News: ORG Australia shares close at near 2-year high on strong earnings; NZ firm

(Updates to close)

Feb 15 (Reuters) - Australian shares closed at their highest in over 21 months on Wednesday with financials leading the gains, helped by a rise in Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) shares after it reported robust half-year earnings.

The S&P/ASX 200 index (xjo) ended up 0.9 percent, or 53.86 points, at 5,809.1, its highest close since May, 2015.

The benchmark finished 0.1 percent lower on Tuesday, snapping 5 straight sessions of gains.

Commonwealth Bank, Australia's biggest company by market value, reported a 2 percent rise in half-year cash profit, helped by home lending.

The stock finished at its highest in over a month, up 2.3 percent and helped push the financial index .AXFJ up 1.7 percent.

Financial stocks also drew support from U.S. financials, which guided Wall Street to a record high overnight after Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said the central bank will likely need to raise interest rates at an upcoming meeting. [.N] [FED]

The Commonwealth Bank's 'Big Four' peers rose in a range of 1.3 percent to 2.4 percent.

The healthcare sector got a lift from a near 3-percent rise in its biggest constituent CSL Ltd (CSL) to the highest in 6 months after a rise in half-year profit that met expectations.

The biotherapeutics firm also reaffirmed its full-year profit forecast.

On the other hand, utilities and energy stocks posted some losses as oil prices dipped. [O/R]

Origin Energy (ORG) fell 0.7 percent, while Santos (STO) slid 0.5 percent.

New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index (nz50) ended 0.4 percent, or 21.9 points, higher at 7,180.03.

Gains were centred in financials and telcos. Westpac's NZ-listed shares (WBC) and Spark New Zealand (SPK) were among the biggest gainers, rising 2.5 percent each.