Google Inc. (NDAQ:GOOG) shares received a boost today after the company announced the acquisition of Postini Inc. - a privately held email security money - for $625 million in cash. The move gives Google access to the lucrative market with 35,000 businesses and over 10 million users.

Postini provides security, archiving and encryption products used to protect email, instant messages and other web-based communications. These products have becoming increasingly popular during the past few years as more and more critical business data gets transferred through these channels. Postini is one of the largest companies operating in the sector.

Google made the acquisition in hopes to expand its hosted businesses which are included in its Google Apps lineup. The company claims that over 1,000 businesses are signing up for its Apps products daily, but larger businesses have been reluctant so far to lean away from MS Office. The acquisition of Postini should enable the company to move into these new markets.

The acquisition follows Google's recent strategy to diversify its revenues away from its existing Adsense and Adwords programs as investors remained concerned about its long-term growth prospects. The company's most publicized purchase was a multi-billion dollar deal for DoubleClick Inc. which it hopes will help it to move into the CPM-based banner advertising market. The purchase of Postini should help the company expand its revenues even further into the lucrative business applications market. Combined, these factors make GOOG a stock worth watching!

Related Companies
Yahoo Inc. (YHOO)
Microsoft Inc. (MSFT)

Lear Corp. (NYSE:LEA) shares rose $0.87, or 2.43%, to $36.73 after Carl Icahn increased his buyout offer for the company to $37.25/share from a previous $36/share offer. The revised offer comes after Penza Investments voiced strong opposition along with two shareholder advisory firms.

The shareholders criticized the $36/share offer saying it undervalued the company; however, Icahn argued that the company still faced substantial risks as a North American supplier. Shareholders countered saying that the company has improved its footing in the difficult auto-supplier segment.

Shareholders are expected to vote on the new proposal at the company's next annual meeting scheduled for July 16th. There is no word on whether the new proposal has widespread support from shareholders, but many analysts believe that the offer remains undervalued. The prospects for a higher buyout offer in the future makes LEA a stock worth watching!

Related Articles
Visteon Corporation (VC)
Johnson Control Inc. (JCI)
Stoneridge Inc. (SRI)

Dana Corporation (OTC:DCNAQ) said Friday that it has reached an agreement with its unions and secured $750 million to help it exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The bankrupt auto parts maker announced that its unions have agreed to back a reorganization plan that includes labor settlements and funding commitments.

The union agreement would replace the company's healthcare and long-term disability obligations for retirees and union employees with trusts to which the company would contribute $700 million in cash and $80 million in stock. This change is expected to save the company more than $100 million per year.

Now that agreements have been reached with its unions, investors are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Centerbridge Capital Partners and its affiliates have agreed to purchase $500 million in convertible stock and facilitate an additional $250 million in funding from others. Many now believe that the company is on track to have a reorganization plan in place by September and be able to emerge from bankruptcy by the end of the year.

So, what does this mean for shareholders? Well, the fate of existing shareholders remains uncertain. While the company's assets outnumbered its liabilities as it entered bankruptcy (suggesting that common stock still had value), there are costs associated with the reorganization itself that may push down value further. Until these costs are fully detailed, it's hard to say whether or not the current common stock is worth anything.

Investors looking for bankruptcy investing opportunities may find this stock interesting. New stock in a company that has just emerged from bankruptcy is often undervalued. This is simply because the holders of this stock are often debtors that want nothing more to do with the company. Obviously, people are also skeptical as to whether or not the company can turn itself around after having already burned shareholders once. This deep value can translate to healthy profits in the event that the company is successful in turning itself around.

The healthy M&A market for automakers and auto parts makers is also something that is worth noting. Many private equity firms have already taken advantage of companies fresh out of bankruptcy court as their stock is often traded at a substantial discount while most of their large debts have been satisfied. The best examples of these transactions occurred in the airlines industry a few years ago.

Combined, Dana Corporation is definitely a company worth watching as it emerges from bankruptcy. While investment in its bankrupt shares may be a risky bet, investors may find an appetite for newly issued post-bankruptcy shares as they will likely be undervalued.

Related Companies
Visteon Corporation (VC)
Delphi Corporation (DPHIQ)
Eaton Corporation (ETN)