ValueClick Inc. reported strong fourth-quarter results Wednesday and said it has settled a dispute with the Federal Trade Commission.

ValueClick reported fourth quarter net income of $l8.1 million (18 cents per share), a 16 percent decline from $21.6 million (22 cents) from the same period a year earlier, which matched Wall Street’s estimates, according to a poll by Thomson Financial.

The company said that quarterly earnings were affected by a $2.9 million settlement that ValueClick paid to the FTC. ValueClick was accused last year by federal regulators of using deceptive marketing practices in its lead generation, particularly in drawing people to sites that offered free gifts in exchange for some user action, such as entering personal information.

The company agreed to the settlement without admitting liability or conceding that it violated any laws. The company and FTC also approved new standards that will guide its lead generation business.

Quarterly sales for the Westlake Village-based on-line marketing services provider rose 14 percent to $183 million topping analysts’ expectations of $175 million.

For the year, ValueClick reported a 14 percent increase in net income to $71.2 million (71 cents per share) as well as an 18 percent gain in sales to $646 million.

The company projected first-quarter sales of $166 million to $170 million, trailing analysts’ average estimate of $175 million. ValueClick also said it expects net income of 15 cents to 16 cents per share for the first quarter, missing analysts expectations of 18-cents per share.

Shares in ValueClick were up 6.3 percent to $23.05 in early trading Thursday on the Nasdaq.