Is M&T Bank Corporation (NYSE:MTB) a good equity to bet on right now? We like to check what the smart money thinks first before doing extensive research. Although there have been several high profile failed hedge fund picks, the consensus picks among hedge fund investors have historically outperformed the market after adjusting for known risk attributes. It’s not surprising given that hedge funds have access to better information and more resources to find the latest market-moving information.
M&T Bank Corporation (NYSE:MTB) shares haven’t seen a lot of action during the third quarter. Overall, hedge fund sentiment was unchanged. The stock was in 20 hedge funds’ portfolios at the end of the third quarter of 2015. At the end of this article we will also compare MTB to other stocks including Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU), Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:IBKR), and Skyworks Solutions Inc (NASDAQ:SWKS) to get a better sense of its popularity.
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Now, let’s take a look at the fresh action encompassing M&T Bank Corporation (NYSE:MTB).
How are hedge funds trading M&T Bank Corporation (NYSE:MTB)?
According to Insider Monkey’s hedge fund database, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has the most valuable position in M&T Bank Corporation (NYSE:MTB), worth close to $656.3 million, corresponding to 0.5% of its total 13F portfolio. The second largest stake is held by PEAK6 Capital Management, managed by Matthew Hulsizer, which holds a $42.9 million call position; the fund has 0.2% of its 13F portfolio invested in the stock. Remaining peers that hold long positions include Cliff Asness’ AQR Capital Management, Mario Gabelli’s GAMCO Investors and Clint Carlson’s Carlson Capital.
Interestingly, Ken Gray and Steve Walsh’s Bryn Mawr Capital dumped the biggest stake of the “upper crust” of funds monitored by Insider Monkey, totaling an estimated $5.2 million in stock. Peter Muller’s fund, PDT Partners, also cut its stock, about $2.9 million worth. These transactions are important to note, as total hedge fund interest stayed the same (this is a bearish signal in our experience).
Let’s now take a look at hedge fund activity in other stocks – not necessarily in the same industry as M&T Bank Corporation (NYSE:MTB) but similarly valued. We will take a look at Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU), Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:IBKR), Skyworks Solutions Inc (NASDAQ:SWKS), and EnergySolutions, Inc. (NYSE:ES). All of these stocks’ market caps match MTB’s market cap.
| Ticker | No of HFs with positions | Total Value of HF Positions (x1000) | Change in HF Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| MU | 71 | 1874311 | -8 |
| IBKR | 37 | 820711 | 3 |
| SWKS | 36 | 571975 | 0 |
| ES | 13 | 350832 | 1 |
As you can see these stocks had an average of 39.25 hedge funds with bullish positions and the average amount invested in these stocks was $904 million. That figure was $834 million in MTB’s case. Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) is the most popular stock in this table. On the other hand EnergySolutions, Inc. (NYSE:ES) is the least popular one with only 13 bullish hedge fund positions. M&T Bank Corporation (NYSE:MTB) is not the least popular stock in this group but hedge fund interest is still below average. This is a slightly negative signal and we’d rather spend our time researching stocks that hedge funds are piling on. In this regard MU might be a better candidate to consider a long position.
