RaoscaffResearch
Prediction Series · Lock · Issue P-292
Prediction Series · P-292

Revenue up, profit down — and the lock is on the line that grew.

91% probability Mainfreight's H1 FY2027 revenue reaches at least NZ$2.60bn. FY2026 revenue was a record NZ$5.38bn, up 2.8%, even as profit fell 8.5% on wage and diesel costs. Mainfreight issues no numeric guidance, so this threshold is anchored on delivered results.

Type · Prediction Lock · level-anchored floor, freight and logistics Locked · 2026-09-03 · before the H1 FY2027 result Resolves · ~2026-11-11 · Mainfreight H1 FY2027 result (mainfreight.com) Scored · binary: reported H1 FY2027 group REVENUE >= NZ$2.60bn yes/no
Mainfreight H1 FY2027 revenue · our locked floor
NZ$2.60bn
six-month group revenue · vs NZ$5.38bn for the full FY2026 year

Mainfreight reported FY2026 (year to 31 March 2026) revenue of NZ$5.38bn, up 2.8%, with profit before tax of NZ$350.9m and net profit of NZ$251.0m, both down 8.5%. Adjusted for foreign exchange, group revenue was down 0.2% and profit before tax down 10.7%. Transport revenue lifted 10.2% to NZ$2.49bn while underlying profit fell 8.9% as wage and diesel costs compressed margins. The New Zealand business grew revenue 3.8% to NZ$1.2bn with profit before tax down 10.2% to NZ$120.8m. NZ$112m was invested in land and buildings. Management said it remains confident of ongoing improvement and that trading in April and May was encouraging despite Middle East disruption and elevated fuel pricing. Source: Mainfreight full-year results to 31 March 2026.

— 1 · The Locked Call

Mainfreight's H1 FY2027 revenue is at least NZ$2.60bn — P = 0.91.

We lock a binary: Mainfreight's reported group revenue for the six months to 30 September 2026 is NZ$2.60bn or higher. Confidence 91%.

FY2026 revenue was NZ$5.38bn, so half a year at the same run rate is about NZ$2.69bn. The threshold allows roughly 3% below that.

— 2 · Revenue grew and profit did not, so we locked the one that grew

Wage and diesel costs took 8.5% off profit while revenue set a record.

Mainfreight's FY2026 is a study in why metric choice decides a forecast. Revenue rose 2.8% to a record NZ$5.38bn. Profit before tax fell 8.5%. Transport revenue rose 10.2% while its underlying profit fell 8.9%. The whole gap is cost inflation — wages and diesel — passing through faster than the company could reprice.

A profit lock here would be a forecast about wage settlements and fuel markets. A revenue lock is a forecast about freight volumes and pricing, which for a logistics network with Mainfreight's footprint is far more inertial. That is the deliberate choice, not an accident of what was easiest.

There is no numeric guidance to anchor to. Mainfreight is well known for declining to forecast, and its outlook statement is qualitative — confidence in ongoing improvement, with April and May trading described as encouraging. So the threshold sits on delivered results and the criterion says so.

The residual 9% is currency and the cost pressure continuing. Note that FY2026 revenue rose 2.8% as reported but fell 0.2% adjusted for foreign exchange, so a reversal in the New Zealand dollar would work directly against a reported-revenue threshold. That is the main path to a miss.

Locked on 2026-09-03 — scored against Mainfreight's reported H1 FY2027 revenue.

RAOSCAFF locks P-292 on 2026-09-03, before the half-year result. Scored against group revenue as reported by Mainfreight for the six months to 30 September 2026.

Locked
2026-09-03 (commit timestamp on origin/main)
Resolves
~2026-11-11 — Mainfreight Limited H1 FY2027 result
Source
Mainfreight Limited H1 FY2027 result, group REVENUE in New Zealand dollars (mainfreight.com investor centre)
Scored by
Binary: YES if reported group REVENUE for the six months to 30 September 2026 is NZ$2.60bn or greater; NO if below. Mainfreight's financial year ends 31 MARCH, so H1 FY2027 covers April to September 2026. Group revenue as REPORTED in NZ dollars — NOT revenue adjusted for foreign exchange (which diverged from reported by 3 points in FY2026), NOT profit before tax, NOT net profit, and NOT a single region or division such as Transport or the New Zealand business. This threshold is LEVEL-ANCHORED on FY2026 results; Mainfreight publishes no numeric guidance and none is implied.

Reported revenue rose 2.8% while FX-adjusted revenue fell 0.2%. A currency reversal is the main path to a miss on a reported-revenue threshold.