Merit Financial Group LLC Acquires 2,968 Shares of Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated $JLL

Key Points

• Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Jones Lang LaSalle by 356.7%, purchasing 2,968 shares to hold 3,800 shares valued at about $1.279 million at quarter-end.
• JLL beat expectations for the quarter with EPS of $8.71 vs. $7.25 est. and revenue of $7.61B vs. $7.45B (revenue +11.7% YoY), and analysts project full-year EPS of 21.76.
• Insider selling and market context: CEO Richard Bloxam sold 5,440 shares (~$1.62M) and a director sold 2,500 shares; the stock was down 4.1%, institutional ownership is ~94.8%, and the consensus rating is a "Moderate Buy" with a $365.33 price target.

Merit Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated (NYSE:JLL - Free Report) by 356.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,800 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 2,968 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Jones Lang LaSalle were worth $1,279,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of JLL. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Jones Lang LaSalle in the 1st quarter worth about $546,000. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Jones Lang LaSalle by 203.1% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 4,046 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,003,000 after purchasing an additional 2,711 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Jones Lang LaSalle by 33.8% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 499 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $128,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Jones Lang LaSalle by 28.4% in the second quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 1,673 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $428,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC purchased a new position in Jones Lang LaSalle in the second quarter worth about $211,000. 94.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Jones Lang LaSalle Stock Down 4.1%

Shares of JLL opened at $336.95 on Friday. The business's 50 day moving average is $310.50 and its 200 day moving average is $319.83. The company has a market capitalization of $15.63 billion, a PE ratio of 20.53 and a beta of 1.41. Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated has a 12-month low of $211.86 and a 12-month high of $363.06. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE:JLL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The financial services provider reported $8.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.25 by $1.46. The company had revenue of $7.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.45 billion. Jones Lang LaSalle had a return on equity of 12.50% and a net margin of 3.03%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $6.15 EPS. Research analysts expect that Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated will post 21.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Jones Lang LaSalle

In related news, CEO Richard Bloxam sold 5,440 shares of Jones Lang LaSalle stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $296.94, for a total transaction of $1,615,353.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Deborah H. Mcaneny sold 2,500 shares of Jones Lang LaSalle stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.50, for a total value of $751,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 14,985 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,502,992.50. The trade was a 14.30% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.91% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JLL has been the topic of several research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on Jones Lang LaSalle from $405.00 to $380.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Wall Street Zen raised Jones Lang LaSalle from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, January 11th. Zacks Research raised Jones Lang LaSalle from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings raised Jones Lang LaSalle from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Jones Lang LaSalle from $425.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Jones Lang LaSalle has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $365.33.

Jones Lang LaSalle 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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