Near noon on Thursday, the benchmark ASX200 index was up 4.4 points, or 0.05 per cent, to 8,964.9, while the broader All Ordinaries was down 2.8 points, or 0.03 per cent to 9,228.3.
Five of the ASX's 11 sectors were higher and six were lower.
Qantas Group had soared 9.0 per cent to $12.10 after Australia's biggest airline delivered a $1.6 billion profit, up 28.3 per cent from a year ago.
"For everyone across the Qantas Group, this year has been all about delivery," CEO Vanessa Hudson said.
Eagers Automotive had climbed 12.9 per cent to an record high of $25.46 after the car dealership chain said its underlying operating profit rose 8.3 per cent to $197.7 million in the six months to June 30.
IDP Education had rocketed 32.5 per cent to a nearly three-month high of $6.015 after the international student placement company said it would engage in a multi-year transformation effort to reduce costs after Australia and key destination markets impose  restrictions on foreign students.
On the flip side, Ramsay Health Care was down 11 per cent to $33.90 after the private hospital company posted weaker-than-expected margins in Australia and the UK.
Others gaining or losing on the back of earnings results included Nine Entertainment (down 9.1 per cent); South32 (down 5.0 per cent); and Lifestyle Communities (up 13.0 per cent).
Telix Pharmaceuticals had sunk 18.8 per cent to a more than one year low of $14.94 after US Food and Drug Administration identified manufacturing deficiencies for Telix's potential new PET imaging agent.
All of the big four banks were higher, with CBA rising 1.2 per cent, NAB climbing 1.7 per cent, ANZ adding 0.5 per cent and Westpac advancing 0.7 per cent.
In the heavyweight mining sector, BHP was down 0.7 per cent and Rio Tinto had dropped 1.1 per cent, while Fortescue had added 1.5 per cent.
The Australian dollar was buying 65.18 US cents, from 64.87 US cents at 5pm on Wednesday.
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