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UPUPWK

Upwork Inc.

$UPWK·$1.0B·Staffing & Employment Services·Industrials
$8.06-0.1%YTD-59.2%1Y-57.5%
Price updated 25m ago·X counts updated 2d ago
UPUPWK
$UPWKUpwork Inc.
$8.06-0.12%94 posts0.9×
AI analysisFundamentalsVoices on X
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On X

The complete picture of $UPWK on X — how loud the conversation is right now, how it has trended over the last two weeks, and which way the crowd is leaning.

94X posts · last 7 days
Sep 11Sep 27
Chatter Meter
0.9×
QuietNormal · 1×Loud

How loud $UPWK's conversation on X is versus its own normal — 1× is typical, higher means busier. Right now it's about its usual level.

Mixed sentimentAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data10 posts analyzed · as of 2026-08-17

Upwork chatter is mixed. Q2 delivered a double beat - revenue $191.7M vs $190M est (-2% YoY), adjusted EPS $0.41 vs $0.34, adjusted EBITDA $64.1M vs $57.6M (+12% YoY), GSV per active client +5% YoY to $5,230 - yet the stock fell -20.24%. Bulls cite UPWK at 4x forward earnings, new MCP server launch enabling AI agents to hire freelancers, and AI GSV +50% YoY to a $300M run rate as structural growth engine for SMBs. Bears say UPWK is losing lower-complexity work to AI and criticize buybacks despite a bad quarter.

Read what X is saying about $UPWK

  • Bullish vs bearish call — with the AI summary of the day's posts
  • Divergence flag when the top-engagement posts argue the other side
  • How loud the conversation is versus this ticker's own normal
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AI verdictAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data

TickerTalks' own read on what's driving $UPWK — fundamentals, momentum, or an event — and whether it agrees with the X crowd.

Proven numbersSelling offAI verdict · as of 2026-09-29

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

Upwork: -59% YTD at 4% of 52w range — Q2 double beat and AI-GSV +50% couldn't stop a -20% one-day drop or September insider dumping.

Upwork is the freelance-marketplace platform trading at 9.9x TTM PE and 22% FCF yield — deep-value multiples, but the tape says the market thinks AI is eating the marketplace's lunch. Multiple officers sold in size on September 18 within days of the CEO/CFO/COO sales.

The tension in one line:

  • The fundamentals are strong: Q2 EPS $0.41 vs $0.34 est (+19%), revenue $220M above $217.6M est, adjusted EBITDA $64.1M (+12% YoY), AI-GSV $300M run-rate (+50% YoY), FCF $70M in Q3 2025.
  • The tape says AI risk is real: post-Q2 drop -20% despite the double beat; insiders synchronized-sold Sept 18 (CEO $202K, COO $386K, CFO $79K, plus Bank of America adding 704K shares).
  • Structural narrative unresolved: bulls flag MCP server launch enabling AI agents to hire freelancers as a new growth engine; bears say Upwork is losing lower-complexity work to AI substitution, buybacks despite the bad quarter.

The bull path is Nov 2 Q3 print ($0.32 EPS est) showing GSV per active client continuing +5% YoY plus AI-GSV growth persisting. The bear path is a slower active-client base plus buyback pause. Watch active clients and take rate.

Agrees with X sentimentX is mixed with a bear tilt — the '4x forward earnings' framing is technically right but ignores the AI substitution risk driving the multiple compression. Bull's MCP-server angle is real optionality; the bearish 'losing lower-complexity work' concern is the structural question the multiple is pricing.

What to watch: Nov 2 Q3 print ($0.32 EPS est) — active clients (was $5,230/client in Q2), take rate, GSV per active client, and AI-GSV trajectory. Any new commentary on MCP-server monetization.

On the calendar: 2026-11-02 — Q3 earnings

insider sellingai disruption

Read the AI verdict on $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)
  • Whether TickerTalks' read agrees with or diverges from the X crowd
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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

IT staffing demand is contracting as enterprise clients accelerate AI automation of software development tasks (GitHub Copilot, Cursor AI) and reduce offshore programmer headcount. Industrial staffing benefits from reshoring manufacturing expansion; skilled trade shortages (electricians, HVAC, plumbers) sustain pricing power in the non-IT segment.

What this means for $UPWK

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

Top industry ETF

$XLIIndustrial Select Sector SPDR
+9.3%YTD
+10.3%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 earningsMon, Nov 2·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$742.1M$718.1M – $763.1M$1.39$1.33 – $1.447
FY27$736.7M$712.8M – $757.6M$1.36$1.31 – $1.417
FY28$785.5M$715.7M – $832.6M$1.49$0.93 – $1.837
FY29$906.8M$877.5M – $932.5M$1.97$1.89 – $2.043
FY30$981.5M$949.8M – $1.0B$2.15$2.06 – $2.235

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.1.3×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.4%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.-8.5%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.-33.0%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 today3.0% 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

SellSep 18Hayden BrownCEO23.9K sh$202KSellSep 18Sabrina MekhalfaChief Accounting Officer1.3K sh$11KSellSep 18Kappus Anthony RayCOO45.7K sh$386KSellSep 18Erica GessertCFO9.3K sh$79KSellAug 18Hayden BrownCEO73.2K sh$617KSellAug 18Erica GessertCFO22.8K sh$192KSellAug 18Kappus Anthony RayCOO2.0K sh$17KSellJul 18Kappus Anthony RayCOO558 sh$5KSellJun 18Sabrina MekhalfaChief Accounting Officer1.3K sh$10KSellJun 18Erica GessertCFO9.2K sh$75K
1–10 of 14
+ 22 other (14 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
+ 12 other (6 13Gs · 2 10-Qs · 2 proxys · 1 earnings 8-K) in window

Recent news

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

704,083 Shares in Upwork Inc. $UPWK Purchased by Bank of America Corp DEdefenseworld.net·2d agoSabrina Mekhalfa Sells 1,299 Shares of Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK) Stockdefenseworld.net·5d agoUpwork (NASDAQ:UPWK) CFO Erica Gessert Sells 9,336 Sharesdefenseworld.net·6d agoUpwork (NASDAQ:UPWK) CEO Hayden Brown Sells 23,893 Sharesdefenseworld.net·6d agoUpwork (NASDAQ:UPWK) COO Anthony Ray Kappus Sells 45,732 Shares of Stockdefenseworld.net·6d ago

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Voices on X · last 7 days

No standout posts about $UPWK on X in the last 7 days.

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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