I need to compile a list of as many stock and equity research and
analysis firms as possible.  The firms included in the list should
focus on the US and North America, but other regions are acceptable.

If possible, the list should be compiled in a Microsoft Excel
spreadsheet with the following column headings: Firm name, Industry,
Country/Region, and URL.  For the industry field, use the type of
company the firm studies (e.g. healthcare) if it's available. 
Otherwise, describe the company as either a buy-side, sell-side, or
indepentent research firm.  Please try to use consistent tags for the
industry field (e.g. use either "sell-side research firm" or
"sell-side," but not both).

Sample entry:

Firm name: Callard Research; Industry: sell-side research firm; Country/Region:
US/Global; URL: http://www.callardresearch.com

If you're having a difficult time finding the industry, region of focus, or URL
for a firm, don't worry about it; at this point, building a long list
of firm names is more important than having detailed data on each
firm.

If you have additional questions, please don't hesitate to ask for clarification.