10 Best Stocks to Buy According to John W. Rogers of Ariel Investments

3. Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated (NYSE:JLL)

Ariel Investments’ Stake as of Q4: $268.3 million

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 48

Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated (NYSE:JLL) is a multinational commercial real estate and investment management company that buys, builds, manages, and invests in properties across the world. The company offers a wide variety of real estate services, including leasing, property management, consultancy, and capital market services.

For Q4 2024, Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated (NYSE:JLL)’s diluted earnings per share improved by $1.40 year-over-year to $4.97, while adjusted diluted EPS increased by $0.79 to $6.15. The quarter’s revenue came in at $6.8 billion, a 16% increase in local currency, with Transactional revenues up 22% and Resilient revenues increasing 13%.

Back in March, Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated (NYSE:JLL) announced its plan to purchase Javelin Capital, a North American renewable energy investment banking firm. The acquisition will strengthen JLL’s U.S. Energy and Infrastructure Capital Markets capabilities, complementing its existing operations in Europe and Asia.

Vulcan Value Partners stated the following regarding Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated (NYSE:JLL) in its Q1 2025 investor letter:

“We purchased one position during the quarter: Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated (NYSE:JLL). Jones Lang LaSalle is one of the largest commercial real estate service providers in the world, serving both investors in and corporate occupiers of real estate. It provides leasing brokerage, M&A and investment advisory services, as well as property and project management services. To complement its core business, the company also owns LaSalle, one of the largest global real estate investment management businesses in the world. Jones Lang LaSalle is a secular grower in a consolidating industry, is broadly diversified by geography, asset class and line of service, and has an inherently variable cost structure that has allowed it to generate free cash flow in both good and bad times.”