Morning Playbook: Dividend.com

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Today's trading will be influenced quite a bit by the monthly retail sales data coming out for several companies today. This news is usually out the first Thursday of each month. Keep an eye today on those names reporting sales numbers, as well as the other names in the news featured below.

Story Stocks

Hovnanian Enterprises(HOV Quote): Shares are lower after homebuilder reports another quarterly loss.

Ciena(CIEN Quote): Stock is higher on company's positive guidance.

SAIC(SAI Quote): Shares are slightly higher following company's second-quarter results.

Del Monte Foods(DLM Quote): Stock is rising after company raises guidance.

Sepracor(SEPR Quote): Shares are flat as news is official that company is being acquired for $23 a share. The stock spiked up yesterday afternoon before it was halted for news pending.

Upgrades to Watch

International Rectifier(IRF Quote): Merriman Curhan Ford initiates coverage with a buy rating.

Carnival Corporation(CCL Quote): Credit Suisse raises price target to $34.

Apple(AAPL Quote): William Blair initiates coverage with an outperform.

Cubic Corp(CUB Quote): JPMorgan raises stock to an outperform.

Cisco Systems(CSCO Quote): RBC Capital Markets raises price target to $27.

Danaher Corporation(DHR Quote): FBR Capital Markets raises stock to an outperform. $71 price target.

Silicon Labs(SLAB Quote): Kaufman Bros. raises estimates. $52 price target.

Accenture(ACN Quote): Baird initiates coverage with an outperform.

Freeport McMoran(FCX Quote): FBR Capital Markets raises estimates. $87 price target.

Franklin Resources(BEN Quote): Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raises stock to an outperform. $110 price target.

Brown-Forman(BF-B Quote): Goldman Sachs raises estimates.

Zumiez(ZUMZ Quote): William Blair raises stock to an outperform.

Baker Hughes(BHI Quote): Morgan Stanley raises stock to an equalweight. $75 price target.