Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) Stock Soars on Q3 Earnings Beat

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Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. (JLL - Free Report) — popularly known as JLL — reported third-quarter 2018 adjusted earnings of $3.02 per share, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.31. The bottom line compares favorably with the year-ago adjusted earnings of $2.21 per share.

Revenues for the reported quarter came in at around $3.97 billion, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.96 billion. The reported figure improved 12.8%, year over year. Fee revenues were up 12.1% year over year to $1.59 billion.

Results highlight robust organic growth and strong cash flows from operations. The company also recorded Real Estate Services revenue growth.

Shares of JLL appreciated 2.4% to $145.4, during regular trading session on Nov 7.

Behind the Headline Numbers

During the quarter under review, JLL’s Real Estate Services revenues climbed 11% year over year to $3.8 billion. In the Americas, revenues and fee revenues came in at $2.2 billion and $774.1 million, respectively, indicating 14.6% and 11.6% year-over-year growth. This was backed by growth in the Property & Facility Management segment, and solid performance in the company’s portfolio in Mid-Atlantic, Southwest, Houston and Midwest U.S.

Revenues and fee revenues of the EMEA segment were $805.6 million and $396.7 million, up 7.4% and 3.6%, respectively, from the year-ago period. Growth in fee revenue was driven by robust performance of Project & Development Services and Leasing segments. 

For the Asia-Pacific segment, revenues and fee revenues came in at $790 million and $252.3 million, respectively, marking year-over-year jump of 5.4% and 2.2%. Higher leasing activity in office sectors of China and Australia aided overall fee revenue growth.

Revenues from the LaSalle Investment Management segment recorded rise of 69% year over year to $172.6 million. Strong incentive fees due to real estate dispositions and higher advisory fees supported results. At the end of the Sep-end quarter, assets under management were $59.5 billion, down from $59.9 billion recorded at the end of the last reported quarter.

Liquidity

Jones Lang exited the reported quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $327 million, up from $268 million as of Dec 31, 2017. At the end of third-quarter 2018, the company’s net debt totaled $742.8 million, down $229.8 million from the prior-quarter end.

Our Viewpoint

In the third quarter, JLL witnessed strong organic revenue growth across Leasing, Corporate Solutions and LaSalle business segments. Going forward, market-share expansion will help JLL achieve stellar growth and a decent cash level. Further, vast knowledge of real estate markets and a spate of strategic investment activities, in a bid to capitalize on market consolidations, are anticipated to drive long-term profitability.

Nevertheless, unfavorable currency movements and interest rate hikes may negatively impact the company’s performance. Additionally, stiff competition from international, regional and local players also remains a concern.

 

Currently, JLL carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Performance of Stocks in the Same Space

CBRE Group (CBRE - Free Report) came out with third-quarter earnings of 79 cents per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 75 cents. This compares to earnings of 64 cents per share recorded in the year-ago quarter. 

HFF (HF - Free Report) reported third-quarter earnings of 73 cents per share, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 63 cents. This compares favorably to earnings of 54 cents per share witnessed in the prior-year period.

Colliers International’s (CIGI - Free Report) Sep-end earnings of 92 cents per share topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 80 cents. This compares to earnings of 61 cents per share reported a year ago.

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