StockNews.com Downgrades Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE:JLL) to Buy

Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE:JLL) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James increased their price target on Jones Lang LaSalle from $317.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Jones Lang LaSalle from $327.00 to $285.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on Jones Lang LaSalle from $340.00 to $305.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Jones Lang LaSalle has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $323.33.

Jones Lang LaSalle Stock Performance

Shares of Jones Lang LaSalle stock traded down $2.48 during trading on Friday, hitting $210.83. 402,770 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 311,881. Jones Lang LaSalle has a 1 year low of $171.45 and a 1 year high of $288.50. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $254.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $261.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.67 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 2.00 and a quick ratio of 2.29.

Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE:JLL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The financial services provider reported $6.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.76 by $0.39. Jones Lang LaSalle had a net margin of 2.33% and a return on equity of 10.20%. The firm had revenue of $6.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.65 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.23 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 15.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Jones Lang LaSalle will post 16.45 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in JLL. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its stake in Jones Lang LaSalle by 42.1% during the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 34,379 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,276,000 after acquiring an additional 10,186 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp lifted its stake in shares of Jones Lang LaSalle by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 305,768 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $77,402,000 after buying an additional 5,663 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. raised its holdings in Jones Lang LaSalle by 166.7% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 176 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. Fox Run Management L.L.C. bought a new position in shares of Jones Lang LaSalle in the fourth quarter worth about $413,000. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Jones Lang LaSalle during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $7,099,000. 94.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Jones Lang LaSalle

Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated operates as a commercial real estate and investment management company. It engages in the buying, building, occupying, managing, and investing in a commercial, industrial, hotel, residential, and retail properties in Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific.