Why Upwork Stock Jumped Today

By Joe Tenebruso | November 04, 2025, 7:49 PM

Key Points

Shares of Upwork (NASDAQ: UPWK) leaped 13% on Tuesday after the freelance marketplace delivered an upbeat third-quarter financial report.

People smiling while they work on computers.

Image source: Getty Images.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue »

The gig economy is rebounding

Upwork's revenue rose by 4% year over year to $201.7 million, as clients spent more to hire freelancers. The company's gross services volume (GSV) -- the total dollar value of transactions facilitated by its platform -- grew by 2%, marking the first increase in five quarters.

During a conference call with analysts, CEO Hayden Brown credited the company's artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives with helping to drive the expansion in this critically important metric. The number of clients participating in AI-related projects on Upwork's platform surged by 45% compared to the third quarter of 2024.

"Q3 marked a turning point for our company," Brown said. "The work we've done over the last 18 months to rewire our business for the AI era came to fruition in the form of GSV growth."

Better still, Upwork's profit margins are expanding as it scales its operations. The company's free cash flow, in turn, increased by 22% to $69.4 million.

Management is using Upwork's excess cash to reward shareholders. "Our strong and growing free cash flow yield also enabled us to announce another $100 million share repurchase authorization in early September," CFO Erica Gessert said.

Management sees a path to sustained growth

These strong results prompted Upwork to boost its full-year sales and profit forecast. The company now expects revenue of $782 million to $787 million and adjusted earnings per share of $1.35 to $1.37 in 2025.

"Q3 2025 was a pivotal quarter for Upwork, marking our return to growth mode on a highly profitable foundation," Gessert said.

Should you invest $1,000 in Upwork right now?

Before you buy stock in Upwork, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Upwork wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $593,269!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,268,146!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 1,076% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 195% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of November 3, 2025

Joe Tenebruso has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Mentioned In This Article

Latest News