Not surprisingly in the current environment, only two financial companies made it to our final screen. They are property-casualty company Traveler s (TRV), with an earnings yield of 15% and mean long-term earnings-per-share growth estimated at 8.5%, and Warren Buffett's financial conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA), with interests in insurance as well as manufacturing, media, consumer-discretionary and retail sectors and an earnings yield of 7.5%. Travelers' conservative management of its investment portfolio, stable personal-lines business, manageable debt load, and strong balance sheet has helped it weather the current downturn well, and should give it an edge in a recovery.

Berkshire Hathaway is, well, Berkshire Hathaway. Despite pressure on its investment portfolio from an ill-timed foray into the oil patch through a ConocoPhillips (COP) stake -- Conoco also makes it onto our long-term list -- and Buffett's staunch support of some beleaguered banks, plus some derivative bets that so far appear to have backfired, Berkshire ended 2008 with $24 billion in cash. And it continues to be well-positioned to take advantage of others' travails. One area Buffett now finds attractive is high-yielding investment-grade corporate bonds.

Conoco also makes it onto our long-term list...

Only one utility makes our list: Duke Energy (DUK), a pure-play electric utility sporting a 9.9% earnings yield and estimated mean long-term earnings growth of about 4%. Duke has ample liquidity to support growth and see it through this economic crisis. Investors will likely be drawn to its solid balance sheet and geographic diversity, as well as its 7% dividend yield -- which in this case appears to be sustainable.

Most heavily represented on our list are companies in the health-care and information-technology sectors. Indeed, Nos. 1 and 2 on the list of 56 companies are managed-health-care companies WellPoint (WLP), with an earnings yield of 17.2%, and UnitedHealth (UNH), boasting an earnings yield of 16.8%. After a difficult couple of years, WellPoint is on track to improve its shareholder returns. New management is in place, claims inventories are down, and reserves have been strengthened. The company is expected to generate free cash flow of $3 billion in 2009, and to repurchase up to $2 billion of its shares this year.

Most heavily represented on our list are companies in the health-care and information-technology sectors. Indeed, Nos. 1 and 2 on the list of 56 companies are managed-health-care companies WellPoint (WLP), with an earnings yield of 17.2%, and UnitedHealth (UNH), boasting an earnings yield of 16.8%.

Topping the list of info-tech stocks is Hewlett-Packard (HP), whose earnings yield is 12.9%. Hit hard by the global downturn and frozen IT budgets, the computer-printer giant posted lower-than-expected revenue in its fiscal first quarter, and reduced its earnings outlook. But synergies from its acquisition of EDS as well as share gains should provide meaningful earnings support. When spending does tick up, Hewlett-Packard is well-positioned to benefit (see the Dec. 29, 2008 Barron's "How HP Prints Profits"). Meantime, it ended the first quarter with $11.3 billion in cash; operating cash flow was $1.1 billion. Also, the company has $7.9 billion remaining in a share-repurchase program, after buying back $1.2 billion of its shares in the prior quarter. Needham & Co. has called Hewlett-Packard "a must-own name in large-cap tech."

There are few media companies that make the grade, but one that does is News Corp . (NWS, Class B), owner of Dow Jones, which publishes Barron's. News Corp. shares have been battered by the deep advertising recession affecting the entire newspaper industry. Also, when Peter Chernin, Rupert Murdoch's longtime second-in-command, announced recently he would leave the company, concerns were raised about succession plans. Still, the company's balance sheet is in fine shape, with a manageable debt load and cash available to cover its obligations through 2015. News Corp. is expected to generate $2.2 billion in free cash flow this year. At 8.1%, its earnings yield is about 2.9 times the yield of the 10-year Treasury. The stock could benefit if management chose to buy back shares, a signal that the worst for the media industry and economy might be over. At least one analyst has a price target of $14 on the shares, which would indicate a roughly 100% move from current levels.