Aug 13 (Reuters) - Australia's top power producer AGL Energy AGL.AX posted a smaller-than-expected drop in annual profit on Thursday, as stronger domestic consumption during coronavirus lockdowns offset steep falls in wholesale electricity prices.
Underlying profit, which omits one-off items, for the year ended June 30 dropped to A$816 million ($584.26 million) from A$1.04 billion last year, above analysts' estimates of A$807 million, according to Refinitiv data.
The company declared a final dividend of 51 Australian cents per share, down from 64 cents per share a year ago. ($1 = 1.3966 Australian dollars)