Earnings per share

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2017

The computation of basic earnings per share (EPS) is based on the weighted-average number of our common shares outstanding. The computation of diluted EPS is based on the weighted-average number of our common shares outstanding and dilutive potential common shares, which include primarily shares that may be issued under our stock option, restricted stock and performance unit award programs, as determined using the treasury stock method (collectively, dilutive securities).

The computation for basic and diluted EPS was as follows (in millions, except per share data):



	Years ended December 31,
	2017		2016		2015
Income (Numerator):
Net income for basic and diluted EPS	$	1,979	$	7,722	$	6,939

Shares (Denominator):
Weighted-average shares for basic EPS	731		748		758
Effect of dilutive securities	4		6		8
Weighted-average shares for diluted EPS	735		754		766

Basic EPS	$	2.71	$	10.32	$	9.15
Diluted EPS	$	2.69	$	10.24	$	9.06

For each of the three years ended December 31, 2017, the number of anti-dilutive employee stock-based awards excluded from the computation of diluted EPS was not significant.