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 55 (better than 55% compared with investment alternatives), Upwork (HR- & Employment Services, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Upwork are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 46 (worse than 54% of alternatives) and show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 27) but are safely financed (Safety Rank of 92), which means low debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 55, is a buy recommendation based on Upwork's financial characteristics. As the company Upwork's critical financial metrics exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 46) and low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 27), it is a somewhat questionable stock investment, where the risk of paying too much for the shares is significant, unless the company has an exceptionally bright future. In this case, good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 92) are a positive sign, because it may allow the company to weather challenging times until the hoped-for cash flows materialize. This may be true for high-tech or biotechnology companies with enough cash to sustain prolonged business development. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and unattractive today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value, as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts lie all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that account for a small fraction of a safe portfolio. 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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Country | USA |
Industry | HR- & Employment Services |
Index | NASDAQ |
Size class | Medium |
27-Mar-2025. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

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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 |
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60 |
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55 |
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46 |
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GROWTH | ||||||||
GROWTH | 51 |
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95 |
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72 |
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27 |
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SAFETY | ||||||||
SAFETY | 60 |
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42 |
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100 |
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92 |
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SENTIMENT | ||||||||
SENTIMENT | 47 |
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65 |
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40 |
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new | |
360° VIEW | ||||||||
360° VIEW | 31 |
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97 |
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85 |
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new |
Combined financial peformance in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 55 (better than 55% compared with investment alternatives), Upwork (HR- & Employment Services, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Upwork are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 46 (worse than 54% of alternatives) and show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 27) but are safely financed (Safety Rank of 92), which means low debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 55, is a buy recommendation based on Upwork's financial characteristics. As the company Upwork's critical financial metrics exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 46) and low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 27), it is a somewhat questionable stock investment, where the risk of paying too much for the shares is significant, unless the company has an exceptionally bright future. In this case, good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 92) are a positive sign, because it may allow the company to weather challenging times until the hoped-for cash flows materialize. This may be true for high-tech or biotechnology companies with enough cash to sustain prolonged business development. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and unattractive today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value, as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts lie all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that account for a small fraction of a safe portfolio. 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 |
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60 |
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55 |
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46 |
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GROWTH | ||||||||
GROWTH | 51 |
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95 |
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72 |
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27 |
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SAFETY | ||||||||
SAFETY | 60 |
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42 |
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100 |
![]() |
92 |
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COMBINED | ||||||||
COMBINED | 20 |
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85 |
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97 |
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55 |
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Value Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 46 (worse than 54% compared with alternatives), Upwork shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Upwork. Only Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) indicates good stock value with a rank of 83, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 83% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Upwork's profit levels. But Price-to-Sales is 48 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than for 52% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Upwork's profit levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 49 and for dividend yield, which is lower than for 99% of comparable companies, making the stock more expensive as regards to the company's expected dividend payouts. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 46, is a hold recommendation based on Upwork's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Can we rely on only one good value indicator? Only if we know the company well. In this case, a high Price-to-Profit Rank, while Price-to-Sales and Price-to-Book are both below the market typical levels, means that the company can charge higher prices for its products and needs less capital to produce them. If this is sustainable, then Upwork is a good investment because profits count most in enterprise valuations. The low dividend yield indicates that the company is confident it can do something with the generated cash that is more valuable than paying the profits out to the shareholders in the form of dividends. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is essential in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more
VALUE METRICS | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S) | ||||||||
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S) | 47 |
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62 |
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48 |
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48 |
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PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | ||||||||
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | 13 |
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71 |
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74 |
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83 |
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PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | ||||||||
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | 24 |
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40 |
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54 |
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49 |
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DIVIDEND YIELD | ||||||||
DIVIDEND YIELD | 1 |
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1 |
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1 |
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1 |
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CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | ||||||||
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | 9 |
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60 |
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55 |
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46 |
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Growth Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 27 (better than 27% compared with alternatives), Upwork shows a below-average growth dynamic in its industry. There is limited momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Upwork. Sales Growth has a below market rank of 28, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 72% of its competitors. The same is valid for Capital Growth, with a rank of 49, and Profit Growth, with a rank of 26. Currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 74% of its competitors). Only shareholders are optimistic. Stock Returns are above average at a rank of 63, which means that the stock returns have recently been above 63% of alternative investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 27, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. That picture may be the result for a company that has reached the bottom. All went south for Upwork, and it still looks bad, but some investors already see light at the end of the tunnel, rewarding the stock with recent above-market stock returns. It could also mean that investors are correcting an overreaction to negative news. If that were the case, the positive stock returns are not yet a sign of recovery. Investors should look closely at the Value and Sentiment indicators before they make a stock purchasing decision, because growth is unlikely to be the driving argument behind this investment. 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 low here. ...read more
GROWTH METRICS | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
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REVENUE GROWTH | ||||||||
REVENUE GROWTH | 61 |
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63 |
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30 |
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28 |
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PROFIT GROWTH | ||||||||
PROFIT GROWTH | 93 |
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96 |
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22 |
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26 |
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CAPITAL GROWTH | ||||||||
CAPITAL GROWTH | 1 |
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92 |
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100 |
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49 |
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STOCK RETURNS | ||||||||
STOCK RETURNS | 39 |
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63 |
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71 |
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63 |
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CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | ||||||||
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | 51 |
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95 |
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72 |
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27 |
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Safety Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 92 (better than 92% 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 97, meaning the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 97% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at 94, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 94% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. However, Leverage is rather large at 29, which means the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 71% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 92 (better than 92% 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 | ||||
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LEVERAGE | ||||||||
LEVERAGE | 63 |
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16 |
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30 |
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29 |
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REFINANCING | ||||||||
REFINANCING | 81 |
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87 |
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94 |
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97 |
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LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
LIQUIDITY | 19 |
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29 |
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97 |
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94 |
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CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 60 |
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42 |
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100 |
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92 |
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Sentiment Metrics in Detail
SENTIMENT | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ANALYST OPINIONS | ||||||||
ANALYST OPINIONS | n/a |
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25 |
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71 |
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new | |
OPINIONS CHANGE | ||||||||
OPINIONS CHANGE | 50 |
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64 |
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6 |
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new | |
PRO HOLDINGS | ||||||||
PRO HOLDINGS | 29 |
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73 |
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58 |
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new | |
MARKET PULSE | ||||||||
MARKET PULSE | 34 |
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74 |
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69 |
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new | |
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT | ||||||||
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT | 47 |
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65 |
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40 |
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new |
Free stock analysis by the purely fact based Obermatt Method for Upwork from March 27, 2025.
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