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Note that all of these links lead to external web sites and are not part of PBS.org or Wall $treet Week with FORTUNE.

Sell-side research analysts lately have been targets of scorn on Wall Street, but there have always been good analysts and bad ones. Perhaps the difference between the two is determined more by market mood -- after all, growth analysts looked great from fall 1998 to early 2000 -- rather than actual levels of stock-picking ability; nevertheless, some intriguing sites offer data about analyst performance.

First Call is the de facto standard for tracking sell-side analyst research and estimates, but you have to be a professional to afford access. If you really want analyst estimates and ratings, Zacks.com offers a fairly detailed list for free. While not cited as regularly as First Call, Zacks polls mostly the same analysts as its more popular rival, and lists the latest estimates and ratings individually to show how the consensus is calculated.

StarMine ranks analysts based on the accuracy of past earnings estimates. The company, which offers a free service for individual investors and more robust product aimed at industry professionals, says it can also predict which companies will beat Wall Street's consensus estimate.