Upwork, Inc. (UPWK)
NASDAQIndustrialsStaffing & Employment ServicesSnapshot 2026-09-04
$8.79-4.35%
Close 2026-09-04 · 1-day change
NASDAQIndustrialsStaffing & Employment ServicesSnapshot 2026-09-04
Research Workspace
Put UPWK beside peers and holdings, graph the same metric, and keep your notes with the evidence.
Daily closes. Earnings/event dots are placed inline.
Industries move in repeating boom-and-bust cycles. This shows where this stock’s industry sits in that cycle, stage by stage (recovery → expansion → supercycle → steady → deceleration → contraction), from its fundamentals (orders, revenue, capital spending), not the stock’s price.
A booming industry is a tailwind for the names in it; a contracting one is a headwind. Companies in the same industry tend to rise and fall together with the cycle, the way a tide lifts and lowers every boat in the harbor at once, so a large part of a stock’s swing can come from where its industry sits rather than from the company itself. It’s context for reading the company’s results, not a buy/sell call. Full explanation →
Industrials is in expansion. Describes the industry's cycle state, not a call on this stock.
The stage band shows the industry’s cycle over the chart’s timeline (each color a stage); a ▼ marks a quarter its growth inflected down — amber is an unconfirmed watch, red is confirmed the next quarter. Use “Overlay cycle on chart” to tint the price chart by stage. The industry’s fundamentals, not a signal on this stock.
Primary pillar broken — Revenue growth near $775 million in FY 2026: FY26 rev guide $740M vs $775M target.
View ThesisRevenue growth is slowing — up about 2% over the past year and decelerating.
View GrowthMiddle-of-the-pack management execution.
View ManagementExpectations look reasonable — what the market is pricing in sits in line with or below what analysts forecast.
View ValuationThis stock is highly volatile — it swings about 2% on a typical day and fell roughly 65% in its worst 12-month stretch.
View RiskUpwork's growth relies on expanding AI capabilities and increasing AI-related work. Revenue growth is slowing, with FY26 guidance set at $740 million to $775 million. Q2 2026 revenue was $191.7 million, at the high end of guidance. The stock trades at 6.9× P/E versus a peer median of 24×. This suggests the price reflects less growth than expected, indicating it looks cheap on this basis. The primary risk is a potential guidance cut, with a 30% probability of missing outlook. Peer multiples imply a price about 63% above where it trades. This read is provisional.
Trailing returns as of 2026-09-04. UPWK is total return (includes dividends); the S&P 500 benchmark is price return (the index excludes dividends).
Based on 10 analysts currently covering UPWK (as of Sep 2026).
Based on 6 Wall Street analysts offering 12-month price targets for UPWK in the last 4 months.
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Compare UPWK with peers and holdings, graph the same reported metric, keep your questions beside the evidence, and return when the facts change.
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| Compare | Company | Living FV | P/E | Revenue % | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPWK Selected company | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review | |
| Peer Add a competitor | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review | |
| Holding Compare a holding | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review |
Selected metric trend
Quarterly · checked companies · value or % of revenue
A consensus fair price across 10 valuation methods, at three horizons. As of 2026-09-04. Estimates are diagnostics, not price targets. Short-horizon estimates are close to coin-flips, so confidence is a method-agreement read, not a prediction.
Today's peer multiple on trailing earnings, with no growth credited. This is the headline read.
Adds projected growth, so it leans optimistic by design. Read it as upside context, not a base case.
A price-focused, side-by-side fair-value read versus Human Resource & Employment Services — fair value, gap to price, and forward P/E.
Compare the value case
Put UPWK next to peers and holdings, compare Living FV and multiples, then graph the driver behind the difference.
Advances: Build AI capabilities and grow AI-related work
Launch aligns with building AI capabilities and growing AI-related work.
Not investment advice. Scores describe historical and current data; they are not forecasts of future returns. Consult a licensed advisor before making investment decisions.
End-of-day figures as of 2026-09-04. EPS is implied from price ÷ P/E. Not investment advice.
Current $8.79
The last 12 months of price, then the range of analyst 12-month targets from today’s $8.79.
Analyst ratings and price targets are third-party Wall Street estimates, not QuarterlyIQ’s view. Not investment advice.
A long-thesis check that carries the widest uncertainty of the three horizons.
Above average on quality vs scored peers
Direction of the business behind the multiple. Bands are backend reads; trailing-12-month basis.
Threatens: Build AI capabilities and grow AI-related work
AI transition challenges could hinder growth objectives.
Advances: Build AI capabilities and grow AI-related work
Earnings call highlights AI growth and capabilities.
Advances: Expand AI work on the marketplace
AI growth supports expansion objective amid marketplace challenges.
Threatens: Build AI capabilities and grow AI-related work
Revenue decline amid shift to AI-driven work raises concerns.
Threatens: Build AI capabilities and grow AI-related work
Better-than-expected sales but significant stock drop indicates market concerns.
Threatens: Build AI capabilities and grow AI-related work
Earnings test amid revenue slides raises doubts on AI strategy.
Securities fraud investigation could impact investor confidence.
