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

Upwork Inc. (NASDAQ:UPWK) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $18.58.

UPWK has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Upwork from $21.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Upwork from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on Upwork from $17.00 to $19.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Scotiabank started coverage on Upwork in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $15.00 price target on the stock. Finally, BTIG Research lowered Upwork from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 4th.

Upwork Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:UPWK opened at $12.63 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 3.39 and a quick ratio of 3.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.25 and a beta of 1.60. The business has a 50-day moving average of $14.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $14.60. Upwork has a fifty-two week low of $8.43 and a fifty-two week high of $18.14.

Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.79. Upwork had a return on equity of 50.83% and a net margin of 28.02%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Upwork will post 0.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Hayden Brown sold 21,122 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.15, for a total value of $341,120.30. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,275,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,592,590.45. This represents a 1.63 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Erica Gessert sold 13,765 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.15, for a total value of $222,304.75. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 156,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,532,772.20. This trade represents a 8.07 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 193,365 shares of company stock worth $3,050,760. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Upwork

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its position in Upwork by 34.6% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 68,070 shares of the company’s stock valued at $712,000 after buying an additional 17,482 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Upwork by 228.0% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 211,569 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,211,000 after acquiring an additional 147,059 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd grew its position in Upwork by 198.6% during the 3rd quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 60,509 shares of the company’s stock worth $632,000 after acquiring an additional 40,242 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in Upwork during the 3rd quarter valued at $355,000. Finally, SkyView Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Upwork by 13.9% in the 3rd quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 226,375 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,366,000 after purchasing an additional 27,639 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.71% of the company’s stock.

Upwork Company Profile

Upwork Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates a work marketplace that connects businesses with various independent professionals and agencies in the United States, India, the Philippines, and internationally. The company’s work marketplace provides access to talent with various skills across a range of categories, including administrative support, sales and marketing, design and creative, and customer service, as well as web, mobile, and software development.