The first Starbucks (SBUX) location opened in 1971, and the company has since grown to become the world’s largest coffee purveyor with over 29,000 stores in 78 countries. Starbucks stores sell not just premium coffee but also tea, packaged coffee, juices, bottled water, pastries, and various lunch items. In addition, the company licenses several of its products, which are available in supermarkets and stores, and sells through other up-and-coming brands such as Teavana, Tazo, Seattle’s Best Coffee, Evolution Fresh, and Ethos. In its most recent fiscal year, the vast majority of Starbucks' sales came from the company’s namesake, company-owned stores. Company-owned stores: 80% of revenue Licensed stores: 11% of revenue

While the stock market, in general, has had a rough few months, many popular tech stocks have been hammered far harder. That includes Apple (AAPL), which saw its share price decline by as much as 40% since hitting an all-time high in October 2018. Apple's fall included a 10% single-day drop on January 2, 2019, when the company shocked Wall Street with a surprise revenue guidance cut for its first quarter of fiscal 2019. Let's take a look at why the market has turned so bearish on this beloved consumer tech giant and, more importantly, determine whether Apple's long-term thesis and dividend growth prospects appear to remain intact.

Paychex (PAYX) was founded in 1971 and provides a range of payroll, human resource, and benefits outsourcing services to more than 650,000 small and medium-sized businesses. The company's wide range of services includes: Payroll processing: calculate, prepare, and delivery employee payroll checks; prepare payroll tax returns; collect and remit client’s payroll obligations; time tracking, etc. Retirement services: 401(k) plan design, recordkeeping, and plan management services. Insurance: group health insurance, health care reform, workers’ comp, etc. Outsourced human resources: on-site personnel, employee handbooks, compliance services, employee records administration, etc.

Consumer staples companies like J.M. Smucker (SJM) are often owned for their recession-resistant qualities and safe dividends. Food and beverage makers tend to be low volatility stocks that serve as defensive holdings in conservative dividend growth portfolios. But Smucker has had a challenging year, down 24% in 2018 and off 40% from its mid-2016 high. That's driven the stock's dividend yield to over 3.5%, its highest level since the Financial Crisis. Let's take a look at why investors are so bearish on the company and whether this food giant's long-term dividend growth thesis remains intact.