treasury Notes, 3.125%, 8/31/2027	35,777,929
3,000,000	United States Treasury Notes, 3.500%, 9/15/2025	2,921,015
30,000,000	United States Treasury Notes, 3.500%, 1/31/2028	29,005,095
12,500,000	United States Treasury Notes, 3.875%, 11/30/2027	12,267,884
10,000,000	United States Treasury Notes, 4.000%, 12/15/2025	9,836,694
10,000,000	United States Treasury Notes, 4.000%, 6/30/2028	9,880,469
32,000,000	United States Treasury Notes, 4.125%, 9/30/2027	31,697,805
25,000,000	United States Treasury Notes, 4.250%, 9/30/2024	24,717,837
5,000,000	United States Treasury Notes, 4.250%, 10/15/2025	4,943,346
20,000,000	United States Treasury Notes, 4.750%, 7/31/2025	19,946,094
	TOTAL U.S. TREASURIES (IDENTIFIED COST $538,662,720)	506,169,347
	CORPORATE BONDS— 33.6%
	Basic Industry - Metals & Mining— 0.2%
2,493,000	Glencore Funding LLC, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 1.625%, 9/1/2025	2,307,598
	Capital Goods - Aerospace & Defense— 1.3%
1,705,000	Boeing Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 1.950%, 2/1/2024	1,676,703
2,000,000	Boeing Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.196%, 2/4/2026	1,846,043
2,750,000	HEICO Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.250%, 8/1/2028	2,729,240
905,000	Leidos, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series WI, 3.625%, 5/15/2025	872,640
1,500,000	Northrop Grumman Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.930%, 1/15/2025	1,450,218
5,000,000	Teledyne Technologies, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 1.600%, 4/1/2026	4,558,415

Annual Shareholder Report

Principal Amount or Shares			Value
		CORPORATE BONDS— continued
		Capital Goods - Aerospace & Defense— continued
$ 40,000	1	Textron Financial Corp., Jr. Sub. Note, 144A, 7.361% (CME Term SOFR 3 Month +1.996%), 2/15/2042	$ 30,902
		TOTAL	13,164,161
		Capital Goods - Building Materials— 0.1%
1,500,000		Allegion US Holdings Co., Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.200%, 10/1/2024	1,456,017
		Capital Goods - Construction Machinery— 0.9%
2,000,000		CNH Industrial Capital America LLC, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 1.450%, 7/15/2026	1,790,082
2,000,000		CNH Industrial Capital America LLC, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 1.875%, 1/15/2026	1,838,156
560,000		Deere & Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.750%, 4/15/2025	539,322
5,385,000		Weir Group PLC/The, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 2.200%, 5/13/2026	4,867,567
		TOTAL	9,035,127
		Capital Goods - Diversified Manufacturing— 0.7%
415,000		Lennox International, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.000%, 11/15/2023	412,382
3,410,000		Roper Technologies, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 1.000%, 9/15/2025	3,124,770
3,335,000		Vontier Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series WI, 1.800%, 4/1/2026	2,998,345
790,000		Wabtec Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.200%, 6/15/2025	754,282
		TOTAL	7,289,779
		Communications - Cable & Satellite— 0.1%
590,000		Comcast Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.350%, 11/15/2027	598,546
		Communications - Media & Entertainment— 0.7%
5,000,000		Netflix, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.375%, 11/15/2026	4,863,178
444,000		Paramount Global, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.750%, 5/15/2025	435,415
1,000,000		Walt Disney Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 1.750%, 1/13/2026	926,089
195,000		Walt Disney Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.000%, 10/1/2023	194,735
750,000		Walt Disney Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series MTN, 1.850%, 7/30/2026	687,208
		TOTAL	7,106,625
		Communications - Telecom Wireless— 1.5%
1,055,000		American Tower Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.400%, 3/15/2025	1,002,059
1,000,000		American Tower Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.375%, 5/15/2024	983,190
1,275,000		American Tower Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.250%, 7/15/2028	1,256,629
2,500,000		Bell Canada, Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series US-3, 0.750%, 3/17/2024	2,433,531
1,000,000		Crown Castle, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.200%, 9/1/2024	974,638
2,600,000		Crown Castle, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.800%, 9/1/2028	2,526,048
3,500,000		T-Mobile USA, Inc., Series WI, 1.500%, 2/15/2026	3,190,815
1,000,000		T-Mobile USA, Inc., Series WI, 3.500%, 4/15/2025	967,284
2,000,000	1	Vodafone Group PLC, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 6.559% (CME Term SOFR 3 Month +1.251%), 1/16/2024	2,003,115
		TOTAL	15,337,309
		Communications - Telecom Wirelines— 0.6%
5,100,000		Rogers Communications, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.200%, 3/15/2027	4,716,994

Annual Shareholder Report

Principal Amount or Shares			Value
		CORPORATE BONDS— continued
		Communications - Telecom Wirelines— continued
$ 2,071,000		Verizon Communications, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 0.850%, 11/20/2025	$ 1,879,048
		TOTAL	6,596,042
		Consumer Cyclical - Automotive— 2.1%
2,510,000		Daimler Trucks Financial NA, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 2.000%, 12/14/2026	2,257,845
3,000,000		Ford Motor Credit Co. LLC, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 6.950%, 3/6/2026	3,010,407
1,395,000		Ford Motor Credit Co. LLC, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 6.950%, 6/10/2026	1,398,181
550,000		General Motors Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 6.125%, 10/1/2025	552,515
5,000,000		Hyundai Capital America, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 6.000%, 7/11/2025	5,010,444
5,175,000		Mercedes-Benz Finance NA LLC, Sr. Unsub., 144A, 1.450%, 3/2/2026	4,719,555
2,000,000		Stellantis Finance US, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 5.625%, 1/12/2028	2,002,601
2,000,000		Volkswagen Group of America Finance LLC, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 1.250%, 11/24/2025	1,824,333
1,000,000		Volkswagen Group of America Finance LLC, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 3.350%, 5/13/2025	962,868
		TOTAL	21,738,749
		Consumer Non-Cyclical - Food/Beverage— 1.1%
2,000,000	1	Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series 5FRN, 6.301% (CME Term SOFR 3 Month +1.001%), 1/12/2024	2,000,783
3,250,000		Bacardi Ltd., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 5.250%, 1/15/2029	3,185,328
4,725,000		International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 1.230%, 10/1/2025	4,232,725
1,400,000		JDE Peet’s B.V., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 0.800%, 9/24/2024	1,320,059
1,000,000		McCormick & Co., Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.150%, 8/15/2024	976,057
		TOTAL	11,714,952
		Consumer Non-Cyclical - Health Care— 0.8%
500,000		CVS Health Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.625%, 8/15/2024	485,232
1,040,000		CVS Health Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.000%, 1/30/2029	1,025,007
3,000,000		GE Healthcare Holding LLC, Unsecd. Note, 5.650%, 11/15/2027	3,037,380
2,215,000		PerkinElmer, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 0.850%, 9/15/2024	2,100,646
1,225,000		Stryker Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 0.600%, 12/1/2023	1,209,971
		TOTAL	7,858,236
		Consumer Non-Cyclical - Pharmaceuticals— 1.4%
2,000,000		AbbVie, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.600%, 5/14/2025	1,940,721
2,500,000		AbbVie, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.800%, 3/15/2025	2,435,810
3,250,000		Amgen, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.150%, 3/2/2028	3,248,119
1,000,000		Bayer US Finance II LLC, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 3.875%, 12/15/2023	994,463
246,000		Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series WI, 2.900%, 7/26/2024	240,486
1,500,000		Merck & Co., Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 0.750%, 2/24/2026	1,358,944
2,500,000		Pfizer Investment Enterprises Pte Ltd., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.450%, 5/19/2028	2,453,880

Annual Shareholder Report

Principal Amount or Shares		Value
	CORPORATE BONDS— continued
	Consumer Non-Cyclical - Pharmaceuticals— continued
$ 1,800,000	Shire Acquisitions Investments Ireland DAC, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.875%, 9/23/2023	$ 1,796,710
	TOTAL	14,469,133
	Consumer Non-Cyclical - Tobacco— 0.7%
365,000	Altria Group, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.800%, 2/14/2024	361,776
750,000	BAT Capital Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.789%, 9/6/2024	727,910
1,000,000	BAT Capital Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.222%, 8/15/2024	975,545
1,400,000	BAT International Finance PLC, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 1.668%, 3/25/2026	1,268,343
1,250,000	BAT International Finance PLC, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.931%, 2/2/2029	1,245,644
1,000,000	Philip Morris International, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 1.500%, 5/1/2025	939,083
2,000,000	Philip Morris International, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.125%, 11/17/2027	1,997,344
	TOTAL	7,515,645
	Energy - Independent— 0.3%
3,000,000	Occidental Petroleum Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 6.375%, 9/1/2028	3,053,760
	Energy - Midstream— 0.8%
2,070,000	Columbia Pipeline Holding Co. LLC, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 6.042%, 8/15/2028	2,090,814
255,000	Eastern Energy Gas Holdings, Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series A, 2.500%, 11/15/2024	245,465
910,000	Energy Transfer LP, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.550%, 2/15/2028	907,624
500,000	Energy Transfer Operating Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.900%, 5/15/2025	475,572
150,000	Energy Transfer Partners LP, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.900%, 2/1/2024	149,252
1,000,000	Enterprise Products Operating LLC, 3.900%, 2/15/2024	991,420
500,000	Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.300%, 5/1/2024	494,483
1,165,000	MPLX LP, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 1.750%, 3/1/2026	1,061,479
2,000,000	ONEOK Partners LP, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.900%, 3/15/2025	1,969,398
	TOTAL	8,385,507
	Energy - Oil Field Services— 0.7%
2,990,000	Ovintiv, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.650%, 5/15/2028	2,968,963
2,500,000	Schlumberger Investment S.A., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.500%, 5/15/2028	2,455,798
2,000,000	Sunoco Logistics Partners LP, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.900%, 7/15/2026	1,912,951
	TOTAL	7,337,712
	Energy - Refining— 0.6%
2,000,000	Marathon Petroleum Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.700%, 5/1/2025	1,966,215
1,845,000	Phillips 66, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 1.300%, 2/15/2026	1,676,053
2,270,000	Valero Energy Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.850%, 4/15/2025	2,169,731
	TOTAL	5,811,999
	Financial Institution - Banking— 7.5%
1,000,000	American Express Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.400%, 2/22/2024	989,958
910,000	American Express Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.850%, 11/5/2027	930,052
1,000,000	Associated Banc-Corp., Sub. Note, 4.250%, 1/15/2025	957,497
2,000,000	Bank of America Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.080%, 1/20/2027	1,974,099

Annual Shareholder Report

Principal Amount or Shares			Value
		CORPORATE BONDS— continued
		Financial Institution - Banking— continued
$ 2,000,000		Bank of America Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series MTN, 0.981%, 9/25/2025	$ 1,893,659
2,000,000		Bank of America Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series MTN, 1.197%, 10/24/2026	1,813,170
1,000,000		Bank of America Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series MTN, 1.319%, 6/19/2026	920,737
3,500,000		Bank of America Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series MTN, 2.456%, 10/22/2025	3,366,044
1,500,000		Bank of America Corp., Sub. Note, Series MTN, 4.000%, 1/22/2025	1,462,015
3,000,000		Bank of New York Mellon Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series MTN, 1.600%, 4/24/2025	2,820,512
2,000,000		Citigroup, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 1.462%, 6/9/2027	1,781,744
1,855,000		Citigroup, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.352%, 4/24/2025	1,821,187
2,000,000		Citizens Bank, N.A., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 6.064%, 10/24/2025	1,937,286
500,000		Citizens Bank, N.A., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series BKNT, 2.250%, 4/28/2025	464,307
500,000		Fifth Third Bancorp, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.375%, 1/28/2025	476,128
655,000		Fifth Third Bancorp, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.650%, 1/25/2024	648,937
570,000		Fifth Third Bancorp, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 6.339%, 7/27/2029	577,217
2,000,000		Fifth Third Bancorp, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 6.361%, 10/27/2028	2,017,398
1,990,000		FNB Corp. (PA), Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.150%, 8/25/2025	1,928,651
500,000		Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.272%, 9/29/2025	485,108
2,000,000		Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.500%, 1/23/2025	1,937,832
1,000,000		Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.500%, 11/16/2026	940,224
2,010,000		Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.700%, 11/1/2024	2,007,241
1,000,000	1	Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series MTN, 7.265% (3-month USLIBOR +1.600%), 11/29/2023	1,003,409
775,000		Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series VAR, 1.093%, 12/9/2026	695,957
1,000,000		Huntington Bancshares, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.625%, 8/6/2024	966,360
1,000,000		Huntington National Bank, Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series BKNT, 3.550%, 10/6/2023	997,896
2,000,000		JPMorgan Chase & Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 1.045%, 11/19/2026	1,803,900
3,000,000		JPMorgan Chase & Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.005%, 3/13/2026	2,831,426
2,000,000		JPMorgan Chase & Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.125%, 1/23/2025	1,935,772
3,000,000		Manufacturers & Traders Trust Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.700%, 1/27/2028	2,806,577
5,500,000		Morgan Stanley, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 0.985%, 12/10/2026	4,936,432
640,000		Morgan Stanley, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.050%, 1/28/2027	633,385
2,000,000		Morgan Stanley, Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series I, 0.864%, 10/21/2025	1,883,110
2,000,000		Morgan Stanley, Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series MTN, 2.720%, 7/22/2025	1,941,714
3,000,000		PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.200%, 11/1/2024	2,880,846
1,000,000		PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.500%, 1/23/2024	989,412
1,805,000		PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.582%, 6/12/2029	1,790,836

Annual Shareholder Report

Principal Amount or Shares		Value
	CORPORATE BONDS— continued
	Financial Institution - Banking— continued
$ 1,500,000	PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.671%, 10/28/2025	$ 1,494,672
2,330,000	Regions Financial Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.250%, 5/18/2025	2,179,105
1,250,000	Truist Bank, Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series BKNT, 1.500%, 3/10/2025	1,166,708
2,500,000	Truist Financial Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series MTN, 1.200%, 8/5/2025	2,295,812
2,500,000	Truist Financial Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series MTN, 1.267%, 3/2/2027	2,233,820
1,500,000	Truist Financial Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series MTN, 6.047%, 6/8/2027	1,499,623
2,520,000	US Bancorp, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 1.450%, 5/12/2025	2,358,105
2,000,000	US Bancorp, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.775%, 6/12/2029	1,996,470
1,000,000	Wells Fargo & Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series MTN, 3.000%, 2/19/2025	962,215
	TOTAL	78,434,565
	Financial Institution - Finance Companies— 0.9%
4,435,000	AerCap Ireland Capital Ltd. / AerCap Global Aviation Trust, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 1.750%, 1/30/2026	4,016,774
1,665,000	AerCap Ireland Capital Ltd. / AerCap Global Aviation Trust, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.450%, 10/29/2026	1,499,026
1,455,000	Air Lease Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series MTN, 0.700%, 2/15/2024	1,420,236
1,290,000	Ally Financial, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 6.992%, 6/13/2029	1,289,113
1,460,000	Jefferies Financial Group LLC, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.875%, 7/21/2028	1,444,577
	TOTAL	9,669,726
	Financial Institution - Insurance - Health— 0.5%
2,900,000	Centene Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.450%, 7/15/2028	2,486,063
3,000,000	Elevance Health, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 1.500%, 3/15/2026	2,726,352
300,000	Elevance Health, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.350%, 10/15/2025	299,706
	TOTAL	5,512,121
	Financial Institution - Insurance - Life— 2.0%
1,000,000	AIA Group Ltd., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 3.200%, 3/11/2025	965,805
3,000,000	AIA Group Ltd., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 5.625%, 10/25/2027	3,067,595
1,000,000	CoreBridge Global Funding, Sr. Secd. Note, 144A, 0.450%, 12/8/2023	986,101
2,500,000	Met Life Global Funding I, Sec. Fac. Bond, 144A, 0.400%, 1/7/2024	2,455,527
4,415,000	Northwestern Mutual Global, Sr. Secd. Note, 144A, 0.800%, 1/14/2026	3,972,111
2,500,000	Pacific Life Global Funding II, Sec. Fac. Bond, 144A, 1.200%, 6/24/2025	2,316,430
2,500,000	PRICOA Global Funding I, Sec. Fac. Bond, 144A, 0.800%, 9/1/2025	2,277,823
1,000,000	PRICOA Global Funding I, Sec. Fac. Bond, 144A, 3.450%, 9/1/2023	1,000,000
1,035,000	Principal Life Global Funding II, Sec. Fac. Bond, 144A, 0.500%, 1/8/2024	1,015,916
2,000,000	Principal Life Global Funding II, Sec. Fac. Bond, 144A, 1.250%, 6/23/2025	1,844,041
1,000,000	Principal Life Global Funding II, Sec. Fac. Bond, 144A, 2.250%, 11/21/2024	955,827
	TOTAL	20,857,176
	Financial Institution - REIT - Other— 0.0%
300,000	WP Carey, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.600%, 4/1/2024	297,728

Annual Shareholder Report

Principal Amount or Shares		Value
	CORPORATE BONDS— continued
	Technology— 1.4%
$ 2,000,000	Apple, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 0.550%, 8/20/2025	$ 1,838,494
1,000,000	Apple, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 1.125%, 5/11/2025	935,683
700,000	Apple, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.000%, 2/9/2024	692,425
835,000	Broadcom, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.250%, 11/15/2023	829,322
1,000,000	Broadcom, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.150%, 11/15/2025	952,198
2,520,000	CDW LLC / CDW Finance, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.670%, 12/1/2026	2,288,211
750,000	Dell International LLC / EMC Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.000%, 7/15/2024	738,767
2,000,000	Oracle Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 1.650%, 3/25/2026	1,823,156
1,855,000	Oracle Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.500%, 4/1/2025	1,767,196
535,000	Skyworks Solutions, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 1.800%, 6/1/2026	478,719
2,660,000	VMware, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 1.400%, 8/15/2026	2,359,567
	TOTAL	14,703,738
	Technology Services— 0.4%
4,130,000	Fortinet, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 1.000%, 3/15/2026	3,696,475
	Transportation - Airlines— 0.1%
770,000	Southwest Airlines Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.250%, 5/4/2025	765,528
	Transportation - Services— 1.0%
1,850,000	Enterprise Rent-A-Car USA Finance Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 4.600%, 5/1/2028	1,801,887
5,555,000	GXO Logistics, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series WI, 1.650%, 7/15/2026	4,922,564
1,800,000	Penske Truck Leasing Co. LP & PTL Finance Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 5.550%, 5/1/2028	1,767,480
1,735,000	Ryder System, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series MTN, 1.750%, 9/1/2026	1,562,921
	TOTAL	10,054,852
	Utility - Electric— 4.4%
1,135,000	American Electric Power Co., Inc., Jr. Sub. Note, 5.699%, 8/15/2025	1,136,481
430,000	American Electric Power Co., Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.750%, 11/1/2027	438,002
790,000	American Electric Power Co., Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series N, 1.000%, 11/1/2025	718,306
3,155,000	Black Hills Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 1.037%, 8/23/2024	3,007,253
2,180,000	Constellation Energy Generation LLC, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.250%, 6/1/2025	2,088,446
610,000	Dominion Energy, Inc., Jr. Sub. Note, 3.071%, 8/15/2024	592,576
2,000,000	Dominion Energy, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series A, 3.300%, 3/15/2025	1,932,528
860,000	Duke Energy Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.000%, 12/8/2027	853,793
1,005,000	Electricite de France S.A., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 5.700%, 5/23/2028	1,006,731
1,915,000	Emera US Finance LP, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 0.833%, 6/15/2024	1,823,994
2,665,000	Enel Finance International NV, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 1.375%, 7/12/2026	2,364,821
1,000,000	Enel Finance International NV, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 2.650%, 9/10/2024	967,801
1,670,000	Enel Finance International NV, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 6.800%, 10/14/2025	1,704,027

Annual Shareholder Report

Principal Amount or Shares		Value
	CORPORATE BONDS— continued
	Utility - Electric— continued
$ 5,000,000	EverSource Energy, Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series Q, 0.800%, 8/15/2025	$ 4,568,484
5,000,000	Fells Point Funding Trust, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 3.046%, 1/31/2027	4,575,973
245,000	FirstEnergy Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series A, 1.600%, 1/15/2026	222,691
1,445,000	Florida Power & Light Co., Sec. Fac. Bond, 2.850%, 4/1/2025	1,390,885
460,000	National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.950%, 2/7/2024	454,362
2,500,000	National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corp., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.450%, 10/30/2025	2,509,129
910,000	NextEra Energy Capital Holdings, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 6.051%, 3/1/2025	914,126
2,305,000	NiSource, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.250%, 3/30/2028	2,296,721
2,695,000	Oncor Electric Delivery Co. LLC, Sr. Unsecd. Note, Series WI, 0.550%, 10/1/2025	2,453,819
4,080,000	Public Service Enterprises Group, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 0.800%, 8/15/2025	3,728,693
365,000	Public Service Enterprises Group, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.875%, 6/15/2024	356,441
3,000,000	WEC Energy Group, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 4.750%, 1/15/2028	2,940,066
1,160,000	Xcel Energy, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 0.500%, 10/15/2023	1,153,032
	TOTAL	46,199,181
	Utility - Natural Gas— 0.6%
1,500,000	Enbridge, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 2.500%, 1/15/2025	1,437,631
1,985,000	National Fuel Gas Co., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.500%, 1/15/2026	1,967,955
3,379,000	ONE Gas, Inc., Sr. Unsecd. Note, 1.100%, 3/11/2024	3,294,146
	TOTAL	6,699,732
	Utility - Natural Gas Distributor— 0.1%
1,700,000	The East Ohio Gas Co. Sr. Unsecd. Note, 144A, 1.300%, 6/15/2025	1,573,444
	Utility - Other— 0.1%
1,135,000	National Grid-SP PLC, Sr. Unsecd. Note, 5.602%, 6/12/2028	1,137,937
	TOTAL CORPORATE BONDS (IDENTIFIED COST $369,814,607)	350,379,100
	ASSET-BACKED SECURITIES— 2.0%
	Auto Receivables— 0.9%
4,650,000	General Motors 2020-2, Class A, 0.690%, 10/15/2025	4,626,079
1,550,000	Honda Auto Receivables Owner Trust 2023-2, Class A3, 4.930%, 11/15/2027	1,540,251
591,247	Hyundai Auto Receivables Trust 2020-C, Class A3, 0.380%, 5/15/2025	583,836
126,044	Nissan Auto Receivables Owner Trust 2020-A, Class A3, 1.380%, 12/16/2024	125,543
5,902	Toyota Auto Receivables Owner Trust 2020-B, Class A3, 1.360%, 8/15/2024	5,894
148,411	World Omni Auto Receivables Trust 2020-B, Class A3, 0.630%, 5/15/2025	147,260

Annual Shareholder Report

Principal Amount or Shares			Value
		ASSET-BACKED SECURITIES— continued
		Auto Receivables— continued
$ 2,297,654		World Omni Auto Receivables Trust 2020-C, Class A3, 0.480%, 11/17/2025	$ 2,260,284
		TOTAL	9,289,147
		Equipment Lease— 0.7%
1,808,841		MMAF Equipment Finance LLC 2020-A, Class A3, 0.970%, 4/9/2027	1,710,432
2,863,046		MMAF Equipment Finance LLC 2020-BA, Class A3, 0.490%, 8/14/2025	2,777,802
2,500,000		MMAF Equipment Finance LLC 2023-A, Class A3, 5.540%, 12/13/2029	2,511,633
		TOTAL	6,999,867
		Other— 0.2%
2,125,000		PFS Financing Corp. 2020-G, Class A, 0.970%, 2/15/2026	2,085,513
628,775		Verizon Owner Trust 2020-C, Class A, 0.410%, 4/21/2025	625,635
		TOTAL	2,711,148
		Student Loans— 0.2%
1,006,679		Navient Student Loan Trust 2020-GA, Class A, 1.170%, 9/16/2069	889,679
1,117,757		Navient Student Loan Trust 2020-HA, Class A, 1.310%, 1/15/2069	1,019,691
		TOTAL	1,909,370
		TOTAL ASSET-BACKED SECURITIES (IDENTIFIED COST $21,415,843)	20,909,532
		COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES— 0.7%
		Commercial Mortgage— 0.7%
1,545,564		Benchmark Mortgage Trust 2019-B12, Class A2, 3.001%, 8/15/2052	1,518,392
2,885,000		Benchmark Mortgage Trust 2021-B26, Class A2, 1.957%, 6/15/2054	2,615,125
1,268,513		GS Mortgage Securities Trust 2019-GC39, Class A2, 3.457%, 5/10/2052	1,247,488
1,750,000		GS Mortgage Securities Trust 2019-GC40, Class A2, 2.971%, 7/10/2052	1,703,471
		TOTAL COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES (IDENTIFIED COST $7,672,413)	7,084,476
		MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES— 0.1%
		Federal National Mortgage Association— 0.1%
593,748		FNMA, Pool AS2976, 4.000%, 8/1/2044	561,160
299,491		FNMA, Pool AW0029, 3.500%, 7/1/2044	273,837
		TOTAL MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES (IDENTIFIED COST $932,900)	834,997
		COLLATERALIZED MORTGAGE OBLIGATION— 0.0%
		Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation— 0.0%
11,646	1	FHLMC REMIC, Series 3397, Class FC, 5.902% (30-DAY AVERAGE SOFR +0.714%), 12/15/2037 (IDENTIFIED COST $11,668)	11,435
		INVESTMENT COMPANIES— 14.4%
3,132,866		Bank Loan Core Fund	27,349,920
121,881		Emerging Markets Core Fund	964,079
1,930,025		Federated Hermes Government Obligations Fund, Premier Shares, 5.23%2	1,930,025
2,645,870		Federated Hermes Institutional Prime Value Obligations Fund, Institutional Shares, 5.43%2	2,645,870

Annual Shareholder Report

Principal Amount or Shares		Value
	INVESTMENT COMPANIES— continued
7,615,058	Mortgage Core Fund	$ 62,671,928
6,227,158	Project and Trade Finance Core Fund	54,425,357
	TOTAL INVESTMENT COMPANIES (IDENTIFIED COST $152,607,410)	149,987,179
	TOTAL INVESTMENT IN SECURITIES—99.4% (IDENTIFIED COST $1,091,117,561)3	1,035,376,066
	OTHER ASSETS AND LIABILITIES - NET—0.6%4	6,621,200
	TOTAL NET ASSETS—100%	$1,041,997,266

At August 31, 2023, the Fund had the following outstanding futures contracts:

Description	Number of Contracts	Notional Value	Expiration Date	Value and Unrealized Appreciation
Long Futures:
United States Treasury Notes 2-Year Long Futures	300	$61,141,406	December 2023	$196,099
United States Treasury Notes 5-Year Long Futures	100	$10,692,188	December 2023	$74,775
NET UNREALIZED APPRECIATION ON FUTURES CONTRACTS				$270,874

Net Unrealized Appreciation on Futures Contracts is included in “Other Assets and Liabilities—Net.”

Annual Shareholder Report

[PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]

Annual Shareholder Report

Transactions with affiliated investment companies, which are funds managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser, during the period ended August 31, 2023, were as follows:

Affiliates	Value as of 8/31/2022	Purchases at Cost	Proceeds from Sales
Bank Loan Core Fund	$113,901,124	$5,183,659	$(89,000,000)
Emerging Markets Core Fund	$344,070	$48,328,017	$(48,000,000)
Federated Hermes Government Obligations Fund, Premier Shares*	$—	$177,444,358	$(175,514,333)
Federated Hermes Institutional Prime Value Obligations Fund, Institutional Shares	$33,142,575	$426,820,692	$(457,317,085)
Mortgage Core Fund	$40,428,133	$76,381,084	$(52,500,000)
Project and Trade Finance Core Fund	$103,117,755	$5,860,194	$(55,000,000)
TOTAL OF AFFILIATED TRANSACTIONS	$290,933,657	$740,018,004	$(877,331,418)

Annual Shareholder Report

Change in Unrealized Appreciation/ Depreciation	Net Realized Gain/ (Loss)	Value as of 8/31/2023	Shares Held as of 8/31/2023	Dividend Income
$4,586,917	$(7,321,780)	$27,349,920	3,132,866	$5,183,579
$54,331	$237,661	$964,079	121,881	$1,826,141
$—	$—	$1,930,025	1,930,025	$119,210
$(250)	$(62)	$2,645,870	2,645,870	$350,687
$2,926,853	$(4,564,142)	$62,671,928	7,615,058	$2,381,053
$1,180,392	$(732,984)	$54,425,357	6,227,158	$5,860,109
$8,748,243	$(12,381,307)	$149,987,179	21,672,858	$15,720,779

*	All or a portion of the balance/activity for the fund relates to cash collateral received on securities lending transactions.

1	Floating/variable note with current rate and current maturity or next reset date shown.
2	7-day net yield.
3	The cost of investments for federal tax purposes amounts to $1,091,786,527.
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 August 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

The following is a summary of the inputs used, as of August 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
Debt Securities:
U.S. Treasuries	$—	$506,169,347	$—	$506,169,347
Corporate Bonds	—	350,379,100	—	350,379,100
Asset-Backed Securities	—	20,909,532	—	20,909,532
Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities	—	7,084,476	—	7,084,476
Mortgage-Backed Securities	—	834,997	—	834,997
Collateralized Mortgage Obligation	—	11,435	—	11,435
Investment Companies1	95,561,822	—	—	149,987,179
TOTAL SECURITIES	$95,561,822	$885,388,887	$—	$1,035,376,066
Other Financial Instruments:
Assets2	$270,874	$—	$—	$270,874
TOTAL OTHER FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS	$270,874	$—	$—	$270,874

As permitted by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), an Investment Company

valued at $54,425,357 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.

Other financial instruments are futures contracts.

The following acronym(s) are used throughout this portfolio:
BKNT	—Bank Notes
FHLMC	—Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation
FNMA	—Federal National Mortgage Association
LIBOR	—London Interbank Offered Rate
MTN	—Medium Term Note
REIT	—Real Estate Investment Trust
REMIC	—Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduit
SOFR	—Secured Overnight Financing Rate

See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements

Annual Shareholder Report

Financial Highlights–Class A Shares

(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)

	Year Ended August 31,
	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period	$9.95	$10.69	$10.73	$10.45	$10.13
Income From Investment Operations:
Net investment income (loss)	0.21	0.13	0.11	0.18	0.22
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)	(0.10)	(0.74)	(0.04)	0.28	0.32
Total From Investment Operations	0.11	(0.61)	0.07	0.46	0.54
Less Distributions:
Distributions from net investment income	(0.21)	(0.13)	(0.11)	(0.18)	(0.22)
Net Asset Value, End of Period	$9.85	$9.95	$10.69	$10.73	$10.45
Total Return1	1.16%	(5.77)%	0.68%	4.41%	5.35%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:
Net expenses2	0.62%	0.62%	0.62%	0.62%	0.62%
Net investment income	2.13%	1.24%	1.06%	1.18%	2.10%
Expense waiver/reimbursement3	0.08%	0.07%	0.08%	0.20%	0.17%
Supplemental Data:
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)	$376,551	$680,888	$1,420,469	$835,680	$23,774
Portfolio turnover4	39%	22%	19%	20%	33%

1	Based on net asset value, which does not reflect the sales charge, redemption fee or contingent deferred sales charge, if applicable.
2	Amount does not reflect net expenses incurred by investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
3	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.
4	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

Financial Highlights–Institutional Shares

(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)

	Year Ended August 31,
	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period	$9.94	$10.69	$10.72	$10.45	$10.13
Income From Investment Operations:
Net investment income (loss)	0.24	0.15	0.14	0.20	0.24
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)	(0.09)	(0.75)	(0.03)	0.27	0.32
Total From Investment Operations	0.15	(0.60)	0.11	0.47	0.56
Less Distributions:
Distributions from net investment income	(0.24)	(0.15)	(0.14)	(0.20)	(0.24)
Net Asset Value, End of Period	$9.85	$9.94	$10.69	$10.72	$10.45
Total Return1	1.51%	(5.63)%	1.03%	4.58%	5.61%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:
Net expenses2	0.37%	0.37%	0.37%	0.37%	0.37%
Net investment income	2.40%	1.48%	1.31%	1.87%	2.36%
Expense waiver/reimbursement3	0.10%	0.10%	0.10%	0.16%	0.15%
Supplemental Data:
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)	$438,864	$631,841	$560,396	$449,201	$289,131
Portfolio turnover4	39%	22%	19%	20%	33%

1	Based on net asset value.
2	Amount does not reflect net expenses incurred by investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
3	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.
4	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

Financial Highlights–Service Shares

(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)

	Year Ended August 31,
	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period	$9.94	$10.68	$10.72	$10.44	$10.12
Income From Investment Operations:
Net investment income (loss)	0.21	0.13	0.11	0.19	0.21
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)	(0.10)	(0.74)	(0.04)	0.27	0.32
Total From Investment Operations	0.11	(0.61)	0.07	0.46	0.53
Less Distributions:
Distributions from net investment income	(0.21)	(0.13)	(0.11)	(0.18)	(0.21)
Net Asset Value, End of Period	$9.84	$9.94	$10.68	$10.72	$10.44
Total Return1	1.16%	(5.77)%	0.68%	4.42%	5.35%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:
Net expenses2	0.62%	0.62%	0.62%	0.62%	0.62%
Net investment income	2.15%	1.23%	1.05%	1.62%	2.10%
Expense waiver/reimbursement3	0.10%	0.10%	0.11%	0.17%	0.15%
Supplemental Data:
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)	$11,860	$14,235	$17,757	$18,388	$12,477
Portfolio turnover4	39%	22%	19%	20%	33%

1	Based on net asset value.
2	Amount does not reflect net expenses incurred by investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
3	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.
4	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

Financial Highlights–Class R6 Shares

(For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period)

	Year Ended August 31,
	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period	$9.94	$10.69	$10.72	$10.45	$10.13
Income From Investment Operations:
Net investment income (loss)	0.24	0.15	0.14	0.20	0.24
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)	(0.09)	(0.75)	(0.03)	0.27	0.32
Total From Investment Operations	0.15	(0.60)	0.11	0.47	0.56
Less Distributions:
Distributions from net investment income	(0.24)	(0.15)	(0.14)	(0.20)	(0.24)
Net Asset Value, End of Period	$9.85	$9.94	$10.69	$10.72	$10.45
Total Return1	1.52%	(5.62)%	1.04%	4.59%	5.62%
Ratios to Average Net Assets:
Net expenses2	0.36%	0.36%	0.36%	0.36%	0.36%
Net investment income	2.43%	1.49%	1.33%	1.87%	2.37%
Expense waiver/reimbursement3	0.06%	0.06%	0.06%	0.13%	0.12%
Supplemental Data:
Net assets, end of period (000 omitted)	$214,723	$201,845	$179,432	$76,732	$48,105
Portfolio turnover4	39%	22%	19%	20%	33%

1	Based on net asset value.
2	Amount does not reflect net expenses incurred by investment companies in which the Fund may invest.
3	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.
4	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

Statement of Assets and Liabilities
August 31, 2023

Assets:
Investment in securities, at value including $1,882,445 of securities loaned and $149,987,179 of investments in affiliated holdings* (identified cost $1,091,117,561, including $152,607,410 of identified cost in affiliated holdings)	$1,035,376,066
Income receivable	5,010,429
Income receivable from affiliated holdings	963,886
Receivable for investments sold	4,759,915
Receivable for shares sold	407,361
Receivable for variation margin on futures contracts	28,126
Total Assets	1,046,545,783
Liabilities:
Payable for investments purchased	903,099
Payable for shares redeemed	1,134,058
Payable to bank	382
Payable for collateral due to broker for securities lending (Note 2)	1,930,025
Income distribution payable	278,376
Payable for investment adviser fee (Note 5)	6,932
Payable for administrative fee (Note 5)	2,219
Payable for legal fees	4,685
Payable for portfolio accounting fees	47,619
Payable for share registration costs	40,172
Payable for other service fees (Notes 2 and 5)	83,479
Accrued expenses (Note 5)	117,471
Total Liabilities	4,548,517
Net assets for 105,799,503 shares outstanding	$1,041,997,266
Net Assets Consist of:
Paid-in capital	$1,187,907,470
Total distributable earnings (loss)	(145,910,204)
Total Net Assets	$1,041,997,266

Annual Shareholder Report

Statement of Assets and Liabilities–continued

Net Asset Value, Offering Price and Redemption Proceeds Per Share:
Class A Shares:
Net asset value per share ($376,551,326 ÷ 38,223,236 shares outstanding), no par value, unlimited shares authorized	$9.85
Offering price per share (100/99.00 of $9.85)	$9.95
Redemption proceeds per share	$9.85
Institutional Shares:
Net asset value per share ($438,863,696 ÷ 44,564,333 shares outstanding), no par value, unlimited shares authorized	$9.85
Offering price per share	$9.85
Redemption proceeds per share	$9.85
Service Shares:
Net asset value per share ($11,859,529 ÷ 1,205,237 shares outstanding), no par value, unlimited shares authorized	$9.84
Offering price per share	$9.84
Redemption proceeds per share	$9.84
Class R6 Shares:
Net asset value per share ($214,722,715 ÷ 21,806,697 shares outstanding), no par value, unlimited shares authorized	$9.85
Offering price per share	$9.85
Redemption proceeds per share	$9.85

*	See information listed after the Fund’s Portfolio of Investments.

See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements

Annual Shareholder Report

Statement of Operations
Year Ended August 31, 2023

Investment Income:
Interest	$19,543,573
Dividends received from affiliated holdings*	15,601,569
Net income on securities loaned (includes $119,210 earned from an affiliated holding* related to cash collateral balances) (Note 2)	35,997
TOTAL INCOME	35,181,139
Expenses:
Investment adviser fee (Note 5)	3,812,614
Administrative fee (Note 5)	996,510
Custodian fees	47,786
Transfer agent fees (Note 2)	523,583
Directors’/Trustees’ fees (Note 5)	9,923
Auditing fees	32,540
Legal fees	11,742
Portfolio accounting fees	186,663
Other service fees (Notes 2 and 5)	1,269,588
Share registration costs	89,539
Printing and postage	67,277
Miscellaneous (Note 5)	33,117
TOTAL EXPENSES	7,080,882
Waiver and Reimbursements:
Waiver/reimbursement of investment adviser fee (Note 5)	(776,267)
Reimbursement of other operating expenses (Notes 2 and 5)	(292,042)
TOTAL WAIVER AND REIMBURSEMENTS	(1,068,309)
Net expenses	6,012,573
Net investment income	29,168,566
Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments and Futures Contracts:
Net realized loss on investments (including net realized loss of $(12,381,307) on sales of investments in affiliated holdings*)	(36,651,349)
Net realized loss on futures contracts	(9,121,382)
Net change in unrealized depreciation of investments (including net change in unrealized depreciation of $8,748,243 on investments in affiliated holdings*)	30,312,375
Net change in unrealized depreciation of futures contracts	832,221
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and futures contracts	(14,628,135)
Change in net assets resulting from operations	$14,540,431

*	See information listed after the Fund’s Portfolio of Investments.

See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements

Annual Shareholder Report

Statement of Changes in Net Assets

Year Ended August 31	2023	2022
Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets
Operations:
Net investment income	$29,168,566	$25,402,154
Net realized gain (loss)	(45,772,731)	(36,173,770)
Net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation	31,144,596	(101,279,236)
CHANGE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS	14,540,431	(112,050,852)
Distributions to Shareholders:
Class A Shares	(10,561,499)	(12,994,926)
Institutional Shares	(13,092,761)	(9,295,555)
Service Shares	(270,645)	(192,127)
Class R6 Shares	(5,285,825)	(2,868,923)
CHANGE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS	(29,210,730)	(25,351,531)
Share Transactions:
Proceeds from sale of shares	232,626,052	780,230,802
Net asset value of shares issued to shareholders in payment of distributions declared	26,128,186	23,668,073
Cost of shares redeemed	(730,895,781)	(1,315,741,553)
CHANGE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM SHARE TRANSACTIONS	(472,141,543)	(511,842,678)
Change in net assets	(486,811,842)	(649,245,061)
Net Assets:
Beginning of period	1,528,809,108	2,178,054,169
End of period	$1,041,997,266	$1,528,809,108

See Notes which are an integral part of the Financial Statements

Annual Shareholder Report

Notes to Financial Statements

August 31, 2023

1. ORGANIZATION

Federated Hermes Institutional Trust (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 three portfolios. The financial statements included herein are only those of Federated Hermes Short-Intermediate Total Return Bond 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, Institutional Shares, Service 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 total return.

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:

◾

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

◾

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 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

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

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

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 daily and paid monthly. 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. Positive or negative inflation adjustments on Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities are included in interest income. Gains and losses realized on principal payment of mortgage-backed securities (paydown gains and losses) are classified as part of 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. 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. The detail of the total fund expense waiver and reimbursements of $1,068,309 is disclosed in various locations in this Note 2 and Note 5.

Transfer Agent Fees

For the year ended August 31, 2023, transfer agent fees for the Fund were as follows:

	Transfer Agent Fees Incurred	Transfer Agent Fees Reimbursed
Class A Shares	$184,570	$(85,467)
Institutional Shares	310,369	(201,685)
Service Shares	7,426	(4,890)
Class R6 Shares	21,218	—
TOTAL	$523,583	$(292,042)

Annual Shareholder Report

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 Service 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 August 31, 2023, other service fees for the Fund were as follows:

	Other Service Fees Incurred
Class A Shares	$1,238,177
Service Shares	31,411
TOTAL	$1,269,588

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 August 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 August 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.

Futures Contracts

The Fund purchases and sells financial futures contracts to manage duration 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 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.

Annual Shareholder Report

Futures contracts outstanding at period end are listed after the Fund’s Portfolio of Investments.

The average notional value of long futures contracts held by the Fund throughout the period was $100,065,542. This is based on amounts held as of each month-end throughout the fiscal period.

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	$270,874*

*	Includes cumulative net appreciation 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 August 31, 2023

Amount of Realized Gain or (Loss) on Derivatives Recognized in Income
	Futures Contracts
Interest rate contracts	$(9,121,382)

Change in Unrealized Appreciation or (Depreciation) on Derivatives Recognized in Income
	Futures Contracts
Interest rate contracts	$832,221

Securities Lending

The Fund participates in a securities lending program providing for the lending of corporate bonds and government 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 is invested in an affiliated money market fund or 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

Annual Shareholder Report

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 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 August 31, 2023, securities subject to this type of arrangement and related collateral were as follows:

Fair Value of Securities Loaned	Collateral Received
$1,882,445	$1,930,025

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.

Annual Shareholder Report

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 8/31/2023		Year Ended 8/31/2022
Class A Shares:	Shares	Amount	Shares	Amount
Shares sold	2,767,723	$27,296,374	26,283,741	$276,086,572
Shares issued to shareholders in payment of distributions declared	1,068,381	10,521,380	1,252,956	12,964,707
Shares redeemed	(34,065,288)	(335,336,694)	(91,943,963)	(952,257,615)
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM CLASS A SHARE TRANSACTIONS	(30,229,184)	$(297,518,940)	(64,407,266)	$(663,206,336)
	Year Ended 8/31/2023		Year Ended 8/31/2022
Institutional Shares:	Shares	Amount	Shares	Amount
Shares sold	12,519,083	$123,121,896	38,806,312	$401,961,860
Shares issued to shareholders in payment of distributions declared	1,291,529	12,714,045	865,604	8,885,285
Shares redeemed	(32,792,800)	(322,706,890)	(28,558,205)	(293,197,622)
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM INSTITUTIONAL SHARE TRANSACTIONS	(18,982,188)	$(186,870,949)	11,113,711	$117,649,523
	Year Ended 8/31/2023		Year Ended 8/31/2022
Service Shares:	Shares	Amount	Shares	Amount
Shares sold	124,110	$1,223,445	238,496	$2,481,474
Shares issued to shareholders in payment of distributions declared	27,505	270,635	18,515	190,451
Shares redeemed	(379,110)	(3,712,278)	(487,128)	(5,072,682)
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM SERVICE SHARE TRANSACTIONS	(227,495)	$(2,218,198)	(230,117)	$(2,400,757)

Annual Shareholder Report

	Year Ended 8/31/2023		Year Ended 8/31/2022
Class R6 Shares:	Shares	Amount	Shares	Amount
Shares sold	8,259,780	$80,984,337	9,699,328	$99,700,896
Shares issued to shareholders in payment of distributions declared	266,353	2,622,126	158,712	1,627,630
Shares redeemed	(7,022,274)	(69,139,919)	(6,345,879)	(65,213,634)
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM CLASS R6 SHARE TRANSACTIONS	1,503,859	$14,466,544	3,512,161	$36,114,892
NET CHANGE RESULTING FROM TOTAL FUND SHARE TRANSACTIONS	(47,935,008)	$(472,141,543)	(50,011,511)	$(511,842,678)

4. FEDERAL TAX INFORMATION

The tax character of distributions as reported on the Statement of Changes in Net Assets for the years ended August 31, 2023 and 2022, was as follows:

	2023	2022
Ordinary income	$29,210,730	$25,351,531

As of August 31, 2023, the components of distributable earnings on a tax-basis were as follows:

Undistributed ordinary income	$34,860
Net unrealized depreciation	$(56,410,461)
Capital loss carryforwards	$(89,534,603)
TOTAL	$(145,910,204)

At August 31, 2023, the cost of investments for federal tax purposes was $1,091,786,527. The net unrealized depreciation of investments for federal tax purposes was $56,410,461. This consists of unrealized appreciation from investments for those securities having an excess of value over cost of $460,808 and unrealized depreciation from investments for those securities having an excess of cost over value of $56,871,269. The amounts presented are inclusive of derivative contracts.

The difference between book-basis and tax-basis net unrealized depreciation is attributable to differing treatments for deferral of losses on wash sales and mark to market of futures contracts.

As of August 31, 2023, the Fund had a capital loss carryforward of $89,534,603 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
$24,633,783	$64,900,820	$89,534,603

Annual Shareholder Report

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 0.30% 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 August 31, 2023, the Adviser voluntarily waived $762,273 of its fee and voluntarily reimbursed $292,042 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 August 31, 2023, the Adviser reimbursed $13,994.

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 August 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.

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 to finance activities intended to result in the sale of these shares. The Plan provides that the Fund may incur distribution expenses at 0.05% of average daily net assets, annually, to compensate FSC. Subject to the terms described in the Expense Limitation note, FSC may voluntarily choose to waive any portion of its fee.

When FSC receives fees, it may pay some or all of them to financial intermediaries whose customers purchase shares. For the year ended August 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.

Annual Shareholder Report

Sales Charges

Front-end sales charges and contingent deferred sales charges 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 August 31, 2023, FSC did not retain any sales charges from the sale of Class A Shares. FSC retained $162 of CDSC relating to redemptions of Class A Shares.

Other Service Fees

For the year ended August 31, 2023, FSSC received $1,390 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, Institutional Shares, Service Shares and Class R6 Shares (after the voluntary waivers and/or reimbursements) will not exceed 0.62%, 0.37%, 0.62% and 0.36% (the “Fee Limit”), respectively, up to but not including the later of (the “Termination Date”): (a) November 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 August 31, 2023, were as follows:

Purchases	$243,787,231
Sales	$435,802,291

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 dividends, settlement of trades and for other short-term, temporary or emergency

Annual Shareholder Report

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 August 31, 2023, the Fund had no outstanding loans. During the year ended August 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 August 31, 2023, there were no outstanding loans. During the year ended August 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 affect the worldwide economy, as well as the economies of individual countries,

Annual Shareholder Report

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. 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.

Annual Shareholder Report

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Trustees of Federated Hermes Institutional Trust and the Shareholders of Federated Hermes Short-Intermediate Total Return Bond Fund:

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities of Federated Hermes Short-Intermediate Total Return Bond Fund (the Fund), a portfolio of Federated Hermes Institutional Trust, including the portfolio of investments, as of August 31, 2023, the related statement of operations for the year then ended, the statements of changes in net assets for each of the years in the two-year period then ended, and the related notes (collectively, the financial statements) and the financial highlights for each of the years in the five-year period then ended. In our opinion, the financial statements and financial highlights present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Fund as of August 31, 2023, the results of its operations for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the years in the two-year period then ended, and the financial highlights for each of the years in the five-year period then ended, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements and financial highlights are the responsibility of the Fund’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements and financial highlights 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 Fund in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

Annual Shareholder Report

We conducted our audits in accordance with the 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. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements and financial highlights, 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 and financial highlights. Such procedures also included confirmation of securities owned as of August 31, 2023, by correspondence with custodians and brokers; when replies were not received from brokers, 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 and financial highlights. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

We have served as the auditor for one or more of Federated Hermes’ investment companies since 2006.

Boston, Massachusetts
October 24, 2023

Annual Shareholder Report

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 March 1, 2023 to August 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

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 3/1/2023	Ending Account Value 8/31/2023	Expenses Paid During Period1
Actual:
Class A Shares	$1,000	$1,016.70	$3.15
Institutional Shares	$1,000	$1,019.10	$1.88
Service Shares	$1,000	$1,016.70	$3.15
Class R6 Shares	$1,000	$1,019.10	$1.83
Hypothetical (assuming a 5% return before expenses):
Class A Shares	$1,000	$1,022.08	$3.16
Institutional Shares	$1,000	$1,023.34	$1.89
Service Shares	$1,000	$1,022.08	$3.16
Class R6 Shares	$1,000	$1,023.39	$1.84

1	Expenses are equal to the Fund’s annualized net expense ratios, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 184/365 (to reflect the one-half-year period). The annualized net expense ratios are as follows:

Class A Shares	0.62%
Institutional Shares	0.37%
Service Shares	0.62%
Class R6 Shares	0.36%

Annual Shareholder Report

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 three 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: April 1999

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

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

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

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

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: April 1999	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

OFFICERS

Name Birth Date 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: January 2005	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

Name

Birth Date

Positions Held with Trust

Date Service Began

Principal Occupation(s) for Past Five Years

and Previous Position(s)

Robert J. Ostrowski

Birth Date: April 26, 1963

Chief Investment Officer

Officer since: May 2004

Principal Occupations: Robert J. Ostrowski joined Federated Hermes,

Inc. in 1987 as an Investment Analyst and became a Portfolio Manager

in 1990. He was named Chief Investment Officer of Federated

Hermes’ taxable fixed-income products in 2004 and also serves as a

Senior Portfolio Manager. Mr. Ostrowski became an Executive Vice

President of the Fund’s Adviser in 2009 and served as a Senior Vice

President of the Fund’s Adviser from 1997 to 2009. Mr. Ostrowski has

received the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. He received his

M.S. in Industrial Administration from Carnegie Mellon University.

Annual Shareholder Report

Evaluation and Approval of Advisory Contract–May 2023

Federated Hermes Short-Intermediate Total Return Bond 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 Investment Management Company (the “Adviser”) (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

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 concerning 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

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 evaluation 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

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 Advisers, 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 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

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

Annual Shareholder Report

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 in 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.

For the periods ended December 31, 2022, the Fund’s performance fell below the Performance Peer Group median for the one-year period, and was above the Performance Peer Group median for the three-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”). 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

Annual Shareholder Report

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 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 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.

Annual Shareholder Report

Profitability

The Board received and considered profitability information furnished by Federated Hermes, as requested by the CCO. 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 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

Annual Shareholder Report

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 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.

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.

Annual Shareholder Report

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

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 Institutional Trust (the “Trust”) has adopted and implemented a liquidity risk management program (the “Program”) for Federated Hermes Short-Intermediate Total Return Bond 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

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

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

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 Short-Intermediate Total Return Bond Fund
Federated Hermes Funds
4000 Ericsson Drive
Warrendale, PA 15086-7561

Federated Securities Corp., Distributor

CUSIP 31420B870
CUSIP 31420B607
CUSIP 31420B508
CUSIP 31420B862

35671 (10/23)

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 – $105,523

Fiscal year ended 2022 - $98,540

(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.

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, $0 and $0 respectively.

(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%

4(d)

Fiscal year ended 2023 – 0%

Fiscal year ended 2022 – 0%

(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 - $283,641

Fiscal year ended 2022 - $208,676

(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 Institutional Trust

By /S/ Lori A. Hensler

Lori A. Hensler, Principal Financial Officer

Date October 24, 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 October 24, 2023

By /S/ Lori A. Hensler

Lori A. Hensler, Principal Financial Officer

Date October 24, 2023