[WillPostForFood]

10-20 times earnings is a good company acquisition price metric

Only in Silicon Valley playing with VC$. 2-4x earnings would be (have been?) a normal multiple for valuation.

[radicalbyte]

No there are other areas where that is normal. You're talking very well run businesses with natural monopolies in industries with very low risks.

[WillPostForFood]

You might be right, but perhaps very well run businesses with natural monopolies in industries with very low risks are more exceptional than normal.