Feb 26 (Reuters) - Australian shares fell on Wednesday, dragged by mining stocks as iron ore prices softened, while corporate earnings reports and the country's January inflation data stayed in focus.

The S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO fell 0.3% to 8,226.7, as of 0043 GMT. The benchmark fell 0.7% on Tuesday.

Data showed earlier in the day that annual growth in Australian consumer prices held steady in January, as a rise in electricity costs was offset by a slowdown in the important housing sector, an outcome that should reassure policymakers that inflation is heading in the right direction.

Mining stocks .AXMM fell 1.3% in their third straight session of losses, as Chinese iron ore futures DCIOcv1 on the Dalian Commodity Exchange fell 0.5%. IRONORE/

Sector heavyweights BHP Group BHP.AX fell 0.8%, while Fortescue FMG.AX and Rio Tinto RIO.AX dropped 4.1% and 1.7%, respectively.

Gold stocks .AXGD declined 1.6%, as underlying bullion prices hit a one-week low. GOL/

Consumer staples .AXSJ retreated 0.7%, with the country's top supermarket chain Woolworths Group WOW.AX falling 1.5% after reporting lower-than-expected half-year underlying profit.

Bucking the trend, energy stocks .AXEJ gained 0.9%. U.S. West Texas Intermediate $(WTI)$ crude CLc1 gained 0.23% to $69.09 per barrel.

Among individual stocks, Kelsian Group KLS.AX dropped more than 18% after the tourism operator posted lower first-half profit. It was the worst performer on the benchmark.

SiteMinder SDR.AX dropped nearly 10% after the hotel commerce platform reported weaker-than-expected results.

Meanwhile, engineering firm Worley WOR.AX and auto parts firm Bapcor BAP.AX jumped 9.7% and 16%, respectively, after reporting upbeat earnings.

Overnight, the U.S. Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 0.37%, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 0.47% and Nasdaq .IXIC lost 1.35%.

Japan's Nikkei .N225 was down 0.97%.

In New Zealand, the benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose 1% to 12,432.79.

(Reporting by Nichiket Sunil in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich)

((Nichiket.Sunil@thomsonreuters.com;))

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