M&T Bank has been treading water for the past six months, holding steady at $201. The stock also fell short of the S&P 500’s 9.9% gain during that period.
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Why Is M&T Bank Not Exciting?
We don't have much confidence in M&T Bank. Here are three reasons why MTB doesn't excite us and a stock we'd rather own.
1. Revenue Growth Flatlining
We at StockStory place the most emphasis on long-term growth, but within financials, a stretched historical view may miss recent interest rate changes, market returns, and industry trends. M&T Bank’s recent performance shows its demand has slowed as its revenue was flat over the last two years. 
Note: Quarters not shown were determined to be outliers, impacted by outsized investment gains/losses that are not indicative of the recurring fundamentals of the business.
2. Net Interest Margin Dropping
Net interest margin (NIM) represents how much a bank earns in relation to its outstanding loans. It's one of the most important metrics to track because it shows how a bank's loans are performing and whether it has the ability to command higher premiums for its services.
Over the past two years, M&T Bank’s net interest margin averaged 3.6%. However, its margin contracted by 26 basis points (100 basis points = 1 percentage point) over that period.
This decline was a headwind for its net interest income. While prevailing rates are a major determinant of net interest margin changes over time, the decline could mean M&T Bank either faced competition for loans and deposits or experienced a negative mix shift in its balance sheet composition.
3. EPS Barely Growing
Analyzing the long-term change in earnings per share (EPS) shows whether a company's incremental sales were profitable – for example, revenue could be inflated through excessive spending on advertising and promotions.
M&T Bank’s unimpressive 9.8% annual EPS growth over the last five years aligns with its revenue performance. This tells us it maintained its per-share profitability as it expanded.
Final Judgment
M&T Bank isn’t a terrible business, but it doesn’t pass our quality test. With its shares trailing the market in recent months, the stock trades at 1.2× forward P/B (or $201 per share). Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but we don’t really see a big opportunity at the moment. We're fairly confident there are better investments elsewhere. We’d recommend looking at an all-weather company that owns household favorite Taco Bell.
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