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UPUPWK

Upwork Inc.

$UPWK·$1.1B·Staffing & Employment Services·Industrials
$8.48-2.0%YTD-51.1%1Y-38.1%
Mentions · last 7 days
2026-08-07: 4 posts2026-08-08: 4 posts2026-08-09: 3 posts2026-08-10: 71 posts2026-08-11: 84 posts2026-08-12: 18 posts2026-08-13: 4 posts188+11%
Price updated 17h ago·X counts updated 2d ago
UPUPWK
$UPWKUpwork Inc.
$8.49-2.02%188 posts+11%
AI analysisFundamentalsVoices on X
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AI verdict & sentimentAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data

Top X posts

Today's AI verdict on what's driving $UPWK, plus how loud the X conversation is and which way it's leaning.

AI analysis

TickerTalks’ read on the fundamentals and what’s driving the move.

Proven numbersSelling offAI verdict · as of 2026-08-14

Falling on heavy selling — points lower unless it turns around.

Freelance marketplace at the 8th percentile of range — beat Q2 but the guide sold the stock, and AI is the actual thesis-changing question.

Upwork is the largest global freelance-work marketplace — take-rate on gross services value (GSV) plus subscription tiers plus a growing enterprise sales motion. The Q2 print landed a double beat but the guide sold the stock 20%, and the AI-cannibalization question is now the load-bearing debate.

  • The Q2 print was mechanically strong: revenue of $191.7M grew ~15% YoY, EPS of $0.41 beat $0.34 by 20%, and $21M of quarterly FCF at a 22% FCF yield make this a cash-generative business at 1.3x sales — the mechanics look nothing like a broken business.
  • The specific worry is AI cannibalization: bulls cite AI GSV +50% YoY as evidence Upwork is riding the shift; bears counter that AI is taking lower-complexity work (transcription, basic writing, simple design) — which was Upwork's volume base — and the enterprise MCP-server-for-agentic-hiring pivot won't offset the loss fast enough.
  • The tape is trading the AI thesis: shares sit at just the 8th percentile of the 52-week range, -35% vs the 200-day, -51% YTD — the market has already voted that the AI-cannibalization case is more credible than the AI-tailwind case, and the CFO's temporary medical leave (with the CEO covering) doesn't help with the confidence question.

What arrests the breakdown is the Nov 10 print confirming enterprise-segment revenue is scaling faster than the low-complexity work erosion, plus a specific MCP/agentic-hiring metric that quantifies the AI opportunity; without either, the trajectory extends and value-hunters keep getting caught.

Agrees with X sentimentThe divergent X read reflects the genuine debate — the bulls' AI GSV +50%, MCP server for agentic hiring, and structural-growth framing are fair; the bears' AI-cannibalization argument and "buybacks amid bad quarter destroy value" complaint are also fair. Both are working from real data; the tape has voted on the bear side.

What to watch: Nov 10 Q3 earnings — enterprise segment revenue trajectory, take-rate stability, and any specific MCP-server-for-agentic-hiring metric. Enterprise growth outrunning low-complexity-work erosion is what arrests the breakdown.

On the calendar: 2026-11-10 — Q3 earnings

X sentiment

What the X crowd is saying right now — descriptive, summarised from the day’s posts.

Bearish sentiment⚠10 posts analyzed · as of 2026-08-14 · top-engagement diverged

Upwork sentiment is bearish. Q2 EPS and revenue beat but stock dropped 20% on a big miss to FY26 guide ($730–750M rev vs $776M est, EBITDA $225–235M vs $255M) and weak Q3 guide. Losing lower-complexity work to AI, GSV -4% YoY. Trading at ~4x fwd earnings vs 16x fwd sales in 2021 — cheap-but-broken.

Read the AI verdict + X sentiment for $UPWK

  • One-line verdict on what's driving the move — fundamentals, momentum, both, or an event
  • Next dated catalyst when there is one (earnings, deal closing, activist clock)
  • X crowd read with bullish/bearish call + post volume
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What it does

Plain-English summary of the business — what they sell and how they make money.

Online freelance marketplace connecting businesses with independent professionals across tech, marketing, design, and creative fields globally.

Industry overviewAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data

Where Staffing & Employment Services sits in its cycle right now — and what that implies for $UPWK.

Staffing & Employment Services · Industrials

No material change from last week — Mastech Digital provides IT solutions and data analytics staffing as enterprises continue deploying AI and cloud infrastructure.

What this means for $UPWK

Neutral — Online freelance marketplace connecting businesses with independent professionals across tech, marketing, design, and creative fields globally; limited read-through from staffing & employment services macro dynamics to this specific revenue mix.

Industry benchmark

6-name peer basket
+43.4%YTD
+37.3%1Y

Fundamentals & catalyst

Profitability, valuation, and the next earnings event — at a glance, with rule-of-thumb signals.

Key ratios

P/E
9.9How much investors are paying per dollar of profit the company actually earned in the last 12 months. Lower means the stock looks cheaper relative to earnings.~15–25 is typical for the S&P 500; high-growth names trade 30+; hyper-growth or speculative can be 100+ or negative.
ROIC
9.6%What percentage return the business earns on every dollar of capital (equity + debt) deployed in operations. The cleanest measure of business quality.Above ~15% is high-quality; consistently above 25% suggests a real moat. Below the company's cost of capital is value-destroying.
Op margin
15.6%Operating profit (after sales, marketing, R&D, and overhead but before interest and taxes) as a percentage of revenue. The clearest view of how well the underlying business is run.Mature business above 20% is healthy; software businesses can run 30%+; commodity / retail businesses operate in single digits.
FCF yield
21.8%Free cash flow (operating cash flow minus capex) divided by the company's market cap. The cash-on-cash return you'd get owning the whole business at today's price.Above ~5% is attractive; below ~2% means you're paying up for growth. Capital-light businesses (software) run higher than capital-heavy ones (utilities).
P/S
1.3Same idea as P/E but per dollar of revenue. Useful for companies that aren't profitable yet, where P/E is meaningless.Under ~2 is cheap; software / SaaS often runs 8–15; well above 20 implies the market is pricing in very high future growth.
ROE
17.9%Net income as a percentage of shareholders' equity. Similar to ROIC but counts only the equity side.Above 20% is strong, but can be inflated by leverage — a heavily indebted company can show high ROE with weak underlying ROIC.
Gross margin
77.5%Revenue minus the direct cost of producing what was sold, as a percentage of revenue. The first read on whether the product is structurally profitable.Software / SaaS is typically 70%+; consumer goods 30–50%; commodity / hardware businesses can be under 20%.
D/E
0.7Total debt divided by shareholders' equity. Measures how much the business runs on borrowed money versus owner capital.Under 1 is conservative; 1–2 is typical for mature businesses; over 2 is leveraged and more sensitive to interest rates.

Past earnings

QuarterReportedActualEstimateSurprise
Q2 2026Aug 10, 2026$0.41$0.34+19.7%
Q1 2026May 7, 2026$0.24$0.25-4.0%
Q4 2025Feb 9, 2026$0.12$0.23-47.8%
Q3 2025Nov 3, 2025$0.21$0.25-16.0%
Next earningsTue, Nov 10·consensus EPS $0.32

Quarterly trend

QuarterRevenueYoYGrossOpEPSFCF
Q1 FY26$195.5M+1.4%77.2%16.7%$0.25$21.3M
Q4 FY25$198.4M+3.6%78.0%14.3%$0.12$63.2M
Q3 FY25$201.7M+4.1%77.3%14.8%$0.22$69.4M
Q2 FY25$194.9M+0.9%77.7%16.7%$0.25$70.1M

Forward consensus

5-year forecast · up to 7 analysts
FYRevenueRangeEPSRangeAnalysts
FY26$776.0M$759.8M – $788.4M$1.54$1.50 – $1.577
FY27$822.9M$805.7M – $836.1M$1.74$1.70 – $1.787
FY28$939.0M$934.5M – $943.6M$2.05$1.88 – $2.214
FY29$1.1B$1.1B – $1.1B$2.64$2.57 – $2.693
FY30$1.2B$1.2B – $1.2B$2.92$2.84 – $2.983

Setup & momentum

Volume, range, and moving-average position — the technical setup driving short-term moves.

Right now

Vol vs 30dToday's traded share volume divided by the average over the prior 30 trading days. ≥3× signals unusual interest; below 1× is quiet.1.8×Today's traded share volume divided by the average over the prior 30 trading days. ≥3× signals unusual interest; below 1× is quiet.
52w rangeWhere the latest close sits between the 52-week low (0%) and high (100%). Above 80% is extended; below 30% is basing or in a downtrend.8%Where the latest close sits between the 52-week low (0%) and high (100%). Above 80% is extended; below 30% is basing or in a downtrend.
vs 50d MALatest close vs the 50-day simple moving average. Positive = short-term trend is up.-2.2%Latest close vs the 50-day simple moving average. Positive = short-term trend is up.
vs 200d MALatest close vs the 200-day simple moving average. Positive = long-term trend is up.-35.8%Latest close vs the 200-day simple moving average. Positive = long-term trend is up.

Float & profile

FloatMid float · 114.5M shFree-float shares — the slice of issued stock actually available to trade. Lower buckets squeeze harder on a catalyst.Traded today5.8% of floatToday's volume as a percent of the free float. Above 5% on a single day is unusually high turnover for the available share count.β1.015-year weekly beta vs the S&P 500. Above 1.5 means the stock typically moves more than the index; below 0.8 moves less.

Insider activity

Recent open-market buys and sells by officers and directors — flagged when multiple insiders cluster.

Recent transactions

SellJul 18Kappus Anthony RayCOO558 sh$5KSellJun 18Erica GessertCFO9.2K sh$75KSellJun 18Sabrina MekhalfaChief Accounting Officer1.3K sh$10KSellJun 18Hayden BrownCEO23.5K sh$191KSellMay 18Kappus Anthony RayCOO1.9K sh$17KSellMay 18Erica GessertCFO22.2K sh$192KSellMay 18Hayden BrownCEO72.5K sh$624KSellMar 18Sabrina MekhalfaChief Accounting Officer1.5K sh$18K
+ 16 other (8 exempts · 8 awards) in window

See when $UPWK insiders are putting their own money in

  • Real-time open-market buys and sells from Form 4 filings
  • Cluster-buy detection when multiple insiders pile in at once
  • 30 / 60 / 180-day windows so you can spot building conviction
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SEC filings

Material 8-K, 13D, S-3, and 424B5 events from the last 180 days — the filings that actually move the price.

Recent material filings

8-KOfficer or director changeJul 168-K — Item 5.02: Officer or director change
AI summary

Upwork Inc. disclosed on July 16, 2026, that CFO and principal financial officer Erica Gessert began a temporary medical leave effective July 14, 2026, with CEO Hayden Brown assuming the interim principal financial officer role during her absence; Gessert is expected to return in Q4 2026. No permanent change is indicated. A temporary leadership adjustment that adds modest short-term risk given the CEO's dual role, but with a defined end-of-year return expectation.

8-KMaterial agreementJun 238-K — Item 1.01: Material agreement · Item 2.03: Material debt obligation
AI summary

Upwork Inc. entered a new Credit Agreement on June 23, 2026, with Bank of America as administrative agent and other lenders for a $150M secured revolving credit facility, including a $10M letter of credit sublimit, with BofA Securities and Wells Fargo Securities as joint lead arrangers. The new revolving credit facility provides Upwork with a meaningful liquidity backstop; the secured structure reflects current lender requirements for mid-cap technology companies.

3New insider — initial holdingsJun 83
AI summary

Claire Bramley joined Upwork Inc.'s board of directors effective June 4, 2026, and reports no securities beneficially owned. Routine initial Section 16 director disclosure; new director brings no pre-existing equity position at this online talent marketplace.

3New insider — initial holdingsJun 83
AI summary

David H. Lissy joined Upwork Inc.'s board of directors effective June 4, 2026, and reports no securities beneficially owned. Companion initial Section 16 director disclosure to the Bramley filing; two new directors were added to Upwork's board on the same date as part of a governance refresh disclosed in the companion 8-K.

8-KOfficer or director changeJun 58-K — Item 5.02: Officer or director change · Item 5.07: Shareholder vote
AI summary

Upwork Inc. held its 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders on June 4, 2026; Leela Srinivasan did not stand for re-election; Anilu Vazquez-Ubarri resigned from the board effective immediately prior to the director election; the Class III directorship vacated by Vazquez-Ubarri will be reduced per the certificate of incorporation, shrinking the board size. Notable governance changes at Upwork amid its reported exploration of strategic alternatives; the board reduction and voluntary departure are signals to monitor.

8-KRestructuring / exit costsMay 78-K — Item 2.02: Earnings release · Item 2.05: Restructuring / exit costs · Item 7.01: Press release / Reg FD
AI summary

Upwork Inc. reported Q1 2026 financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2026 and disclosed a restructuring plan under Item 2.05. The restructuring is expected to generate charges of $7–9 million in Q2 2026, primarily cash-based, as the company streamlines its organizational structure and leverages AI and automation capabilities to improve efficiency. An investor presentation was furnished under Regulation FD alongside the earnings materials. Non-GAAP financial measures and reconciliations are included in the press release. The restructuring reflects Upwork's operational repositioning in a challenging freelance marketplace environment.

3New insider — initial holdingsApr 213
8-KOfficer or director changeMar 188-K — Item 5.02: Officer or director change
+ 12 other (7 13Gs · 2 proxys · 1 10-Q · 1 ARS) in window

Recent news

Latest headlines from major outlets, sourced and timestamped — context for whatever just moved.

Upwork: Earnings Selloff Is A Time To Buy, But AI Is A Real Threatseekingalpha.com·3d agoUpwork stock tumbles as weak guidance overshadows Q2 earnings beatinvezz.com·4d agoWhy Upwork Stock Is Plummeting Todayfool.com·4d agoUpwork Inc. (UPWK) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcriptseekingalpha.com·4d agoUpwork Q2 Earnings Call Highlightsmarketbeat.com·5d ago

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TickerTalks is a research tool, not financial advice. We surface social-attention data; we do not make stock recommendations. Past attention is not predictive of future price movements.

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