* Aussie shares fall on slumping financials
* Financials fall to near 1-1/2 year low
* Healthscope posts record pct gain
* NZ slides on utilities
(Updates to close)
April 26 (Reuters) - Australian shares ended slightly lower on Thursday, as a decline in financial stocks, weighed by a fall in the local currency and mortgage concerns, offset gains in healthcare.
The S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO fell 0.2 percent or 10.8 points to 5,910.80 at the close of trade. The benchmark added 0.6 percent on Tuesday. Australian markets were closed for a public holiday on Wednesday.
Banks led the losses on the benchmark, with the Australian financial index .AXFJ posting its biggest percentage drop in more than a month.
Mathan Somasundaram, Market Portfolio Strategist at Blue Ocean Equities, said banks have also been hit by a sharp decline in the Australian dollar. The currency was stuck near four-month lows on Thursday. AUD/
Index heavyweight Westpac Banking Corp WBC.AX dropped 3.6 percent to its lowest in more than two years and was the biggest drag on the benchmark.
UBS analysts downgraded Westpac's rating to "sell" from "neutral", and cut its price target to A$26.5 from A$31.0. The analysis said Westpac mortgages data showed its debt-to-income ratio was much higher than initially thought. Westpac in response defended the quality of its mortgage book. L3N1S32TV
In other sectors, Australia's second biggest private hospital owner Healthscope HSO.AX posted a record gain of 14.8 percent, boosting the broader healthcare sector .AXHJ , which rose about 2.1 percent to its highest since March 19.
Healthscope, which went public four years ago, received a $3.1 billion buyout approach from domestic private equity firm BGH Capital and pension fund AustralianSuper. company CSL Ltd CSL.AX climbed 2.4 percent, its biggest one-day gain since Feb. 14, while Sonic Healthcare Ltd SHL.AX rose 0.3 percent.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 fell 0.1 percent or 6.59 points to finish the session at 8,282.05.
Utilities accounted for most of the losses, with Contact Energy Ltd CEN.NZ slipping 0.8 percent, while Meridian Energy Ltd MEL.NZ fell as much as 0.7 percent.