Dec. 18, 2012 (Shareholders Foundation) -- An investigation on behalf of investors in Arbitron Inc. (NYSE:ARB) shares was announced concerning whether the offer by Priceline.com Incorporated to acquire Arbitron Inc. for a value of approximately $48.00 per NYSE:ARB share and the takeover process are unfair to investors in Arbitron shares.

The investigation by a law firm concerns whether certain officers and directors of Arbitron Inc. breached their fiduciary duties owed NYSE:ARB investors in connection with the proposed acquisition.

On December 18, 2012, Nielsen Holdings N.V. (NYSE: NLSN) announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Arbitron Inc. (NYSE: ARB). Under the terms of the proposed transaction Nielsen Holdings N.V. has agreed to acquire all of the outstanding common stock of Arbitron for $48 per share in cash.
However, Arbitrons financial performance over the past recent years improved significantly. For instance, Arbitron Inc. reported that its annual Revenue rose from $368.82 million in 2008 to $422.31 million in 2011 and its Net Income increased from $37.18 million in 2008 to $53.29 million in 2011. Furthermore, shares of Arbitron Inc. (NYSE:ARB) grew at an exceptional growth rate over the past recent years. In fact, NYSE:ARB shares grew from as low as $12.66 per share in March 2009 to as high as $43.99 per share in February 2011.

Therefore the investigation a law firm concerns whether the proposed transaction is unfair to NYSE:ARB stockholders. Specifically, the investigation focuses on whether the Arbitron Board of Directors undertook an adequate sales process, adequately shopped the company before entering into the transaction, maximized shareholder value by negotiating the best price, and acted in the shareholders' best interests in connection with the proposed sale.