Upwork Inc. (NASDAQ:UPWK) Receives Average Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts rate Upwork “Hold” on average: Of 13 analysts, nine recommend holding, three recommend buying, and one recommends selling. The average 12-month price target is $13.05, above the reported trading price of $8.52.
• Upwork’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with earnings per share of $0.41 versus the $0.34 consensus estimate and revenue of $191.66 million. However, quarterly revenue declined 1.7% year over year.
• Company insiders sold 98,607 shares worth approximately $831,609 over the past 90 days, while institutional investors hold 77.71% of Upwork’s outstanding stock.

Upwork Inc. (NASDAQ:UPWK - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the thirteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have given a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $13.05.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on UPWK shares. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Upwork from $17.00 to $10.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Needham & Company LLC dropped their target price on shares of Upwork from $15.00 to $11.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Upwork from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Upwork from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $11.50 price target on Upwork in a report on Tuesday, August 11th.

Upwork Trading Down 0.4%

UPWK stock opened at $8.52 on Friday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $8.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $9.63. Upwork has a 12-month low of $7.44 and a 12-month high of $22.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.06 billion, a PE ratio of 11.07 and a beta of 1.01.

Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $191.66 million during the quarter. Upwork had a return on equity of 16.70% and a net margin of 12.94%.Upwork's quarterly revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.35 earnings per share. Upwork has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.380-1.430 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.310-0.330 EPS.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Hayden Brown sold 73,241 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.43, for a total transaction of $617,421.63. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 771,076 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,500,170.68. The trade was a 8.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Erica Gessert sold 22,844 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.43, for a total transaction of $192,574.92. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 364,789 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,075,171.27. This represents a 5.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold a total of 98,607 shares of company stock valued at $831,609 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 4.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in shares of Upwork by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 32,200 shares of the company's stock valued at $638,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Straightline Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Upwork by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Straightline Group LLC now owns 39,222 shares of the company's stock worth $777,000 after purchasing an additional 920 shares during the period. Maridea Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Upwork by 11.0% during the 1st quarter. Maridea Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,621 shares of the company's stock valued at $127,000 after purchasing an additional 1,152 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Upwork by 43.7% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,575 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,392 shares during the last quarter. Finally, King Luther Capital Management Corp raised its holdings in Upwork by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 317,542 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,294,000 after buying an additional 1,465 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.71% of the company's stock.

Upwork Company Profile

Upwork Inc operates a global online work marketplace that connects businesses with independent professionals and agencies. The platform supports a wide range of services, including software development, design and creative work, marketing, writing and translation, consulting, customer support, and administrative services.

Through its marketplace, Upwork enables businesses to find talent, post projects, manage engagements, collaborate remotely, and process payments. The company also offers solutions designed for larger organizations, including tools for sourcing, onboarding, managing, and paying independent professionals at scale.

Upwork was formed through the 2014 merger of Elance and oDesk and adopted the Upwork name in 2015.

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