Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK) Issues Q1 2026 Earnings Guidance

Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK) issued an update on its first quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Monday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 0.260-0.280 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 0.360. The company issued revenue guidance of $192.0 million-$197.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $201.0 million. Upwork also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 1.430-1.480 EPS.

Upwork Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of UPWK stock traded down $0.14 on Monday, reaching $18.79. The stock had a trading volume of 7,551,082 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,718,621. Upwork has a 12 month low of $11.13 and a 12 month high of $22.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.74 and a beta of 1.06. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $20.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.68.

Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $198.41 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $197.52 million. Upwork had a return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 31.63%.Upwork has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.430-1.480 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.260-0.280 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Upwork will post 0.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPWK has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $26.00 price objective on shares of Upwork in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. BTIG Research reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Upwork in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Upwork from $22.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Citizens Jmp restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Upwork in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Upwork from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $23.91.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Dave Bottoms sold 9,622 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.66, for a total transaction of $198,790.52. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 345 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,127.70. This represents a 96.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Hayden Brown sold 23,147 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.59, for a total transaction of $476,596.73. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 721,158 shares in the company, valued at $14,848,643.22. The trade was a 3.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 523,248 shares of company stock valued at $10,029,741. Company insiders own 7.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Upwork

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Upwork by 19,361.1% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,503 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 3,485 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Upwork by 103.5% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,103 shares of the company’s stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 2,087 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in shares of Upwork by 1,333.0% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 13,972 shares of the company’s stock worth $188,000 after purchasing an additional 12,997 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in Upwork by 85.8% in the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 15,850 shares of the company’s stock valued at $213,000 after purchasing an additional 7,319 shares during the period. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in Upwork by 51.4% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 16,363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $220,000 after purchasing an additional 5,553 shares during the period. 77.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Upwork Company Profile

Upwork Inc operates a leading online talent marketplace that connects businesses with independent professionals worldwide. Through its digital platform, the company enables clients across industries—including technology, marketing, creative services and customer support—to source, hire and manage freelance talent on demand. Key features of the Upwork platform include streamlined job posting, proposal evaluation, time-tracking tools, invoicing and secure payment processing, all designed to simplify collaboration between clients and remote workers.

The company traces its roots to the merger of two pioneering freelance marketplaces, Elance (founded in 1998) and oDesk (founded in 2003), which combined in 2015 to form a unified entity.