Fact based stock research
Upwork (NasdaqGS:UPWK)
US91688F1049
How to read the free ranks
For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".
Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".
Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.
Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.
(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).
(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.
Upwork stock research in summary
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 89 (better than 89% compared with investment alternatives), Upwork (HR- & Employment Services, USA) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of Upwork are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 66 (better than 66% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 65), and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 86), which means low debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 89, is a strong buy recommendation based on Upwork's financial characteristics. As the company Upwork's key financial metrics all exhibit excellent performance, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 66), above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 65), and indicate that the company is safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 86), it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the share is limited, unless the company has a bleak future. Such good financial performance can indicate that the company's future might actually be challenging, as it may be difficult to maintain the good performance. If they are safely financed and have been growing above average, and are still a good value, it means that the market is keeping prices low, for a reason which may become clearer over time. We recommend evaluating the future of Upwork. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more
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360° Viewnew| Country | USA |
| Industry | HR- & Employment Services |
| Index | NASDAQ |
| Size class | Small |
31-Jul-2025. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.
Analysts rarely agree on a stock’s future. So, who do you believe? Obermatt translates those collective views into a single Sentiment Rank. That plus the financial ranks give you the ultimate 360° View. Sign up to access them.
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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.
Research History: Upwork
| RESEARCH HISTORY | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 9 |
|
60 |
|
55 |
|
66 |
|
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 51 |
|
95 |
|
72 |
|
65 |
|
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 60 |
|
42 |
|
100 |
|
86 |
|
| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 47 |
|
65 |
|
40 |
|
new |
|
| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 31 |
|
97 |
|
85 |
|
new |
|
Combined financial peformance in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 89 (better than 89% compared with investment alternatives), Upwork (HR- & Employment Services, USA) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of Upwork are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 66 (better than 66% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 65), and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 86), which means low debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 89, is a strong buy recommendation based on Upwork's financial characteristics. As the company Upwork's key financial metrics all exhibit excellent performance, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 66), above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 65), and indicate that the company is safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 86), it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the share is limited, unless the company has a bleak future. Such good financial performance can indicate that the company's future might actually be challenging, as it may be difficult to maintain the good performance. If they are safely financed and have been growing above average, and are still a good value, it means that the market is keeping prices low, for a reason which may become clearer over time. We recommend evaluating the future of Upwork. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more
| RESEARCH HISTORY | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 9 |
|
60 |
|
55 |
|
66 |
|
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 51 |
|
95 |
|
72 |
|
65 |
|
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 60 |
|
42 |
|
100 |
|
86 |
|
| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 20 |
|
85 |
|
97 |
|
89 |
|
Value Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 66 (better than 66% compared with alternatives), Upwork shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators above average for Upwork. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 58, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 58% of comparable companies, indicating a good value regarding Upwork's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price to Profits (or Price / Earnings, P/E), more favorable than for 90% of alternatives, and it's also true for the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Capital Rank of 66. But, compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields are expected to be lower than average; only 1% of all competitors have even lower dividend yields than Upwork (a Dividend Yield Rank of 1). 99% alternative investments in the same business provide a higher dividend yield. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 66, is a buy recommendation based on Upwork's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. The below-average dividend yield may be a good sign, as it could mean the company has more attractive investment opportunities for the generated cash than to pay it out as dividends. A low dividend yield can also indicate a growth phase. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision. ...read more
| VALUE METRICS | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S) | 47 |
|
62 |
|
48 |
|
58 |
|
| PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | 13 |
|
71 |
|
74 |
|
90 |
|
| PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | 24 |
|
40 |
|
54 |
|
66 |
|
| DIVIDEND YIELD | ||||||||
| DIVIDEND YIELD | 1 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | 9 |
|
60 |
|
55 |
|
66 |
|
Growth Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 65 (better than 65% compared with alternatives), Upwork shows an above-average growth dynamic in its industry. Investors also speak of positive momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for Upwork. Capital Growth has a rank of 100, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital more than 49% of its competitors. Investors welcomed this, visible in the Stock Returns rank of 63 (above 63% of alternative investments). But Sales Growth has only a rank of 30, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 70% of its competitors, and Profit Growth is also low at a rank of 49. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 65, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. This is an ambiguous picture. Revenue growth and capital growth are strong, but the growth in profit, which seems good, can also be an indication that growth momentum may be negative. The fact that stock returns have been above average doesn't help much, as stock returns are less reliable in showing a company’s future growth potential. Prices may perform well for the simple reason that investors were too pessimistic in the past and are now correcting their opinions and moving the stock price to a more reasonable level. As the growth picture is mixed for Upwork, investors may want to look at value and sentiment indicators for a well-rounded picture of this stock. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is mixed here. ...read more
| GROWTH METRICS | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REVENUE GROWTH | ||||||||
| REVENUE GROWTH | 61 |
|
63 |
|
30 |
|
30 |
|
| PROFIT GROWTH | ||||||||
| PROFIT GROWTH | 93 |
|
96 |
|
22 |
|
49 |
|
| CAPITAL GROWTH | ||||||||
| CAPITAL GROWTH | 1 |
|
92 |
|
100 |
|
100 |
|
| STOCK RETURNS | ||||||||
| STOCK RETURNS | 39 |
|
63 |
|
71 |
|
63 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | 51 |
|
95 |
|
72 |
|
65 |
|
Safety Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 86 (better than 86% compared with alternatives) for 2025, the company Upwork has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of Upwork is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with two out of three indicators above-average for Upwork. Refinancing is at 92, meaning the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 92% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at 88, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 88% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. However, Leverage is rather large at 31, which means the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 69% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 86 (better than 86% compared with alternatives), Upwork has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. This is not bad if things go well. The higher debt level means better returns to shareholders if things go well. Many top-performing companies operate with higher debt levels, and Upwork could be in that group. But if you expect the environment to turn rougher, the higher leverage could become a problem. The same is valid if you expect interest rates to rise. That could squeeze shareholder returns, which so far have benefitted from better conditions. In the long-term, investors may have a debt challenge with Upwork and should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more
| SAFETY METRICS | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 63 |
|
16 |
|
30 |
|
31 |
|
| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 81 |
|
87 |
|
94 |
|
92 |
|
| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 19 |
|
29 |
|
97 |
|
88 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 60 |
|
42 |
|
100 |
|
86 |
|
Sentiment Metrics in Detail
| SENTIMENT | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANALYST OPINIONS | ||||||||
| ANALYST OPINIONS | n/a |
|
25 |
|
71 |
|
new |
|
| OPINIONS CHANGE | ||||||||
| OPINIONS CHANGE | 50 |
|
64 |
|
6 |
|
new |
|
| PRO HOLDINGS | ||||||||
| PRO HOLDINGS | 29 |
|
73 |
|
58 |
|
new |
|
| MARKET PULSE | ||||||||
| MARKET PULSE | 34 |
|
74 |
|
69 |
|
new |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT | 47 |
|
65 |
|
40 |
|
new |
|
Free stock analysis by the purely fact based Obermatt Method for Upwork from July 31, 2025.
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