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Upwork Reports Third Quarter 2019 Financial Results

November 6, 2019 4:01 PM

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Nov. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Upwork Inc. (Nasdaq: UPWK), the largest online talent solution, as measured by gross services volume (GSV), today announced its third quarter 2019 financial results, and released a letter to its stockholders on its Investor Relations website, investors.upwork.com.

“We had a successful third quarter and exceeded our revenue and adjusted EBITDA guidance. Our enterprise strategy is setting us up to address a sizable market opportunity and is showing signs of success,” said Stephane Kasriel, President and CEO of Upwork. “We've made investments in enterprise sales, marketing, and product to better address the needs of staffing buyers and results show it. Enterprise sales are on track to drive 20% of incremental revenue in 2019, while clients on the Upwork Business and Enterprise offerings boast a client spend retention number above 125%. Given these encouraging signals, now is the time to increase investing in sales to drive long-term, profitable growth.”

Third 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

GuidanceAs of November 6, 2019, Upwork is providing revenue and adjusted EBITDA guidance for its fourth quarter of 2019 and full year 2019 as follows:

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

For the full year 2019, Upwork 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.

Third Quarter 2019 Financial Results Conference Call and WebcastUpwork will host a conference call today at 2 p.m. Pacific Time/5 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss the company’s third 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 StatementThis 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 fourth quarter of 2019 and full year 2019, and expectations for capturing market share and regarding the changing landscape of work, as well as statements regarding our planned investments to support growth. 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 investments in sustainable, profitable growth; the possibility that the market for freelancers and the services they offer will develop 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; the success of our investments in our enterprise sales organization and our related marketing efforts, and expectations for the ability for enterprise sales to drive incremental revenue growth in 2019; changes in the amount and mix of services facilitated through our platform in a period; our ability to generate revenue from our marketplace offerings and the effects of fluctuations in our level of client spend retention; changes in our level of investment in sales and marketing, R&D, and G&A expenses, and our hiring plans for sales personnel; 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 mid-market and 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 August 7, 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 September 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 UpworkUpwork is the largest online talent solution, as measured by GSV, that enables businesses to find and work with highly-skilled independent professionals. We empower businesses with more flexible access to quality talent, on demand. Through Upwork’s matching technology and services, companies have access to a global pool of proven professionals so they can scale their teams dynamically to meet business needs. Upwork also provides skilled professionals and agencies access to more opportunities.

Upwork’s mission is to create economic opportunities so people have better lives. The community of independent professionals working via Upwork spans many categories including software development, creative & design, finance & accounting, consulting, operations and customer support—over 8,000 skills are represented.

More than thirty percent of the Fortune 500 use Upwork. Clients include Airbnb, Automattic, BISSELL, GE, and Microsoft.

Upwork is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, with offices in Chicago, San Francisco and Oslo, Norway. For more information, visit Upwork’s website at www.upwork.com, or its Investor Relations website at https://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 September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,
2019 2018 2019 2018
Revenue
Marketplace$70,683 $56,766 $197,787 $164,180
Managed services8,103 7,347 24,179 21,832
Total revenue78,786 64,113 221,966 186,012
Cost of revenue22,494 20,504 65,207 60,578
Gross profit56,292 43,609 156,759 125,434
Operating expenses
Research and development16,209 14,377 47,705 40,680
Sales and marketing25,322 18,967 70,319 55,054
General and administrative16,519 11,707 46,309 34,102
Provision for transaction losses1,214 1,892 2,706 4,612
Total operating expenses59,264 46,943 167,039 134,448
Loss from operations(2,972) (3,334) (10,280) (9,014)
Interest expense317 589 1,047 1,674
Other (income) expense, net(462) 3,423 (1,773) 3,845
Loss before income taxes(2,827) (7,346) (9,554) (14,533)
Income tax provision (28) (9)
Net loss$(2,827) $(7,346) $(9,582) $(14,542)
Net loss per share, basic and diluted$(0.03) $(0.20) $(0.09) $(0.41)
Weighted-average shares used to compute net loss per share, basic and diluted111,163 36,070 108,844 35,129

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

September 30, 2019 December 31, 2018
ASSETS
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents$71,160 $129,128
Marketable securities60,404
Funds held in escrow, including funds in transit114,593 98,186
Trade and client receivables, net32,034 22,315
Prepaid expenses and other current assets7,606 6,253
Total current assets285,797 255,882
Property and equipment, net20,668 10,815
Goodwill118,219 118,219
Intangible assets, net4,002 6,004
Other assets, noncurrent904 653
Total assets$429,590 $391,573
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities
Accounts payable$2,934 $2,073
Escrow funds payable114,593 98,186
Debt, current7,579 5,671
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities21,898 20,948
Deferred revenue1,587 722
Total current liabilities148,591 127,600
Debt, noncurrent12,584 18,239
Other liabilities, noncurrent5,816 1,989
Total liabilities166,991 147,828
Stockholders’ equity
Common stock11 11
Additional paid-in capital415,669 387,233
Accumulated deficit(153,081) (143,499)
Total stockholders' equity262,599 243,745
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity$429,590 $391,573

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

Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,
2019 2018 2019 2018
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
Net loss$(2,827) $(7,346) $(9,582) $(14,542)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
Provision for transaction losses1,040 1,892 2,078 4,612
Depreciation and amortization1,671 1,287 4,498 3,542
Amortization of debt issuance costs13 13 39 64
Amortization of discount on purchases of marketable securities(283) (948)
Change in fair value of redeemable convertible preferred stock warrant liability 3,251 3,610
Change in fair value of Tides Foundation common stock warrant62 439
Stock-based compensation expense3,932 1,986 10,858 5,667
Loss on disposal of fixed assets 33
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Trade and client receivables18,403 (6,517) (11,885) (15,137)
Prepaid expenses and other assets(738) (86) (1,439) (658)
Accounts payable1,286 4,745 697 5,006
Accrued expenses and other liabilities6,244 (17,823) 5,814 (490)
Deferred revenue1,024 5 1,432 103
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities29,827 (18,593) 2,001 (8,190)
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Purchases of marketable securities(45,383) (131,950)
Sale of marketable securities47,700 72,500
Decrease (increase) in restricted cash(150) 6 (94)
Purchases of property and equipment(2,795) (301) (10,230) (1,598)
Internal-use software and platform development costs(1,872) (725) (4,054) (2,670)
Net cash used in investing activities(2,500) (1,020) (73,734) (4,362)
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Changes in funds held in escrow, including funds in transit3,709 (25,977) (16,407) (20,283)
Changes in escrow funds payable(3,709) 25,977 16,407 20,283
Proceeds from exercises of stock options and common stock warrants3,634 2,740 13,974 7,011
Proceeds from borrowings on debt 15,000 50,000 15,000
Repayment of debt(26,893) (53,786)
Proceeds from employee stock purchase plan 3,577
Payments of costs related to the initial public offering (2,403) (3,999)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities(23,259) 15,337 13,765 18,012
NET INCREASE (DECREASE) IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS4,068 (4,276) (57,968) 5,460
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period67,092 31,331 129,128 21,595
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period$71,160 $27,055 $71,160 $27,055

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

Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,
2019 2018 Change 2019 2018 Change
Cost of revenue$22,494 $20,504 $1,990 10% $65,207 $60,578 $4,629 8%
Components of cost of revenue:
Cost of freelancer services to deliver managed services6,745 6,120 625 10% 20,143 18,172 1,971 11%
Other components of cost of revenue15,749 14,384 1,365 9% 45,064 42,406 2,658 6%
Total gross margin 71% 68% 71% 67%

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

Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,
2019 2018 2019 2018
GAAP Net Loss$(2,827) $(7,346) $(9,582) $(14,542)
Add back (deduct):
Stock-based compensation expense3,932 1,986 10,858 5,667
Depreciation and amortization1,671 1,287 4,498 3,542
Interest expense317 589 1,047 1,674
Other (income) expense, net(462) 3,423 (1,773) 3,845
Income tax provision 28 9
Change in fair value of Tides Foundation common stock warrant62 439
Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA$2,693 $(61) $5,515 $195
Cost of Revenue Reconciliation:
Cost of revenue, GAAP$22,494 $20,504 $65,207 $60,578
Stock-based compensation(109) (59) (326) (164)
Cost of revenue, Non-GAAP$22,385 $20,445 $64,881 $60,414
% of revenue, Non-GAAP 28% 32% 29% 32%
Gross Profit Reconciliation:
Gross profit, GAAP$56,292 $43,609 $156,759 $125,434
Stock-based compensation109 59 326 164
Gross profit, Non-GAAP$56,401 $43,668 $157,085 $125,598
% of revenue, Non-GAAP 72% 68% 71% 68%
Operating Expenses Reconciliation:
Research and development, GAAP$16,209 $14,377 $47,705 $40,680
Stock-based compensation(1,503) (623) (4,569) (1,711)
Research and development, Non-GAAP$14,706 $13,754 $43,136 $38,969
% of revenue, Non-GAAP 19% 21% 19% 21%
Sales and marketing, GAAP$25,322 $18,967 $70,319 $55,054
Stock-based compensation(635) (355) (1,860) (1,026)
Sales and marketing, Non-GAAP$24,687 $18,612 $68,459 $54,028
% of revenue, Non-GAAP 31% 29% 31% 29%
General and administrative, GAAP$16,519 $11,707 $46,309 $34,102
Stock-based compensation(1,685) (949) (4,103) (2,766)
Amortization of intangible assets(667) (667) (2,001) (2,001)
Change in fair value of Tides Foundation common stock warrant(62) (439)
General and administrative, Non-GAAP$14,105 $10,091 $39,766 $29,335
% of revenue, Non-GAAP 18% 16% 18% 16%
Loss from Operations Reconciliation:
Loss from operations, GAAP$(2,972) $(3,334) $(10,280) $(9,014)
Stock-based compensation3,932 1,986 10,858 5,667
Amortization of intangible assets667 667 2,001 2,001
Change in fair value of Tides Foundation common stock warrant62 439
Income (loss) from operations, Non-GAAP$1,689 $(681) $3,018 $(1,346)
% of revenue, Non-GAAP 2% -1% 1% -1%
Net Loss Reconciliation:
Net loss, GAAP$(2,827) $(7,346) $(9,582) $(14,542)
Stock-based compensation3,932 1,986 10,858 5,667
Amortization of intangible assets667 667 2,001 2,001
Change in fair value of Tides Foundation common stock warrant62 439
Change in fair value of redeemable convertible preferred stock warrant liability 3,251 3,610
Net income (loss), Non-GAAP$1,834 $(1,442) $3,716 $(3,264)
% of revenue, Non-GAAP 2% -2% 2% -2%
Net Loss per Share Reconciliation:
Weighted-average shares outstanding111,163 36,070 108,844 35,129
Net loss per share, GAAP$(0.03) $(0.20) $(0.09) $(0.41)
Net income (loss) per share, Non-GAAP$0.02 $(0.04) $0.03 $(0.09)

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Source: Upwork Inc.

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