CIGI vs JLL: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

Last updated October 2026

Short answer

JLL is the larger of the two ($14.06B market cap): the incumbent the market prices for continued execution (10.85x forward earnings, beta 1.30). CIGI is the smaller challenger ($4.62B), priced similarly on forward earnings (10.72x): more room to run, but more to prove. The real question is which set of drivers you believe, and whether owning one (or both) leaves you over-concentrated.

CIGI vs JLL: the tie-breaker metrics

Same yardstick, side by side (as of October 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.

MetricCIGIJLLWhat it tells you
Market cap$4.62B$14.06BSize. The larger name is the incumbent; the smaller has more room to grow and more to prove.
Forward P/E10.7210.85Valuation on next year's expected earnings, the same yardstick for both. Lower is cheaper for that growth; higher means the market is paying up.
Trailing P/E42.8114.65Valuation on the last 12 months. A big drop from trailing to forward means the market expects earnings to jump, so more growth is already in the price.
Beta1.251.30Volatility vs the market. Above 1 swings harder than the index; below 1 is steadier. Higher beta means bigger drawdowns to hold through.
Price vs 52-week range8% of range34% of rangeWhere today's price sits between the 52-week low and high. Near the high is momentum with less margin of safety; near the low is out of favor or a discount, depending on why.
Price / book2.991.88How much you pay over book value. Very high can signal an asset-light, high-return business or a rich price.

Before you buy: how CIGI and JLL affect your concentration

The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. CIGI and JLL share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.

This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined CIGI and JLL exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

What does Colliers International Group (CIGI) do?

Colliers International Group (Nasdaq and TSX: CIGI) is a global professional services and investment management company operating across three segments: Commercial Real Estate (transaction brokerage in leasing and capital markets plus outsourcing services like property management, valuation, and loan servicing), Engineering (design and consulting built up through acquisitions), and Investment Management (Colliers Global Investors, which manages capital for institutions across real assets, infrastructure, and private markets with more than ~$96 billion in assets under management as of late 2025). The company employs about 28,000 people in dozens of countries and has grown for years through a disciplined acquisition strategy, with founder-led management holding a meaningful ownership stake.

Full CIGI guide

What does Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated (JLL) do?

Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated, which trades on the NYSE as JLL, is a Chicago-based global commercial real estate services and investment management company operating in over 80 countries with about 112,000 employees. It earns fees across leasing and tenant representation, property and workplace management, project management, investment sales, debt and equity advisory, valuations, real estate technology, and institutional investment management through its LaSalle arm. Its reporting is organized around segments including Markets Advisory, Capital Markets, Work Dynamics, JLL Technologies, and LaSalle.

Full JLL guide

CIGI vs JLL: how do they differ?

Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.

  • CIGI drivers: Recurring-revenue mix shift; Capital markets recovery.
  • JLL drivers: Transactional recovery in leasing and capital markets; Resilient recurring revenue base.

Which fits which kind of investor

A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: Colliers' brokerage and capital markets revenue is cyclical and sensitive to interest rates, credit conditions, and commercial real estate transaction volumes, so a downturn in deal activity can pressure results. For JLL, jLL's transactional businesses are cyclical and sensitive to interest rates, credit availability, and commercial real estate transaction volumes, which fell sharply during the 2022 rate-tightening cycle.

CIGI or JLL: which should you pick?

Growth-minded investors who believe the theme has years to run tend to accept the richer multiple for more upside; value-minded investors lean toward the cheaper forward earnings and steadier profile. Pick CIGI if you believe its drivers more; JLL if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the CIGI and JLL guides.

CIGI vs JLL: the full fundamentals

CIGI. As of October 16, 2026 CIGI traded near ~$91 with a market cap around ~$4.7 billion against TTM revenue of roughly ~$6.0 billion, or about 0.8 times sales. The trailing GAAP P/E near ~43 still overstates the multiple because reported net income is depressed by non-controlling-interest and acquisition charges, while a forward P/E near ~11 on consensus EPS of ~$8.44 for 2027 is far lower, so adjusted metrics like Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EPS are what most analysts track for this company. The nine covering analysts carry a mean target near ~$137, and third-quarter results are due November 4, 2026.

JLL. As of October 16, 2026, JLL carried a market capitalization of roughly $14.2 billion on trailing revenue near $27.4 billion, a trailing P/E around 15 and a forward P/E near 11, with EV/EBITDA around 10. The multiples have compressed since mid-2026 even as earnings beat estimates, so the change came from a pullback in the shares rather than weaker results. Third-quarter results are due October 28, 2026, with consensus near $6.20 EPS on about $7.3 billion of revenue.

Headline figures (approximate, October 2026): CIGI shows revenue (ttm) ~$5.96B, revenue growth (latest quarter, yoy) ~16.7%, q2 2026 adjusted eps ~$1.83 (vs ~$1.81 est.), net income (ttm) ~$108M (profit margin ~1.8%); JLL shows revenue (ttm) ~$27.4B, q2 2026 revenue ~$6.9B (+11% YoY), q2 2026 adj. diluted eps $5.26 (vs ~$4.55 est.), net income (ttm) ~$1.0B.

The bottom line: CIGI vs JLL

CIGI and JLL are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined CIGI and JLL exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.

Wondering how CIGI or JLL fits the portfolio you already own? Walnut is an AI investing app that connects your brokerage read-only and answers questions like that about your actual holdings: overlap, concentration, and how each position tracks the S&P 500. Compare the best AI portfolio analyzers or see the best AI investing apps in 2026.

Investing in Colliers International Group with AI

Connect the broker you already use and ask Walnut's AI how CIGI fits what you actually hold: whether you own it already through a fund, what it would do to your concentration, and how it has tracked the S&P 500. Read-only by default, and you approve anything before it reaches your broker.

FAQ

What is the difference between CIGI and JLL?

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Colliers International Group (Nasdaq and TSX: CIGI) is a global professional services and investment management company operating across three segments: Commercial Real Estate (transaction brokerage in leasing and capital markets plus outsourcing services like property management, valuation, and loan servicing), Engineering (design and consulting built up through acquisitions), and Investment Management (Colliers Global Investors, which manages capital for institutions across real assets, infrastructure, and private markets with more than ~$96 billion in assets under management as of late 2025). Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated, which trades on the NYSE as JLL, is a Chicago-based global commercial real estate services and investment management company operating in over 80 countries with about 112,000 employees. They show up together because they share investment themes, but they are different businesses, so the better fit depends on which thesis you are expressing.

Is CIGI or JLL the better stock?

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Neither is universally better. JLL is the larger incumbent; CIGI is the smaller challenger and looks cheaper on forward earnings. Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Compare what each does, the tie-breaker metrics above, and the risks, then decide which fits your thesis and what you already own.

Which is cheaper, CIGI or JLL?

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On forward P/E (as of October 2026), CIGI trades at 10.72x and JLL at 10.85x, so CIGI is the cheaper of the two on next year's expected earnings. A lower multiple is not automatically the better buy: a richer valuation can be justified by faster growth, and a lower one can reflect real risk. Weigh the multiple against how fast each business is compounding.

Should you own both CIGI and JLL?

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Because they share themes, owning both concentrates you in that theme. That can be intentional (a focused bet) or accidental (less diversification than it looks). Walnut can show your combined exposure across both, and whether adding either over-concentrates you, before you buy.

What are the risks of CIGI vs JLL?

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CIGI: Colliers' brokerage and capital markets revenue is cyclical and sensitive to interest rates, credit conditions, and commercial real estate transaction volumes, so a downturn in deal activity can pressure results. The serial-acquirer model carries integration, goodwill, and leverage risk (debt-to-equity near ~116%), and complex ownership structures (including non-controlling interests that drove a GAAP loss of ~$24 million in Q1 2026) can make reported net income volatile and hard to read; trailing GAAP profit margin is only ~1.8%. The Investment Management segment depends on fundraising and asset values, both of which can fall in a weak real estate environment. The company also faces intense competition from larger rivals, including for senior talent (a former Colliers vice chairman moved to CBRE in October 2026), and structural questions about demand for office and other commercial property. Barron's listed Colliers among companies with recent activist investor filings in early October 2026, without detail on the stake or demands. Foreign-exchange swings affect results given the global revenue base, and the stock's ~41% one-year decline shows how hard sentiment can swing on a business whose reported operations kept growing. JLL: JLL's transactional businesses are cyclical and sensitive to interest rates, credit availability, and commercial real estate transaction volumes, which fell sharply during the 2022 rate-tightening cycle. Structural softness in office demand and uneven regional property markets can weigh on leasing and valuation revenue. As a global firm, JLL carries currency translation exposure and geographic concentration risks across more than 80 countries. The LaSalle segment's fees depend on asset values and fund performance, which can decline in stressed real estate markets. The stock's roughly 16% drop over four weeks into early October 2026, despite earnings beats, shows how quickly sentiment on the deal cycle can swing the shares. JLL carries about $3.2 billion of debt against roughly $0.5 billion of cash. Macroeconomic slowdowns, tighter corporate spending, and competition on fees can all compress growth and margins.

Walnut is informational, not investment advice. This page is descriptive and not a recommendation to buy or sell CIGI or JLL; figures are approximate and dated (as of October 2026). Verify current data before investing.