in The New Zealand Refining Company Limited and reached agreement to sell the company’s marketing operations.

Other

Common Stock Dividends The 2015 annual dividend was $4.28 per share, making 2015 the 28th consecutive year that the company increased its annual dividend payout.

Results of Operations

The following section presents the results of operations and variances on an after-tax basis for the company’s business segments – Upstream and Downstream – as well as for “All Other.” Earnings are also presented for the U.S. and international geographic areas of the Upstream and Downstream business segments. Refer to Note 14, beginning on page FS-37, for a discussion of the company’s “reportable segments.” This section should also be read in conjunction with the discussion in “Business Environment and Outlook” on pages FS-2 through FS-5.

U.S. Upstream

U.S. upstream operations incurred a loss of $4.06 billion in 2015 compared to earnings of $3.33 billion from 2014. The decrease was primarily due to lower crude oil and natural gas realizations of $4.86 billion and $570 million, respectively, higher depreciation expenses of $2.19 billion and higher exploration expenses of $650 million. The increase in depreciation and exploration expenses was primarily due to impairments and project cancellations. Lower gains on asset sales also contributed to the decrease with current year gains of $110 million compared with $700 million in 2014. Partially offsetting these effects were higher crude oil production of $900 million and lower operating expenses of $450 million.

U.S. upstream earnings of $3.33 billion in 2014 decreased $717 million from 2013, primarily due to lower crude oil prices of $950 million. Higher depreciation expenses of $440 million and higher operating expenses of $210 million also contributed to the decline. Partially offsetting the decrease were gains on asset sales of $700 million in 2014 compared with $60 million in 2013, higher natural gas realizations of $150 million and higher crude oil production of $100 million.

The company’s average realization for U.S. crude oil and natural gas liquids in 2015 was $42.70 per barrel, compared with $84.13 in 2014 and $93.46 in 2013. The average natural gas realization was $1.92 per thousand cubic feet in 2015, compared with $3.90 in 2014 and $3.37 in 2013.

Net oil-equivalent production in 2015 averaged 720,000 barrels per day, up 8 percent from 2014 and 10 percent from 2013. Between 2015 and 2014, production increases due to project ramp-ups in the Gulf of Mexico and the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico were partially offset by the effect of asset sales and normal field declines. Between 2014 and 2013, production increases in the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico and the Marcellus Shale in western Pennsylvania were partially offset by normal field declines.

The net liquids component of oil-equivalent production for 2015 averaged 501,000 barrels per day, up 10 percent from 2014 and 12 percent from 2013. Net natural gas production averaged about 1.3 billion cubic feet per day in 2015, up 5 percent from 2014 and 2013. Refer to the “Selected Operating Data” table on page FS-11 for a