pro forma financial information the following pro forma consolidated condensed financial results of operations are presented as if the acquisition of the valves & controls business occurred on october 1 , 2015 . the pro forma information is presented for informational purposes only and is not indicative of the results of operations that would have been achieved had the acquisition occurred as of that time. .

Table: 2016 2017 net sales $ 16201 16112 net earnings from continuing operations common stockholders $ 1482 1692 diluted earnings per share from continuing operations $ 2.28 2.62

the pro forma results for 2016 were adjusted to include first year acquisition accounting charges related to inventory and backlog of $ 122 in 2017 . the pro forma 2016 results also include acquisition costs of $ 52 , while the 2017 pro forma results were adjusted to exclude these charges . on october 2 , 2017 , the company sold its residential storage business for $ 200 in cash , subject to post-closing adjustments , and expects to recognize a loss of approximately $ 40 in 2018 due to income taxes resulting from nondeductible goodwill . the company expects to realize approximately $ 140 in after-tax cash proceeds from the sale . this business , with sales of $ 298 and pretax earnings of $ 15 in 2017 , is a leader in home organization and storage systems , and was reported within the tools & home products segment . assets and liabilities were classified as held-for-sale as of september 30 , 2017 . the company acquired six businesses in 2016 , four in automation solutions and two in climate technologies . total cash paid for these businesses was $ 132 , net of cash acquired . annualized sales for these businesses were approximately $ 51 in 2016 . the company recognized goodwill of $ 83 ( $ 27 of which is expected to be tax deductible ) and other identifiable intangible assets of $ 50 , primarily customer relationships and intellectual property with a weighted-average life of approximately nine years . the company completed eight acquisitions in 2015 , seven in automation solutions and one in tools & home products , which had combined annualized sales of approximately $ 115 . total cash paid for all businesses was $ 324 , net of cash acquired . the company recognized goodwill of $ 178 ( $ 42 of which is expected to be tax deductible ) and other intangible assets of $ 128 , primarily customer relationships and intellectual property with a weighted-average life of approximately ten years . in january 2015 , the company completed the sale of its mechanical power transmission solutions business for $ 1.4 billion , and recognized a pretax gain from the transaction of $ 939 ( $ 532 after-tax , $ 0.78 per share ) . assets and liabilities sold were as follows : current assets , $ 182 ( accounts receivable , inventories , other current assets ) ; other assets , $ 374 ( property , plant and equipment , goodwill , other noncurrent assets ) ; accrued expenses , $ 56 ( accounts payable , other current liabilities ) ; and other liabilities , $ 41 . proceeds from the divestiture were used for share repurchase . this business was previously reported in the former industrial automation segment , and had partial year sales in 2015 of $ 189 and related pretax earnings of $ 21 . power transmission solutions designs and manufactures market-leading couplings , bearings , conveying components and gearing and drive components , and provides supporting services and solutions . on september 30 , 2015 , the company sold its intermetro commercial storage business for $ 411 in cash and recognized a pretax gain from the transaction of $ 100 ( $ 79 after-tax , $ 0.12 per share ) . this business had annual sales of $ 288 and pretax earnings of $ 42 in 2015 and was reported in the former commercial & residential solutions segment . assets and liabilities sold were as follows : current assets , $ 62 ( accounts receivable , inventories , other current assets ) ; other assets , $ 292 ( property , plant and equipment , goodwill , other noncurrent assets ) ; current liabilities , $ 34 ( accounts payable , other current liabilities ) ; and other liabilities , $ 9 . intermetro is a leading manufacturer and supplier of storage and transport products in the food service , commercial products and health care industries . the results of operations of the acquired businesses discussed above have been included in the company 2019s consolidated results of operations since the respective dates of acquisition . ( 4 ) discontinued operations in 2017 , the company completed the previously announced strategic actions to streamline its portfolio and drive growth in its core businesses . on november 30 , 2016 , the company completed the sale of its network power systems business for $ 4.0 billion in cash and retained a subordinated interest in distributions , contingent upon the equity holders first receiving a threshold return on their initial investment . this business comprised the former network power segment . additionally , on january 31 , 2017 , the company completed the sale of its power generation , motors and drives business for approximately $ 1.2 billion , subject to post-closing .

Question: what was the percentage change on pro forma basis of the diluted earnings per share from continuing operations between 2016 and 2017?
Answer: 15%
Calculation: divide(subtract(2.62, 2.28), 2.28)
Explanation: this lets us get a read on the impact of the additional business to earnings per share , even with the sales decline .