Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK) Announces Q4 2026 Earnings Guidance

Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK) issued an update on its fourth quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided EPS guidance of 0.300-0.320 for the period, compared to the consensus 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.

Upwork Trading Up 6.2%

Shares of Upwork stock opened at $9.72 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $8.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $10.65. 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 12-month low of $7.44 and a 12-month high of $22.84.

Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 2nd. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.09. The firm 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%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $11.50 price objective on Upwork in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their target price on Upwork from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. BTIG Research reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Upwork in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Upwork from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Scotiabank reduced their price target on shares of Upwork from $10.00 to $8.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Three investment 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $13.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at Upwork

In other news, CFO Erica Gessert sold 9,336 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 value of $78,889.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 373,586 shares in the company, valued at $3,156,801.70. The trade was a 2.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 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 that occurred on Friday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.45, for a total value of $201,895.85. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 793,593 shares in the company, valued at $6,705,860.85. This trade represents a 2.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 178,868 shares of company stock valued at $1,509,462. Company insiders own 4.90% of the company’s stock.

Key Upwork News

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.