Expedia's stock fell 4 percent in after-hours trading Thursday after the Bellevue online travel agency reported a lower fourth-quarter profit.

Expedia said it had a profit of $70.3 million, or 44 cents a share, down from $71.3 million, or 45 cents, a year ago.

Excluding one-time costs, its per-share profit was 58 cents, above expectations on Wall Street.

But while Expedia's quarterly revenue rose 7 percent to $787.1 million, analysts predicted the company would generate more than $800 million.

And that 7 percent growth rate was offset by a 12 percent surge in corporate expenses, leading to the after-hours slide in its stock price.

Shares of Expedia declined $1.36 to $32.80 in extended trading. Before the earnings release, the stock closed up 51 cents, or 1.5 percent, at $34.16.

For all of 2012, Expedia posted a profit of $472.3 million, or $2.34 a share, up from $421.5 million, or $2.09, in 2010. Revenue increased 14 percent to $3.4 billion.

Earlier Thursday, online travel recommendations service TripAdvisor, which was spun off from Expedia in December, reported a quarterly profit of 16 cents a share, below analysts' expectations of 24 cents.

Amy Martinez: 206-464-2923 or amartinez@seattletimes.com