Australia shares edge up, NZ stocks near record

(Adds analysis, quotes, stocks on the move)

By Cecile Lefort and Gyles Beckford

SYDNEY/WELLINGTON, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Australian shares were subdued on Wednesday as mixed company earnings and no clear signal from Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen as to when the U.S. central bank might raise interest rates gave little reason for investors to chase stocks higher.

The S&P/ASX 200 index added 11.8 points to 5,938.8 points by 0149 GMT. The benchmark rose 0.3 percent on Wednesday, nearing a seven-year peak of 5,946.8 touched last week.

"The huge rally over the last six weeks put us at a level where it is difficult for investors to get enthusiastic about the market despite good leads from overseas and some good reports from Australian companies," said Michael McCarthy, chief market strategist at CMC Markets.

Technology and basic materials led the gains, with mining giant BHP Billiton (NYSE: BBL - news) up 1.4 percent and Rio Tinto (Xetra: 855018 - news) up 0.8 percent. Resources stocks were underpinned by firmer commodity prices, including a surge in copper.

Shares (Frankfurt: DI6.F - news) in shopping centre giant Westfield Group's , pipeline APA, mining services Macmahon Holdings rose after reporting earnings.

In contrast, energy and mining contractor WorleyParsons dived 13.3 percent to a three-week low of A$9.72 after a 7 percent fall in first half net profit to A$104.3 million.

Some heavyweight stocks traded ex-dividend and undermined the benchmark index. Energy firm Woodside shed 4.4 percent, while telecom company Telstra (Hamburg: TSTA.HM - news) fell 2.1 percent.

New Zealand stocks bounced 1.3 percent to 5,804.573, back in sight of a life-time high touched last month.

The surge was led by a rebound in the top-two stocks, Fletcher Building (NZSE: FBU.NZ - news) , up 2.7 percent, and telecommunications operator Spark, up 1.9 percent.

Accounting software company Xero (Frankfurt: 0XE.F - news) was up 26 percent to NZ$23.00, a five month high, after it raised NZ$147.2 million ($110.18 million) through a share issue.

National carrier Air New Zealand was up 1.8 percent at NZ$2.62 after it reported a 6 percent fall in first half profit, but said it expected a strong full year result on higher sales and cheaper fuel.

Trading was halted in commercial property investor Precinct Properties as it reported a lower first-half profit because of losses on interest rate swaps, and said it was raising NZ$174.1 million through a share issue. It closed on Tuesday at NZ$1.16. ($1 = 1.3360 New Zealand dollars) ($1 = 1.2687 Australian dollars) (Editing by Kim Coghill)