Feb 18 (Reuters) - Macquarie Group has joined US-based Federated Hermes to look to collectively sell stakes in UK's gas network operator Cadent worth 1.3 billion pounds ($1.64 billion), the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

Macquarie, which owns more than a 26% stake in the company, is in early stage talks to sell a 5% stake, while Hermes, which owns 13% of Cadent is looking to sell a 4.6% stake, the report said, citing people close to the discussions. ($1 = 0.7938 pounds) (Reporting by Anirudh Saligrama in Bengaluru; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)