April 24 (Reuters) - Masco ( MAS ) beat Wall Street

expectations for first-quarter profit on Wednesday, as price

hikes and easing material costs bolstered the

homebuilding-product maker's margins.

Its gross profit margin expanded 180 basis points to 35.6%,

also helped by better cost management undertaken in the past

quarters to shield its margins from rising costs of freight,

shipping and commodity.

"We expanded adjusted operating profit margin by 90 basis

points and grew adjusted earnings per share by 8% through

improved operational efficiencies and our continued focus on

execution," CEO Keith Allman said in the statement.

The Behr paint maker posted an adjusted profit of 93 cents

per share for the quarter ended March. 31, compared with

analysts' average estimate of 88 cents per share, according to

LSEG data.

Quarterly net sales, however, decreased 3% to $1.93 billion,

compared with analysts' average estimate of a 2% decline to

$1.94 billion, due to weak demand for Masco's ( MAS ) decorative

architectural and plumbing businesses as budget-conscious

consumers pulled back from spending on renovation projects.

Masco ( MAS ) still maintained its annual profit forecast range of

$4 to $4.25 per share.

(Reporting by Anuja Bharat Mistry in Bengaluru; Editing by

Shinjini Ganguli)