BMO Capital Markets equity research team was ranked number two in the U.S., based on BMO’s coverage of stocks on the S&P 500, said StarMine today.

San Francisco-based StarMine measures the performance of equity analysts and provides analytics to institutional investors.

StarMine recognized three specific stock picks from BMO in 2007. Tech analyst Brian Piccioni was acknowledged for his choice of Advanced Micro Devices Inc. Edward Williams, who covers interactive entertainment was highlighted for picking GameStop, and oil and gas analyst Jim Byrne was chosen for his pick, Hess Corp.

BMO also ranked number four in earnings estimates in the U.S. category, in StarMine’s annual review of top global brokerage houses.

“Our approach at BMO is to cultivate a research group that has had significant industry expertise and long tenured analyst experience, a powerful combination that provides our clients with research that adds value,” said Mike Miller, head of equity products at BMO Capital Markets, in a release.

StarMine released it’s ranking today on a series of global investment banks. To qualify for ranking, companies had to cover at least 125 stocks in the S&P 500. BMO Capital Markets ranked second in the U.S. category among 29 firms.