May 3 (Reuters) - Real estate services provider CBRE

Group's ( CBRE ) first-quarter profit beat analysts' estimates

on Friday, helped by higher leasing demand at a time when

commercial property sales remain under pressure from elevated

interest rates.

"Leasing outperformed expectations, driven by office leasing

growth globally," CBRE ( CBRE ) CEO Bob Sulentic said.

The company's global leasing revenue rose 4%, led by a 9%

growth in Asia-Pacific.

"Persistent inflation kept interest rates higher than

expected, which led to underperformance in our property sales

transaction activity," Sulentic added.

On an adjusted basis, the Dallas-based company earned 78

cents per share, beating estimates of 68 cents, according to

LSEG data.

CBRE's ( CBRE ) total quarterly revenue rose 7.1% to $7.94 billion,

roughly in line with analysts' expectations.