With Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) paying $3.1 billion for DoubleClick, Wall Street investors are going to take a second look at aQuantive Inc. (NASDAQ: AQNT) and ValueClick Inc (NASDAQ: VCLK) as possibly the next acquisitions in the Internet marketing and advertising space.
DoubleClick was taken private just a couple of years ago at $1.1 billion. With the $3.1 billion price tag Google is paying, it's no wonder that ValueClick and aQuantive were both up a good 5% in after-market trading on Friday. The valuation explosion is almost geometrical.
Microsoft Corp.(NASDAQ: MSFT) is now behind the eight ball. The whole internet advertising, marketing and lead-generation space has become an art and a science unto itself. DoubleClick, ValueClick and aQuantive all have their own areas of expertise and proprietary technology. These three companies are the recognized leaders in the sector. The sector was validated these past three years in a serious way as major Fortune 500 companies have decided to dedicate more of their advertising and marketing resources online.
Why is gold making a new high, trading at $1,118.00 per ounce?
Chasing Value: Ten stocks for 2010 -- Part 1 
Closing Bell: A six-day rally (AIG, REGN, M, MOT, PALM, RIMM)
