Table:
|  |  | Years Ended June 30, |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ($ in millions, except per share data) | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
| Net sales | $2,380.2 | $2,157.7 | $1,797.6 |
| Net sales excluding surcharge revenue (1) | $1,942.1 | $1,792.3 | $1,558.4 |
| Operating income | $241.4 | $189.3 | $121.5 |
| Net income | $167.0 | $188.5 | $47.0 |
| Diluted earnings per share | $3.43 | $3.92 | $0.99 |
| Purchases of property, plant, equipment and software | $180.3 | $135.0 | $98.5 |
| Free cash flow (1) | $(53.7) | $34.7 | $(16.8) |
| Pounds sold (in thousands) (2) | 267,536 | 265,620 | 236,346 |
Paragraphs:
Business Trends
Selected financial results for the past three fiscal years are summarized below:
(1) See the section “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below for further discussion of these financial measures.
(2) Includes pounds from Specialty Alloys Operations segment, and certain Performance Engineered Products segment businesses including Dynamet, Carpenter Powder Products and LPW Technology Ltd.
Question:
In which year was the diluted earnings per share largest?
Answer: Because 3.92>3.43>0.99, the answer is: 2018.