BUZZ-Ashtead: best day YTD after profit beat

** Ashtead rises 5.1 pct, its best day YTD, after Q1 profits beat expectations

** Pre tax profit of £160.7 mln a 6.8 pct beat of consensus, according to Thomson Reuters (Dusseldorf: TOC.DU - news) data

** Co confident on outlook despite weaker commentary from peers United Rentals (NYSE: URI - news) , HSS and Speedy Hire (LSE: SDY.L - news)

** Stock had been consensus long on both the buy- and sell-side for several years - not a single "hold" or "sell" rating on the stock as recently as November 2014

** However, concerns over slowing US rental growth has seen the stock break an uptrend held since 2011, losing 16.5 pct YTD

** BAML double downgrade to "sell" has seen other brokers follow suit, but majority of the street still positive (13 "buy", 2 "hold", 1 "sell")

** Berenberg notes weakness has left stock at an attractive entry point: co on a 31 pct discount to peer group on an EV/EBITDA basis, despite a FY 2015-7 CAGR of 26 pct versus 15 pct for peers (RM (LSE: RM.L - news) : alasdair.pal.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)