U.S. stocks head for a weak open Friday, as investors took in a mixed bag of corporate news and results and waited for the latest news out of Europe.

Dow Jones industrial average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures were between 0.2% and 0.5% lower. Stock futures indicate the possible direction of the markets when they open at 9:30 a.m. ET.

General Electric reported earnings ahead of the opening bell that topped estimates but revenue fell short.

Investors had been bracing for a lackluster quarter, but the bulk of corporate results have come in above expectations. Of the 77 S&P 500 companies that had reported earnings through Wednesday, 48 have topped forecasts, according to research from S&P Capital IQ.

Early Friday, entertainment company Viacom reached a "long-term" deal with DirectTV, ending a week-long feud between the two. That means that DirectTV subscribers won't lose access to more than a dozen channels, including MTV, Nick and Comedy Central.

IPOs will also be in focus early Friday. Palo Alto Networks will make its public debut after pricing its initial public offering at $42 a share -- above its estimated range. Travel site Kayak will also finally start trading. Kayak priced its IPO at $26 a share.

It's been a pretty good week for going public. Thursday, shares of Five Below surged 55% after the teen retailer raised $163 million through its IPO.

Meanwhile, there are still signs of weakness in the broader economy and Europe's debt crisis remains a concern. Eurozone finance ministers will meet Friday, and are expected to finalize the terms of the first part, or €30 billion, of a bailout for Spanish banks.

Spain has a lot to contend with. Much like Greece, Spaniards have taken to the streets in violent protest of tough austerity cuts the eurozone's fourth-largest economy needs to make. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Spanish bond moved back above 7% - a worrisome and unsustainable level.

U.S. stocks held onto modest gains Thursday as investors weighed the latest corporate results against poor economic data.