Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK) Announces Q4 2026 Earnings Guidance

Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK – Get Free Report) updated its fourth quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 0.300-0.320 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 0.350. The company issued revenue guidance of $169.0 million-$177.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $174.7 million. Upwork also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 1.450-1.470 EPS.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their price target on shares of Upwork from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $11.50 price objective on shares of Upwork in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. BTIG Research reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Upwork in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Upwork from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on Upwork from $11.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Upwork presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $13.25.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Upwork

Upwork Stock Performance

Shares of Upwork stock opened at $9.72 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.62 and a beta of 1.06. Upwork has a fifty-two week low of $7.44 and a fifty-two week high of $22.84. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $8.66 and a 200 day moving average of $10.65.

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

Insider Activity at Upwork

In other Upwork news, COO Anthony Kappus sold 45,732 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.45, for a total transaction of $386,435.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 76,342 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $645,089.90. This trade represents a 37.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO Hayden Brown sold 23,893 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.45, for a total transaction of $201,895.85. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 793,593 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,705,860.85. This trade represents a 2.92% 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 ninety days, insiders have sold 178,868 shares of company stock worth $1,509,462. Company 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

Upwork Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

See Also

Receive News & Ratings for Upwork Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Upwork and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.