Morning Playbook: Dividend.com

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- News of a potential big deal and a spike in gold prices are moving the market needle in the early going today. Here are the biggest movers and shakers of the day so far.

Story Stocks

Kraft Foods(KFT Quote): Shares are lower after company announces bid for Cadbury(CBY Quote).

Smithfield Foods(SFD Quote): Stock is lower after company reports quarterly loss.

MEMC Electronics(WFR Quote): Shares are lower as company lowers revenue guidance.

Upgrades to Watch

Altera Corp(ALTR Quote): Morgan Stanley upgrades to an overweight rating.

Lam Research(LRCX Quote): Morgan Stanley upgrades to an overweight rating.

Qlogic(QLGC Quote): Morgan Stanley upgrades to an overweight rating.

Costco(COST Quote): Morgan Stanley raises stock to an overweight. $6 price target.

VMware(VMW Quote): Goldman Sachs raises stock to a buy.

Chattem(CHTT Quote): Merrill Lynch/Bank of America initiates stock with a buy rating. $70 price target.

General Electric(GE Quote): JP Morgan raises stock to an overweight. $17 price target.

Aeropostale(ARO Quote): UBS raises price target to $49.

National Semiconductor(NSM Quote): FBR Capital Markets raises estimates. $17 price target.

Lubrizol(LZ Quote): Deutsche Bank raises price target to $75.

Harley-Davidson(HOG Quote): Citigroup raises stock to a hold. $26 price target.

Amphenol(APH Quote): Thomas Weisel raises stock to an overweight. $ 42 price target.

Lexmark(LXK Quote): Morgan Stanley raises stock to an equal-weight.

Allstate(ALL Quote): FBR Capital Markets raises price target to $44.

Range Resources(RRC Quote): Barclays Capital initiates stock with an equal-weight rating. $44 price target.

Red Hat, Inc.(RHT Quote): Goldman Sachs raises stock to a buy.

Texas Instruments(TXN Quote): UBS raises estimates. $27 price target.

Qualcomm(QCOM Quote): Oppenheimer raises price target to $56.

XL Capital(XL Quote): FBR Capital Markets raises price target to $21.