CoStar Group

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CoStar Group, Inc.
Public
Traded as
IndustryTechnology, Commercial property
Founded1987; 33 years ago (1987)
FounderAndrew Florance
HeadquartersWashington, D.C., U.S.
Area served
United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain
Key people
Andrew C. Florance, President & CEO
Scott T. Wheeler, CFO
Michael R. Klein, Chairman
RevenueIncrease $1.2 billion (2018)
Increase $238 million (2018)
Total assetsIncrease $3.313 billion (2018)
Total equityIncrease $3.022 billion (2018)
Number of employees
3,705 (2018)
Websitecostargroup.com
Footnotes / references
[1]

CoStar Group is a provider of information, analytics and marketing services to the commercial property industry in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Spain.[1] Founded in 1987 by Andrew Florance, the company has grown to include many online marketplaces, including Apartments.com, LoopNet, and BizBuySell.

History[edit]

CoStar Group was founded in 1987 by Andrew Florance in Washington, D.C.

In 1998, the company became a public company via an initial public offering on the NASDAQ, raising $22.5 million.[2]

In 2004, CoStar Group, Inc. v. LoopNet, Inc. became a landmark case in copyright law.

In October 2009, the company acquired a building in Washington, D.C., now its headquarters, from the Mortgage Bankers Association for $41.3 million. The building had sold 2 years earlier for $79 million and the company claims it used its analytics data to know the right time to buy.[3]

In April 2012, CoStar Group acquired LoopNet for $860 million.[4][5]

In April 2014, the company acquired Apartments.com for $585 million.[6]

In April 2015, the company acquired Apartment Finder for $170 million.[7]

In July 2015, the company acquired Belbex an online marketplace and information provider for commercial property based in Spain.

In February 2017, the company acquired Westside Rentals.[8]

In February 2018, the company acquired ForRent.com from Dominion Enterprises for $350 million in cash and $35 million in stock.[9]

In October 2018, the company acquired Realla.co an online marketplace for commercial property based in the United Kingdom.[10]

In November 2018, the company acquired Cozy Services for $68 million.[11]

In February 2019, the company announced that Oxford Economics will provide the economic data and forecasts used in CoStar’s products.[12]

In June 2019, it was announced that CoStar Group would acquire Off Campus Partners, LLC, the leading online marketplace for off campus student housing.

In October 2019, it was announced that CoStar Group would acquire STR, Inc, a global leader in hospitality data analytics, for $450 million.[13]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "CoStar Group, Inc. 2017 Form 10-K Annual Report". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
  2. ^ "Crunchbase: CoStar Group". TechCrunch.
  3. ^ Hagerty, James R. (February 6, 2010). "Mortgage Bankers Association Sells Headquarters at Big Loss". The Wall Street Journal.
  4. ^ Sernovitz, Daniel J. (April 30, 2012). "CoStar Group completes LoopNet deal". American City Business Journals.
  5. ^ "CoStar Completes LoopNet Acquisition". National Real Estate Investor. May 1, 2012.
  6. ^ O'Connell, Jonathan (March 3, 2014). "CoStar Group buys Apartments.com for $585 million". The Washington Post.
  7. ^ "CoStar Group to Acquire Apartment Finder to Expand Its Network of Industry Leading Apartment Marketing Websites" (Press release). GlobeNewswire. April 29, 2015.
  8. ^ Ellingson, Annlee (February 2, 2017). "Westside Rentals finds new home at Apartments.com". American City Business Journals.
  9. ^ Neibauer, Michael (February 20, 2018). "Growing CoStar to close its latest buy, this one for nearly $400M". American City Business Journals.
  10. ^ Evans, Judith (October 12, 2018). "US real estate giant CoStar buys UK commercial property portal". Financial Times.
  11. ^ "CoStar Group Acquires Cozy Services Ltd., with Plans to Integrate its Innovative Renter Screening and Rent Payments Solutions into Apartments.com" (Press release). PR Newswire. November 8, 2018.
  12. ^ Sweat, Meagna (February 14, 2019). "CoStar Group Announces Agreement with Oxford Economics" (Press release). Business Wire.
  13. ^ "CoStar Group to Acquire STR, a Global Leader in Benchmarking & Analytics for the Hospitality Industry" (Press release). Business Wire. October 1, 2019.

External Links[edit]