Remember when Microsoft bought aQuantive at a massive premium to keep pace with Google?
Yeah, Cramer called that.
So who’s next? He thinks Omniture.
This web analytics company is already up 50% since Cramer recommended it on Dec. 18, running to $20 a share from $13. It’s hovering near its 52-week high as well. But if the Microsoft valuation for aQuantive is any indication of what kind of offer Omniture could draw, Cramer figures $31 to $35 a share is well within the realm of possibility.
Omniture’s appeal is the proprietary technology it has that measures traffic on the web. It tells advertisers which websites are the most popular at any time, where visitors are coming from, how long they stay on a page – Omniture has almost any statistic an advertiser could want.
Whoever buys the company will have the most important piece of intellectual property left to mine the online ad market, Cramer said, and Omniture is small enough that the price still won’t set back the acquirer that much.
Buying Omniture is a slam-dunk opportunity for any of the major internet players. It’s smaller, cheaper and it has a much better product.
Bottom Line: Microsoft, Google and Yahoo! are insane for not having bought OMTR already, Cramer said. He doesn’t expect them to keep making the same mistake – Omniture shouldn’t be independent for long.
Jim's charitable trust owns Yahoo!.
Questions? Comments? madcap@cnbc.com