Why Vocus, Inc. Shares Skyrocketed Today

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of Vocus skyrocketed 47% Monday after the cloud-based marketing software company announced that it had agreed to be acquired by GTCR for $18 per share.

So what: The all-cash transaction values Vocus at roughly $446.5 million, represents a premium of 79% over its 12-month volume weighted average share price, and is expected to close before the end of the second quarter of 2014. 

Vocus CEO Rick Rudman weighed in: "For our shareholders, this agreement provides an opportunity to realize cash value for their shares at a significant premium to historical share prices. For our employees and customers, we believe that joining forces with GTCR creates a significant opportunity to utilize each other's strengths and move even faster toward our vision of creating innovative software and making our customers successful."

Now what: Shares closed today at $17.92 per share, leaving little upside for investors who choose to wait to receive their payout until the acquisition is complete. As a result, unless you bought shares just under a year ago and want to hang on to ensure a lower capital gains tax rate on the profits, I think investors would be wise to take their money and put it to work elsewhere.