Here's How Masco Shocked the Market This Week

Shares in plumbing and paints company Masco (NYSE: MAS) rose by 13.2% in the week to Friday morning. The move comes after a surprisingly strong set of first-quarter 2026 earnings was released earlier in the week. A combination of soaring raw material prices and the absence of a significant recovery in the housing market and weak consumer market is creating what Masco's management describes as "a dynamic macroeconomic and geopolitical environment." Still, you wouldn't know it from looking at the company's first quarter 2026 results. Company sales rose 4% in local currency to $1.92 billion in the quarter, with an impressive increase in operating profit margin to 16.9% from 16% in the same quarter of 2025. Given that the adjusted gross profit margin was flat at 36%, the increase in operating profit clearly came from keeping sales, general, and administrative (SG&A) costs under control at $366 million, compared to $358 million in last year's first quarter. Continue readingWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei MotleyFool Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei MotleyFool