Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Makes New Investment in Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated $JLL

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group initiated a position in Jones Lang LaSalle by purchasing 5,404 shares worth approximately $1.68 million. Institutional investors collectively own 94.8% of JLL’s outstanding stock.
• JLL reported quarterly earnings of $5.26 per share, exceeding analyst estimates of $4.56, while revenue rose 10.8% year over year to $6.93 billion.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $433.60, above the reported share price of $378.94.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated (NYSE:JLL - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 5,404 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,675,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Jones Lang LaSalle during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Jones Lang LaSalle during the third quarter worth about $25,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Jones Lang LaSalle during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Activest Wealth Management boosted its stake in Jones Lang LaSalle by 1,720.0% in the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 91 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Jones Lang LaSalle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.80% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Christian Ulbrich sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $385.53, for a total transaction of $771,060.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 138,418 shares of the company's stock, valued at $53,364,291.54. This represents a 1.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Larry Quinlan sold 402 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $301.73, for a total value of $121,295.46. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,369 shares in the company, valued at $1,318,258.37. This trade represents a 8.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 6,805 shares of company stock valued at $2,511,297 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.91% of the company's stock.

Jones Lang LaSalle Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of Jones Lang LaSalle stock opened at $378.94 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $344.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $320.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 2.40 and a current ratio of 2.40. Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $259.83 and a fifty-two week high of $393.84. The company has a market cap of $17.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.16 and a beta of 1.25.

Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE:JLL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $5.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.56 by $0.70. The firm had revenue of $6.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.88 billion. Jones Lang LaSalle had a return on equity of 13.99% and a net margin of 3.64%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.30 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated will post 24.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JLL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Zacks Research cut Jones Lang LaSalle from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $500.00 price objective on shares of Jones Lang LaSalle in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Jones Lang LaSalle from $375.00 to $415.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Barclays increased their price target on Jones Lang LaSalle from $368.00 to $401.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Jones Lang LaSalle from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Jones Lang LaSalle has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $433.60.

Jones Lang LaSalle Company Profile

Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated NYSE: JLL is a leading professional services firm specializing in real estate and investment management. The company provides a broad range of services including leasing, advisory, property and asset management, capital markets, project and development services, and valuation. Through its integrated platform, JLL serves corporate occupiers, institutional investors, real estate owners and developers, offering tailored solutions that span the entire real estate lifecycle.

Founded in 1783 in London as Jones Lang Wootton, the firm established a reputation for expertise in property management and brokerage.

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