JLL to acquire HFF for $2bn.

Jones Lang LaSalle agreed to acquire all the outstanding shares of HFF, one of the largest and most successful commercial real estate capital markets intermediaries in the US, in a cash and stock transaction with an equity value of approximately $2bn. The transaction has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies. Under the terms of the agreement, HFF shareholders will receive $24.63 in cash and 0.1505 JLL shares for each HFF share. Based on the closing price of JLL stock of $163.02 on March 18, 2019, the cash and stock consideration to be received by HFF shareholders at closing is valued at $49.16 per HFF share. The share price represents a premium of approximately 22% and 25% compared to the volume weighted average price of HFF over 60 and 90 trading days, respectively, and a premium of approximately 6% over the closing stock price on March 18, 2019. "Increasing the scale of our Capital Markets business is one of the key priorities in our Beyond strategic vision to drive long-term sustainable and profitable growth. The combination with HFF provides a unique opportunity to accelerate growth and establish JLL as a leading capital markets intermediary, with outstanding capabilities," said Christian Ulbrich, Global CEO of JLL. "We have long admired HFF for its expertise and leading reputation in the industry, as well as its client-first culture of teamwork, ethics and excellence, which aligns with our own. I believe that combining our organizations will deliver a range of compelling benefits for our clients, employees and shareholders."