JDSA has higher losses on dramatically higher sales than DKAM. They have a strong balance sheet. Yet they are valued at roughly the same as DKAM. I think you might want to find a better example of DKAM's "poor treatment" by the market. Yes, when a huge acquisition is made and debt taken on investors expect the acquirer to record one time large costs and if you look at financial stocks (especially LEH and WM) I don't think they were "allowed" anything. I don't see too many people talking about what geniuses their CEOs were though for keeping them in business.