** Shares of Charter Hall Retail REIT CQR.AX rise as much as 3.7% to A$3.40, their highest since December 3

** Investment and fund manager reports HY operating earnings of A$73.1 million ($46.14 million), beating consensus estimates of A$72.7 million

** Swings in HY statutory profit of A$108.6 million vs loss of A$42.1 million last year

** Declares interim dividend of 12.3 Australian cents per share

** Stock up ~7% YTD, including current session's moves

($1 = 1.5843 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Manasi Dasa Sundeep in Bengaluru)

((Manasi.DasaSundeep@thomsonreuters.com;))