Why Inteliquent Stock Skyrocketed 35% Today

Image source: Inteliquent.

What happened

Shares of Inteliquent Inc. (NASDAQ: IQNT) were up 35.1% as of 1 p.m. EDT Thursday after the voice and messaging interconnection services specialist agreed to be acquired.

So what

More specifically, yesterday after the market close, Inteliquent revealed it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by an affiliate of private equity firm GTCR LLC for $23 per share. That's good for a 37% premium to Tuesday's closing price, and values the company at roughly $800 million.

Inteliquent CEO Matt Carter explained the reasons for the acquisition:

Now what

Following the acquisition -- which has no financing condition associated with it and is expected to close in the first half of 2017 -- Inteliquent will be merged with a subsidiary of communications technology services specialist Onvoy LLC.

"We look forward to working with the Inteliquent team to continue the network expansion and to empower innovation for our shared customer base," stated Onvoy CEO Fritz Hendricks.

As it stands, the deal still requires approval from Inteliquent shareholders, and its terms allow the company 30 calendar days to solicit alternative proposals. But given the gravity of today's pop, which brought shares within pennies of the proposed acquisition price -- and assuming holding until closer to the acquisition's close won't result in more favorable capital gains tax treatment -- I think Inteliquent investors would be wise to take their profits off the table and put them to work elsewhere.

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Steve Symington has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.