(Reuters) - Australian shares ended flat on Tuesday as losses in financials and materials were offset by gains in energy and information technology stocks.
The S&P/ASX 200 index <.AXJO> fell 0.700 points to 5,940.90 at the close of trade. The benchmark added 0.6 percent on Monday.
Banks were the biggest drag on Tuesday, with the Australian financial index <.AXFJ> slipping 0.2 percent.
Westpac Banking Corp <WBC.AX>, the country's second-biggest bank by market value, fell 0.8 percent and accounted for most of the losses while National Australia Bank Ltd <NAB.AX> declined 0.5 percent.
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd <ANZ.AX> fell 0.3 percent despite reporting lower impaired assets for the first quarter.
Materials stocks added to the losses, with miners BHP <BHP.AX> and Rio Tinto Ltd <RIO.AX> falling 0.4 percent and 0.5 percent respectively.
After market hours, BHP <BHP.AX>, reported a 25 percent rise in underlying half-year profit , helped by robust commodity prices.
Super Retail Group Ltd <SUL.AX> plunged 14.5 percent to its lowest in more than three years.
The outdoor equipment retailer reported a 3 percent fall in first-half profit and announced a A$135 million ($106.88 mln) takeover of outdoor recreation brand Macpac.
Conversely, energy stocks <.AXEJ> gained, helped by overnight gains in oil prices. [O/R]
Woodside Petroleum Ltd <WPL.AX>, Australia's biggest independent gas and oil producer, climbed 1.6 percent, while Origin Energy Ltd <ORG.AX> added 1 percent.
Information technology stocks also gained. Software developer Altium Ltd <ALU.AX> surged 26.7 percent to be the day's top percentage gainer.
In New Zealand, the benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index <.NZ50> fell 0.2 percent or 16.980 points to finish the session at 8,098.270.
Materials and health care stocks accounted for most of the losses, with Fletcher Building Ltd <FBU.NZ> declining 1.4 percent and Ryman Healthcare Ltd <RYM.NZ> dipping 1.6 percent.
($1 = 1.2631 Australian dollars)
(Reporting by Aditya Soni in Bengaluru; Editing by Eric Meijer)
