Savills’ Eastdil Acquisition Builds Market Exposure for Both Firms

All systems were a go for the Wednesday revelation that a $1.1 billion deal for Savills’ acquisition of Eastdil Secured had been agreed upon.

The London-based real estate advisory firm released fourth quarter 2025 earnings on Thursday, demonstrating a 6 percent increase in revenue growth year-over-year. Ahead of the earnings announcement, Savills’ stock lost 7.59 percent of its value in pre-market trading.

The closure of the deal to acquire Eastdil is still pending regulatory approvals.

Investors may have dumped the stock out of concern that Savills would continue to be overexposed to weaker markets — like China and continental Europe — and that it would take time for the publicly traded company to absorb the $1.1 billion cost of the acquisition of Roy March’s U.S.-based investment bank, Investing.com reported.

That happened despite another announcement that Savills would distribute a 12 percent increase in dividends to its shareholders and a 58 percent increase in revenue from its New York City transaction teams.

But to Savills’ executives, the acquisition only strengthens its path to diversification. It also gives the brokerage a notable capital markets footprint, as Eastdil is one of the world’s top two heaviest hitters when it comes to high-value commercial transactions.

“Today’s announcement also delivers the one thing that a candid number of people in this room have been crying out for for years, which is a pre-eminent capital markets business in the United States, the biggest capital pool [and] capital market for real estate in the world,” Simon Shaw, the newly appointed CEO of Savills, said during the Thursday morning earnings call.

Shaw also elaborated on Wednesday that Savills will own a 100 percent equity share in Eastdil after buying out the interests of not only Guggenheim Investments and Singaporean sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings, but also Wells Fargo’s minority stake in Eastdil, which it held onto in a 2019 sale of the business.

As part of the acquisition, current Eastdil CEO March will move into the role of executive chairman of Eastdil, while Eastdil’s current president D. Michael Van Konynenburg will become CEO of the firm, according to Savills.

“In Eastdil, we are buying the No. 1 player in the U.S. market,” Shaw said. “What this does is significantly enhance our position in the eyes of investors globally to whom the enlarged firm will provide a serious choice of a full-service advisory firm.”

About 76 percent of Eastdil’s capital markets business is centered around North American markets. In New York City specifically, Savills will absorb high-performing teams such as Gary Phillips and Will Silverman.

Eastil could also expand its service lines into the Asia-Pacific markets, according to Savills execs.

Mark Hallum can be reached at mhallum@commercialobserver.com.