What happened Shares of paint maker PPG Industries (NYSE: PPG) rose roughly 12% out of the gate on April 16. The news driving the rally was the company's first-quarter 2021 earnings, which hit Wall Street after trading closed on April 15. Obviously, the reading was pretty good. So what PPG Industries, which operates in the basic materials sector, reported sales of $3.9 billion in the first quarter, up roughly 15% from the same period in 2020. Sales volumes rose around 7% year over year, despite headwinds in some key markets (notably aerospace). On the bottom line, adjusted earnings came in at $1.88 per share, up from $1.31 in the first quarter of 2020. This year's first-quarter earnings figure is a record for the company. This is all good news and investors are right to be pleased. Image source: Getty Images. However, Wall Street is probably more excited about the fact that analysts had been expecting the top line to come in at roughly $3.7 billion with earnings pegged at $1.57 per share. In other words, PPG Industries had solid beats on revenue and earnings. Investors tend to get a little extra jolt of excitement from this type of news. Now what PPG Industrial is obviously executing well right now. That includes the benefits it is seeing from the integration of recent acquisitions. And, because the company has been able to pass along price increases it has been facing, there's every reason to believe that the positive news will continue. Long-term investors should, indeed, be happy with the company's results. 10 stocks we like better than PPG IndustriesWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and PPG Industries wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of February 24, 2021 Reuben Gregg Brewer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Source