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Upwork Reports Second Quarter 2019 Financial Results

August 7, 2019 4:05 PM

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 07, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Upwork Inc. (Nasdaq: UPWK), the largest freelancing website, as measured by GSV, today announced its second quarter 2019 financial results, and released a letter to its stockholders on its Investor Relations website, investors.upwork.com.

“We had a solid second quarter, with notable progress made against our strategic initiatives and an increase in gross profit,” said Stephane Kasriel, President and CEO of Upwork. “Our focus on larger clients and our Enterprise customers drove 4x more Upwork Business and Enterprise sales deals in the first half of 2019 compared to a year ago. With new products and brand marketing efforts to drive larger projects to the platform, we are focused on long-term, sustainable growth to build quality on both sides of our marketplace.”

Second Quarter 2019 Financial Results

A reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP financial measures has been provided at the end of this press release. An explanation of these measures is also included below under the heading “Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

Recent Highlights

Guidance
As of August 7, 2019, Upwork is providing revenue and adjusted EBITDA guidance for its third quarter of 2019 and full year 2019 as follows:

For the third quarter of 2019, Upwork expects to report:

For the full year 2019, Upwork now expects to report:

We have not reconciled our adjusted EBITDA guidance to GAAP net income (loss) because certain items that impact adjusted EBITDA are uncertain or out of our control and cannot be reasonably predicted. In particular, stock-based compensation expense is impacted by our future hiring and retention needs, as well as the future fair market value of our common stock and other factors, all of which are difficult to predict, subject to frequent change, or not within our control. The actual amount of these expenses during 2019 will have a significant impact on our future GAAP financial results. Accordingly, a reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss) is not available without unreasonable effort.

Second Quarter 2019 Financial Results Conference Call and Webcast
Upwork will host a conference call today at 2 p.m. Pacific Time/5 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss the company’s second quarter 2019 financial results. An audio webcast archive will be available following the live event for approximately one year at investors.upwork.com.

Upwork uses its Investor Relations website (investors.upwork.com), its Twitter handle (twitter.com/Upwork), and Stephane Kasriel’s Twitter handle (twitter.com/skasriel) and LinkedIn profile (linkedin.com/in/kasriel) as a means of disseminating or providing notification of, among other things, news or announcements regarding its business or financial performance, investor events, press releases and earnings releases and as a means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD.

Safe Harbor Statement
This press release includes forward-looking statements, which are statements other than statements of historical facts, and statements in the future tense. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the future performance of Upwork and its market opportunity, including expected financial results for the third quarter of 2019 and full year 2019 and expectations for capturing market share. Forward-looking statements are based upon various estimates and assumptions, as well as information known to Upwork as of the date of this press release, and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, actual results could differ materially or such uncertainties could cause adverse effects on our results, including: our ability to attract and retain a community of freelancers and clients; our limited operating history under our current platform and pricing model; our focus on the long term and our investment in sustainable, profitable growth; if the market for freelancers and the services they offer develops more slowly than we expect; our ability to develop and release new products and services, and develop and release successful enhancements, features, and modifications to our existing products and services; changes in the amount and mix of services facilitated through our platform in a period; our ability to generate revenue from our marketplace offerings; changes in our level of investment in sales and marketing, R&D, and G&A expenses; the impact of new and existing laws and regulations; competition; our ability to develop, maintain, and enhance our brand and reputation cost-effectively; challenges to contractor classification or employment status of freelancers on our platform; the market for information technology; future changes to our pricing model; payment and fraud risks; security breaches; our ability to sell to large enterprise clients; privacy; litigation and related costs; and other general market, political, economic and business conditions. Actual results could differ materially from those predicted or implied, and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance.

Additional risks and uncertainties that could affect our financial results are included under the caption “Risk Factors” in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on May 8, 2019 and our other SEC filings, which are available on the Investor Relations page of our website at investors.upwork.com​ and on the SEC website at www.sec.gov​. Additional information will also be set forth in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended June 30, 2019 when filed. All forward-looking statements contained herein are based on information available to us as of the date hereof and we do not assume any obligation to update these statements as a result of new information or future events.

Undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements in this press release. These statements are based on information available to Upwork on the date hereof, and Upwork assumes no obligation to update such statements.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures
To supplement our condensed consolidated financial statements, which are prepared in accordance with GAAP, we present non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP net income (loss), non-GAAP operating expenses and adjusted EBITDA in this press release. Our use of non-GAAP financial measures has limitations as an analytical tool, and these measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of financial results as reported under GAAP.

We use these non-GAAP financial measures in conjunction with financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP for planning purposes and as a measure of financial performance. These measures provide consistency and comparability with past financial performance, facilitate period-to-period comparisons of core operating results, and also facilitate comparisons with other peer companies, many of which use similar non-GAAP financial measures to supplement their GAAP results. We exclude the following items from one or more of our non-GAAP financial measures:

Investors are cautioned that there are material limitations associated with the use of non-GAAP financial measures as an analytical tool. In particular, stock-based compensation expense, depreciation and amortization, and the change in fair value of our common stock warrant issued to the Tides Foundation are recurring and will be reflected in our financial results for the foreseeable future. The non-GAAP measures we use may be different from non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies, limiting their usefulness for comparison purposes. We compensate for these limitations by providing specific information regarding the GAAP items excluded from these non-GAAP financial measures. A reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures has been provided in the financial statement tables included in this press release and investors are encouraged to review the reconciliation.

About Upwork
Upwork is the largest freelancing website, as measured by GSV, for businesses to find and work with highly-skilled freelancers-a sought after, critical, and expanding component of the global workforce. As an increasingly connected and independent workforce goes online, knowledge work-like software, shopping, and content before it-is shifting online as well. This shift is making it easier for clients to connect and work with talent in near real-time and is freeing professionals everywhere to work where and how they want. Upwork’s mission is to create economic opportunities so people have better lives. Upwork is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, with offices in San Francisco and Chicago. For more information, visit Upwork’s website at www.upwork.com, or its Investor Relations website at investors.upwork.com, or join Upwork on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Upwork is a registered trademark of Upwork Inc. All other product and brand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.


UPWORK INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(In thousands, except for per share data)
(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended
June 30,
Six Months Ended
June 30,
2019 2018 2019 2018
Revenue
Marketplace$66,201 $55,454 $127,104 $107,413
Managed services8,055 7,227 16,076 14,486
Total revenue74,256 62,681 143,180 121,899
Cost of revenue21,588 20,457 42,713 40,074
Gross profit52,668 42,224 100,467 81,825
Operating expenses
Research and development15,696 12,812 31,496 26,303
Sales and marketing24,479 16,414 44,997 36,087
General and administrative14,113 11,219 29,790 22,395
Provision for transaction losses855 1,450 1,492 2,720
Total operating expenses55,143 41,895 107,775 87,505
Income (loss) from operations(2,475) 329 (7,308) (5,680)
Interest expense357 556 730 1,085
Other (income) expense, net(832) 173 (1,311) 422
Loss before income taxes(2,000) (400) (6,727) (7,187)
Income tax provision(27) (12) (28) (9)
Net loss$(2,027) $(412) $(6,755) $(7,196)
Net loss per share, basic and diluted$(0.02) $(0.01) $(0.06) $(0.21)
Weighted-average shares used to compute net loss per share, basic and diluted108,683 35,105 107,665 34,651


UPWORK INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)

June 30, 2019 December 31, 2018
ASSETS
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents$67,092 $129,128
Marketable securities62,442
Funds held in escrow, including funds in transit118,302 98,186
Trade and client receivables, net51,447 22,315
Prepaid expenses and other current assets6,554 6,253
Total current assets305,837 255,882
Property and equipment, net19,207 10,815
Goodwill118,219 118,219
Intangible assets, net4,670 6,004
Other assets, noncurrent976 653
Total assets$448,909 $391,573
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities
Accounts payable$1,521 $2,073
Escrow funds payable118,302 98,186
Debt, current32,574 5,671
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities19,132 20,948
Deferred revenue1,130 722
Total current liabilities172,659 127,600
Debt, noncurrent14,469 18,239
Other liabilities, noncurrent4,148 1,989
Total liabilities191,276 147,828
Stockholders’ equity
Common stock11 11
Additional paid-in capital407,876 387,233
Accumulated deficit(150,254) (143,499)
Total stockholders' equity257,633 243,745
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity$448,909 $391,573


UPWORK INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended
June 30,
Six Months Ended
June 30,
2019 2018 2019 2018
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
Net loss$(2,027) $(412) $(6,755) $(7,196)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
Provision for transaction losses623 1,450 1,038 2,720
Depreciation and amortization1,295 1,191 2,827 2,255
Amortization of debt issuance costs13 12 26 51
Amortization of discount on purchases of marketable securities(382) (665)
Change in fair value of redeemable convertible preferred stock warrant liability 41 359
Change in fair value of Tides Foundation common stock warrant125 377
Stock-based compensation expense2,631 1,793 6,926 3,681
Loss on disposal of fixed assets 4 33
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Trade and client receivables(3,857) (960) (30,288) (8,620)
Prepaid expenses and other assets290 539 (701) (572)
Accounts payable7 210 (589) 261
Accrued expenses and other liabilities2,612 1,528 (430) 17,333
Deferred revenue239 7 408 98
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities1,569 5,403 (27,826) 10,403
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Purchases of marketable securities(14,854) (86,567)
Sale of marketable securities24,800 24,800
Decrease (increase) in restricted cash(100) 1 150 (100)
Purchases of property and equipment(3,831) (835) (7,435) (1,297)
Internal-use software and platform development costs(972) (1,319) (2,182) (1,945)
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities5,043 (2,153) (71,234) (3,342)
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Changes in funds held in escrow, including funds in transit1,783 40 (20,116) 5,694
Changes in escrow funds payable(1,783) (40) 20,116 (5,694)
Proceeds from exercises of stock options and common stock warrants9,576 3,053 10,340 4,271
Proceeds from borrowings on debt25,000 50,000
Repayment of debt(26,893) (26,893)
Proceeds from employee stock purchase plan3,577 3,577
Payments of costs related to the initial public offering (1,433) (1,596)
Net cash provided by financing activities11,260 1,620 37,024 2,675
NET INCREASE (DECREASE) IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS17,872 4,870 (62,036) 9,736
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period49,220 26,461 129,128 21,595
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period$67,092 $31,331 $67,092 $31,331


UPWORK INC.
COST OF REVENUE AND GROSS MARGIN
(In thousands, except percentages)
(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30,
2019 2018 Change 2019 2018 Change
Cost of revenue$21,588 $20,457 $1,131 6% $42,713 $40,074 $2,639 7%
Components of cost of revenue:
Cost of freelancer services to deliver managed services6,635 6,056 579 10% 13,398 12,052 1,346 11%
Other components of cost of revenue14,953 14,401 552 4% 29,315 28,022 1,293 5%
Total gross margin71% 67% 70% 67%


UPWORK INC.
RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP RESULTS
(In thousands, except for percentages and per share data)
(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended
June 30,
Six Months Ended
June 30,
2019 2018 2019 2018
GAAP Net Loss$(2,027) $(412) $(6,755) $(7,196)
Add back (deduct):
Stock-based compensation expense2,631 1,793 6,926 3,681
Depreciation and amortization1,295 1,191 2,827 2,255
Interest expense357 556 730 1,085
Other (income) expense, net(832) 173 (1,311) 422
Income tax provision27 12 28 9
Change in fair value of Tides Foundation common stock warrant125 377
Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA$1,576 $3,313 $2,822 $256
Cost of Revenue Reconciliation:
Cost of revenue, GAAP$21,588 $20,457 $42,713 $40,074
Stock-based compensation(73) (53) (217) (105)
Cost of revenue, Non-GAAP$21,515 $20,404 $42,496 $39,969
% of revenue, Non-GAAP29% 33% 30% 33%
Gross Profit and Gross Margin Reconciliation:
Gross profit, GAAP$52,668 $42,224 $100,467 $81,825
Stock-based compensation73 53 217 105
Gross margin, Non-GAAP$52,741 $42,277 $100,684 $81,930
% of revenue, Non-GAAP71% 67% 70% 67%
Operating Expenses Reconciliation:
Research and development, GAAP$15,696 $12,812 $31,496 $26,303
Stock-based compensation(1,686) (538) (3,066) (1,088)
Research and development, Non-GAAP$14,010 $12,274 $28,430 $25,215
% of revenue, Non-GAAP19% 20% 20% 21%
Sales and marketing, GAAP$24,479 $16,414 $44,997 $36,087
Stock-based compensation(583) (331) (1,225) (671)
Sales and marketing, Non-GAAP$23,896 $16,083 $43,772 $35,416
% of revenue, Non-GAAP32% 26% 31% 29%
General and administrative, GAAP$14,113 $11,219 $29,790 $22,395
Stock-based compensation(289) (871) (2,418) (1,817)
Amortization of intangible assets(667) (667) (1,334) (1,334)
Change in fair value of Tides Foundation common stock warrant(125) (377)
General and administrative, Non-GAAP$13,032 $9,681 $25,661 $19,244
% of revenue, Non-GAAP18% 15% 18% 16%
Income (Loss) from Operations Reconciliation:
Income (loss) from operations, GAAP$(2,475) $329 $(7,308) $(5,680)
Stock-based compensation2,631 1,793 6,926 3,681
Amortization of intangible assets667 667 1,334 1,334
Change in fair value of Tides Foundation common stock warrant125 377
Income (loss) from operations, Non-GAAP$948 $2,789 $1,329 $(665)
% of revenue, Non-GAAP1% 4% 1% -1%
Net Loss Reconciliation:
Net loss, GAAP$(2,027) $(412) $(6,755) $(7,196)
Stock-based compensation2,631 1,793 6,926 3,681
Amortization of intangible assets667 667 1,334 1,334
Change in fair value of Tides Foundation common stock warrant125 377
Change in fair value of redeemable convertible preferred stock warrant liability 41 359
Net income (loss), Non-GAAP$1,396 $2,089 $1,882 $(1,822)
% of revenue, Non-GAAP2% 3% 1% -1%
Net Loss per Share Reconciliation:
Weighted-average shares outstanding108,683 35,105 107,665 34,651
Net loss per share, GAAP$(0.02) $(0.01) $(0.06) $(0.21)
Net income (loss) per share, Non-GAAP$0.01 $0.06 $0.02 $(0.05)

Contact
Palmira Gerlach
Investor Relations
[email protected]

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