Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE:JLL) Raised to "Strong-Buy" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Jones Lang LaSalle to “strong-buy” from “buy.” Analysts overall rate the stock “Moderate Buy,” with a consensus price target of $427.60.
• JLL reported quarterly adjusted earnings of $6.76 per share, beating the $6.15 estimate, while revenue of $7.28 billion topped forecasts and rose 11.8% year over year.
• The CEO sold 2,000 shares under a pre-arranged trading plan, and company insiders sold 6,000 shares worth about $2.27 million over the past three months.

Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE:JLL - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Sunday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Jones Lang LaSalle from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Jones Lang LaSalle from $368.00 to $401.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Zacks Research downgraded Jones Lang LaSalle from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Citigroup reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Jones Lang LaSalle in a report on Thursday, September 17th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $500.00 target price on shares of Jones Lang LaSalle in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $427.60.

Jones Lang LaSalle Trading Down 1.2%

NYSE JLL opened at $370.93 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average is $330.53 and its 200-day moving average is $325.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 2.43 and a quick ratio of 2.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.05 and a beta of 1.29. Jones Lang LaSalle has a one year low of $259.83 and a one year high of $395.79.

Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE:JLL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The financial services provider reported $6.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.15 by $0.61. Jones Lang LaSalle had a net margin of 3.89% and a return on equity of 15.05%. The company had revenue of $7.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.50 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Jones Lang LaSalle will post 25.16 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Jones Lang LaSalle

In other news, CEO Christian Ulbrich sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $385.53, for a total transaction of $771,060.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 138,418 shares in the company, valued at $53,364,291.54. This represents a 1.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,271,060 in the last three months. 0.91% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Jones Lang LaSalle

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Aberdeen Group plc raised its position in shares of Jones Lang LaSalle by 22.7% in the third quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 67,215 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $20,536,000 after buying an additional 12,437 shares in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Jones Lang LaSalle by 338.6% during the third quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 315,152 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $96,285,000 after buying an additional 243,300 shares during the period. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. grew its position in Jones Lang LaSalle by 13.9% during the third quarter. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. now owns 135,339 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $41,556,000 after buying an additional 16,468 shares in the last quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp grew its position in Jones Lang LaSalle by 12.0% during the third quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 6,260 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,913,000 after buying an additional 672 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its stake in Jones Lang LaSalle by 16.4% in the 3rd quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 2,737 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $836,000 after acquiring an additional 385 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.80% of the company's stock.

Jones Lang LaSalle Company Profile

Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated, commonly known as JLL, is a global commercial real estate services and investment management company. It advises businesses, property owners, investors and public-sector organizations on real estate decisions and operations.

Its services include leasing and sales, property and facilities management, project and development management, valuation, workplace consulting and capital markets advisory. Through LaSalle Investment Management, JLL also manages real estate investments for institutional and other clients.

The company traces its history to 1783 and took its current name following the 1999 merger of Jones Lang Wootton and LaSalle Partners.

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