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

Same yardstick, side by side (as of September 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.

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.

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). The company operates 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

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 more than 113,000 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

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.

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.

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. As of mid-July 2026 CIGI traded near ~$101 with a market cap around ~$5.2 billion against TTM revenue of roughly ~$5.7 billion. The trailing GAAP P/E looked very high (~60x) because reported net income was depressed by non-controlling-interest redemption and acquisition charges, while forward earnings estimates implied a far lower multiple, so adjusted metrics like Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EPS are what most analysts track for this company.

JLL. As of July 2026, JLL carried a market capitalization of roughly $15 billion on trailing revenue near $26.8 billion, giving a trailing P/E around 17 and a forward P/E near 14. Enterprise value was about $18 billion with an EV/EBITDA around 11 to 12. The multiples reflect a large-cap services firm whose earnings have been rebounding from the rate-driven trough.

Headline figures (approximate, July 2026): CIGI shows revenue (ttm) ~$5.7B, q1 2026 revenue ~$1.31B (up ~15% YoY), q1 2026 adjusted ebitda ~$125M, q1 2026 adjusted eps ~$0.91; JLL shows revenue (ttm) ~$26.8B, fy2025 revenue ~$26.1B, market cap ~$15B, p/e (ttm) ~17x.

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.