Janus Henderson Group PLC Grows Stock Holdings in Aurora Innovation, Inc. $AUR

Key Points

• Janus Henderson significantly increased its Aurora Innovation stake by 2,068.8% in the first quarter, acquiring 10.7 million additional shares for a total holding of 11.24 million shares worth about $46.3 million.
• Aurora reported a quarterly loss of $0.14 per share, missing estimates by $0.02, while revenue reached $2 million—doubling year over year but remaining limited. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $12.22.
• The stock opened at $6.45, compared with a 52-week range of $3.60 to $8.56. Insider activity was mixed: one director bought 82,500 shares, while insiders collectively sold 7.05 million shares worth $54.3 million over the past three months.

Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position in Aurora Innovation, Inc. (NASDAQ:AUR - Free Report) by 2,068.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,243,080 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 10,724,682 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned 0.57% of Aurora Innovation worth $46,319,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Aurora Innovation in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in shares of Aurora Innovation in the third quarter worth $36,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new stake in Aurora Innovation during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC MO bought a new position in shares of Aurora Innovation during the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Equitable Holdings Inc. bought a new position in Aurora Innovation during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Institutional investors own 44.71% of the company's stock.

Aurora Innovation Stock Up 3.4%

Shares of AUR opened at $6.45 on Friday. Aurora Innovation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $3.60 and a twelve month high of $8.56. The company has a market capitalization of $12.65 billion, a P/E ratio of -13.72 and a beta of 2.63. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $6.44 and a 200 day moving average of $5.46.

Aurora Innovation (NASDAQ:AUR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported ($0.14) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.12) by ($0.02). Aurora Innovation had a negative net margin of 18,000.00% and a negative return on equity of 43.94%. The business had revenue of $2.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.66 million. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.11) earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 100.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Aurora Innovation, Inc. will post -0.49 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $12.00 target price on shares of Aurora Innovation in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Craig Hallum started coverage on shares of Aurora Innovation in a report on Friday, June 5th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $18.00 price objective for the company. Northland Securities initiated coverage on Aurora Innovation in a research report on Friday, May 29th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $11.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $14.00 target price on shares of Aurora Innovation in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Aurora Innovation from $4.70 to $7.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $12.22.

Insider Activity at Aurora Innovation

In related news, Director David M. Wehner acquired 82,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $6.04 per share, for a total transaction of $498,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 246,519 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,488,974.76. This trade represents a 50.30% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Reid Hoffman sold 5,498,487 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.81, for a total transaction of $42,943,183.47. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 77,500 shares in the company, valued at $605,275. This represents a 98.61% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 7,048,487 shares of company stock valued at $54,295,119 over the last three months. 8.52% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Aurora Innovation

Aurora Innovation, Inc is a technology company specializing in the development of self-driving vehicle systems for both passenger and commercial applications. Headquartered in Mountain View, California, Aurora has built an end-to-end platform—known as the Aurora Driver—that integrates proprietary software, machine learning algorithms and a suite of sensors (LiDAR, radar and cameras) to enable vehicles to operate safely and efficiently in diverse driving environments.

The company's core business revolves around designing, testing and deploying its autonomy stack on vehicles from established automotive and transportation partners.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AUR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Aurora Innovation, Inc. (NASDAQ:AUR - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.