Feb 13 (Reuters) - Australia's top power producer AGL Energy AGL.AX on Thursday reported a 19.6% fall in its half-year profit and reduced its interim dividend payout, hurt by weaker power prices and an outage at its Loy Yang coal-powered plant.
Underlying profit, which omits one-off items, for the six months to Dec. 31 fell to A$432 million ($291.00 million) from A$537 million last year.
The profit, however, beat Morgan Stanley's estimates of A$363 million.
The company declared an interim dividend of 47 Australian cents per share, smaller than the 55 Australian cents per share a year ago. ($1 = 1.4846 Australian dollars)