SYDNEY — Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index closed modestly higher Tuesday, buoyed by gains across energy, mining and healthcare stocks even as a batch of earnings-driven selloffs among individual companies kept the broader advance in check.

The index finished at 9,250.6 points, up 18.0 points, or 0.20%, after trading in a range between 9,232.6 and 9,282.9 during the session. The close followed Monday's finish at 9,232.6, with Tuesday's session leaving the benchmark comfortably within its 52-week range of 8,262.4 to 9,296.7. Over the past 12 months, the index has returned 4.59%, reflecting a period of choppy but generally positive performance for Australian equities.

Tuesday's gains were led by strength in the energy, mining and healthcare sectors, which helped offset weakness in more defensive corners of the market. The advance came as Australia's reporting season continued in earnest, with a wave of companies delivering full-year results that produced sharply divergent reactions from investors, even when headline numbers came in ahead of expectations.

Automotive parts group Amotiv fell 12.2% despite posting an 11% beat on underlying earnings before interest, tax and amortization, as investors focused instead on only modest revenue and earnings growth guidance for the coming financial year and continued soft conditions across the Australian and New Zealand markets. Life360, the location-tracking app maker, dropped 13.4% even after beating second-quarter........

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