Key Points
- Upwork CFO Erica Gessert sold 9,336 shares at an average price of $8.45, totaling $78,889.20. The sale covered tax-withholding obligations from vested equity awards, reducing her ownership by 2.44%.
- Upwork reported quarterly EPS of $0.41, exceeding analysts’ $0.34 consensus, while revenue reached $191.66 million, down 1.7% year over year. The company guided for fiscal 2026 EPS of $1.380–$1.430.
- Analysts maintain a generally cautious view, with a consensus “Hold” rating and a $13.05 average price target; institutional investors own 77.71% of Upwork’s stock.
Upwork Inc. (NASDAQ:UPWK - Get Free Report) CAO Sabrina Mekhalfa sold 1,299 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.45, for a total transaction of $10,976.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 6,675 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $56,403.75. The trade was a 16.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.
Upwork Stock Performance
UPWK stock opened at $8.35 on Wednesday. Upwork Inc. has a 52 week low of $7.44 and a 52 week high of $22.84. The firm's fifty day moving average is $8.90 and its 200 day moving average is $9.53. The firm has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.84 and a beta of 1.01.
Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.07. Upwork had a net margin of 12.94% and a return on equity of 16.70%. The business had revenue of $191.66 million during the quarter. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.35 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. Upwork has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.380-1.430 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.310-0.330 EPS.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of brokerages have commented on UPWK. Weiss Ratings cut Upwork from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Scotiabank decreased their target price on shares of Upwork from $10.00 to $8.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on shares of Upwork from $15.00 to $11.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $11.50 price target on shares of Upwork in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price target on shares of Upwork from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Upwork has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $13.05.
View Our Latest Research Report on Upwork
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Upwork
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its stake in Upwork by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 32,200 shares of the company's stock worth $638,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the period. Straightline Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Upwork by 2.4% in the fourth 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 boosted its position in shares of Upwork by 11.0% in the first quarter. Maridea Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,621 shares of the company's stock worth $127,000 after purchasing an additional 1,152 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Upwork by 43.7% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,575 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,392 shares in the last quarter. Finally, King Luther Capital Management Corp increased its stake in shares of Upwork by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 317,542 shares of the company's stock worth $6,294,000 after purchasing an additional 1,465 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.71% of the company's stock.
Key Headlines Impacting Upwork
Here are the key news stories impacting Upwork this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Upwork’s latest quarterly earnings exceeded expectations: adjusted EPS was $0.41 versus the $0.34 consensus estimate. The company also maintained fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $1.38–$1.43, supporting the profitability case. Upwork stock slips as earnings beat meets revenue decline
- Neutral Sentiment: CEO Hayden Brown, CFO Erica Gessert, COO Anthony Kappus and CAO Sabrina Mekhalfa sold shares at approximately $8.45 each. The filings state that the transactions were made to cover tax-withholding obligations tied to vested equity awards, which makes them less indicative of discretionary bearish views. Upwork CFO insider sale
- Negative Sentiment: Revenue declined 1.7% year over year to $191.66 million, tempering the earnings beat and raising concerns about limited growth in Upwork’s marketplace. Several analysts subsequently maintained Hold or Neutral ratings and reduced price targets, contributing to the cautious sentiment. Upwork stock slips as earnings beat meets revenue decline
About Upwork
(
Get Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
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