It displays each stock picker's overall record and individual stock picks, when the picks were made and their performance over various periods. Validea does have some drawbacks. The site ranks more than 3,000 analysts and their firms based on the accuracy of their stock recommendations and earnings estimates. Breakdowns by stock and industry show which analysts and firms have been the most accurate with regard to forecasting performance. From the horse's mouth With the SEC's Fair Disclosure rule in place, you have the ability to cut out the middleman altogether.
Many companies now broadcast their conference calls over the Internet.
You can listen in as the company discloses earnings or other news and hear analyst questions answered as they're asked. No need to wait for the report. The catch is that you have to decipher the information yourself. You end up with raw pieces rather than a clean commentary from an analyst who may be an expert in the field. But you get the information straight from the source, and without too many fingerprints on it, you can determine the importance without having to wade through someone else's spin on the issues.