Upwork Inc. (NASDAQ:UPWK) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Upwork Inc. (NASDAQ:UPWK) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $23.50.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Upwork from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Upwork in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Upwork in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Citizens Jmp reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $27.00 price objective on shares of Upwork in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $25.00 target price on shares of Upwork in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th.

Upwork Stock Down 1.4%

Upwork stock traded down $0.28 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $19.87. 1,723,163 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,916,581. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.35 and a beta of 1.01. Upwork has a 12 month low of $11.13 and a 12 month high of $22.32. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $19.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $16.96.

Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by ($0.04). Upwork had a net margin of 31.63% and a return on equity of 41.05%. The firm had revenue of $201.73 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $193.33 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.30 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Upwork has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.350-1.370 EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.310-0.330 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Upwork will post 0.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Upwork

In other Upwork news, insider Dave Bottoms sold 11,285 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.59, for a total value of $232,358.15. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 9,967 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $205,220.53. This trade represents a 53.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary Steele sold 12,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.51, for a total value of $218,875.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 85,129 shares in the company, valued at $1,490,608.79. The trade was a 12.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 523,248 shares of company stock worth $10,029,741 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 7.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Upwork

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Accredited Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Upwork by 5,280.0% in the third quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,345 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 1,320 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its position in Upwork by 998.4% in the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,406 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 1,278 shares in the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Upwork during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in Upwork by 2,405.7% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,754 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,684 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Upwork by 415.9% in the second quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 2,528 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 2,038 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.71% of the company’s stock.

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.