Check out the companies making headlines midday Friday:
Papa John's — The third-largest pizza delivery company saw its stock fall 8.9 percent after Reuters reported Papa John's would not sell itself, despite offers from private equity firms. The firm's offers reportedly did not meet Papa John's valuation expectations.
Exxon Mobil — Shares of Exxon Mobil rose 3.6 percent after the energy giant reported better-than-expected earnings. The company's upstream business, which explores for and produces oil and gas, posted a strong profit. Exxon's downstream business, meanwhile, nearly tripled.
Chevron — Shares of Chevron gained 3.2 percent after the company reported quarterly profits that topped Wall Street's expectations, as the company's fossil fuel production hit an all-time high and executives forecast solid output gains for 2019.
Merck — Shares of Merck climbed 2.7 percent after it reported fourth-quarter earnings that beat Wall Street estimates. Adjusted per-share earnings came at $1.04, a penny above consensus. Sales of the company's Keytruda cancer drug jumped 66 percent from a year earlier.
Amazon — Shares of the e-commerce giant fell more than 5 percent after the company provided a 2019 forecast that worried investors about costs, as well as the possibility of impacts from regulations in India. Amazon CFO Brian Olsavsky said the company "expects investments to increase relative to 2018."
Yum China — Yum China shares jumped nearly 8 percent and posted their best day since July 26, after the company reported earnings per share of 12 cents, topping an estimate of 8 cents. The company also posted better-than-expected same-store sales.
Honeywell —Honeywell reported earnings per share and revenue that topped analyst expectations, sending its stock up 0.75 percent. The industrial giant also issued a profit forecast that was above expectations.
Proofpoint — The enterprise security company jumped 12.4 percent Friday after beating analysts estimates for fourth-quarter results. The firm reported 51 cents adjusted earnings per share, well above the 35 cents analysts were expecting.
Cigna, CVS Health, UnitedHealth Group – Shares of prescription drug companies fell after the White House called for a ban on "backdoor deals" that the companies pay to middlemen under the Medicare system. Cigna was hit the hardest, with shares falling about 3 percent.
Deckers Outdoor — Deckers Outdoor's stock surged a whopping 10.46 percent after the company posted earnings of $6.59 per share for its latest quarter, well above the consensus estimate of $5.30 per share. The maker of Ugg boots also raised its full year forecast.
Symantec – The cybersecurity software company was the biggest gainer on the S&P 500 on Friday, rising 8.99 after beating analysts' forecasts by 5 cents a share. Symantec executives said the quarter was helped by a strong performance by the company's consumer business. The firm also announced the departure of Chief Financial Officer Nicholas Noviello.
—CNBC's Michael Sheetz, Yun Li and Kate Rooney contributed to this report.