Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 1.450-1.470 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 1.400. The company issued revenue guidance of $742.0 million-$750.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $742.1 million. Upwork also updated its Q4 2026 guidance to 0.300-0.320 EPS.

Upwork Stock Up 6.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:UPWK opened at $9.72 on Tuesday. Upwork has a 12-month low of $7.44 and a 12-month high of $22.84. The stock has a market cap of $1.21 billion, a PE ratio of 12.62 and a beta of 1.06. The business has a 50 day moving average of $8.66 and a 200-day moving average of $10.65.

Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 2nd. The company reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $185.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $180.22 million. Upwork had a net margin of 12.94% and a return on equity of 16.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on UPWK. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Upwork in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on shares of Upwork from $10.00 to $8.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Upwork from $9.00 to $8.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $11.50 price target on shares of Upwork in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group cut their target price on Upwork from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Upwork presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $13.25.

Insider Activity

In other Upwork news, CEO Hayden Brown sold 23,893 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.45, for a total transaction of $201,895.85. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 793,593 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,705,860.85. This represents a 2.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Erica Gessert sold 9,336 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.45, for a total value of $78,889.20. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 373,586 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,156,801.70. This represents a 2.44% decrease in their position. 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 178,868 shares of company stock valued at $1,509,462. Insiders own 4.90% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Upwork

Here are the key news stories impacting Upwork this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Upwork reported third-quarter EPS of $0.40, exceeding the $0.31 analyst consensus, while revenue of $185.6 million topped expectations of $180.2 million. Upwork third-quarter earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Full-year 2026 EPS guidance was raised or maintained at $1.45-$1.47, above the $1.40 consensus estimate. Full-year revenue guidance of $742 million-$750 million is broadly in line with expectations, supporting confidence in profitability. Upwork third-quarter financial results
• Positive Sentiment: Upwork launched the public beta of Upwork Now, designed to let clients hire experts within minutes. The company is also embedding its freelance marketplace into leading AI tools, potentially improving customer acquisition and demand for freelancers. Upwork Now launch
• Positive Sentiment: Lifted, Upwork’s enterprise-focused business, acquired WorkMotion, expanding its global employer-of-record capabilities. Business Plus revenue also reportedly grew 120% year over year in the third quarter, highlighting strength in higher-value offerings. Upwork acquires WorkMotion
• Negative Sentiment: Fourth-quarter EPS guidance of $0.30-$0.32 is below the $0.35 consensus estimate. Revenue guidance of $169 million-$177 million is centered near expectations but indicates a sequential decline from the third quarter. Upwork Q3 earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts remain concerned that declining revenue trends and structural changes from generative AI could undermine Upwork’s long-term relevance, despite the recent earnings rebound. Upwork long-term outlook analysis

About Upwork

Upwork Inc operates a global work marketplace that connects businesses with independent professionals and agencies. Clients use the platform to find, evaluate, hire and manage talent for projects across areas such as software development, design, marketing, writing, consulting, customer support and administrative services.

The company provides tools for talent discovery, project collaboration, communications, time tracking, contract management and payments. Its offerings serve both individual clients and larger organizations, with features designed to support recurring engagements, contingent-work programs and enterprise talent management.

Upwork was formed in 2015 through the merger of Elance and oDesk, two online freelance-work platforms, and began trading publicly on the Nasdaq stock exchange in 2018.