N-CSR 1 argsf_ncsr.htm CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-CSR

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED
MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES
 
 

Investment Company Act File Number: 811-00579

T. Rowe Price Growth Stock Fund, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)
 
100 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202

(Address of principal executive offices)
 
David Oestreicher
100 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202

(Name and address of agent for service)
 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (410) 345-2000
 
 
Date of fiscal year end: December 31
 
 
Date of reporting period: December 31, 2016





Item 1. Report to Shareholders

T. Rowe Price Annual Report
Growth Stock Fund
December 31, 2016

The views and opinions in this report were current as of December 31, 2016. They are not guarantees of performance or investment results and should not be taken as investment advice. Investment decisions reflect a variety of factors, and the managers reserve the right to change their views about individual stocks, sectors, and the markets at any time. As a result, the views expressed should not be relied upon as a forecast of the fund’s future investment intent. The report is certified under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which requires mutual funds and other public companies to affirm that, to the best of their knowledge, the information in their financial reports is fairly and accurately stated in all material respects.

REPORTS ON THE WEB

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Manager’s Letter

Fellow Shareholders

U.S. stocks finished 2016 higher despite a substantial sell-off early in the year and volatility caused by the surprising results of the UK’s Brexit vote in June and the U.S. presidential election in November. After modest results in 2015, the S&P 500 Index recorded strong gains for the 12-month period, its eighth consecutive year of positive results. The details of the rally worked against the Growth Stock Fund, though, as value stocks generally outperformed growth companies and smaller firms outpaced larger ones. While our focus on finding attractive growth companies with solid fundamentals remains unchanged, the investing environment is different from six months ago, and as a result we have made some adjustments to our positioning.

The Growth Stock Fund returned 1.41% in the 12-month period ended December 31, 2016, compared with 11.96% for the S&P 500 Index and 0.54% for the Lipper Large-Cap Growth Funds Index, which measures the performance of similarly managed funds. The return for the Russell 1000 Growth Index, which we believe is the most appropriate benchmark for our fund because of its similar style focus, was 7.08%. After weak results in the first half of the year, the fund performed in line with the S&P 500 over the most recent six months while outperforming the Russell and Lipper indexes. (Performance varies for the Advisor, R, and I Class shares, reflecting their different fee structures.) For the 12-month period, stock selection was the primary reason for the fund’s underperformance versus the benchmark, although sector weightings also hampered results.


Your fund compared more favorably versus its peer group during longer time periods. Lipper ranked the Growth Stock Fund in the top decile among large-cap growth funds for the five-year period ended December 31, 2016. (Based on cumulative total return, Lipper ranked the fund 381 of 666, 172 of 596, 49 of 531, and 102 of 383 funds in the large-cap growth funds category for the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year periods ended December 31, 2016, respectively. Past performance cannot guarantee future results.)

MARKET AND ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT

The year began on a sour note, as fears of a global economic slowdown, especially in China, and a collapse in oil prices to 13-year lows weighed on world markets. Global equities bottomed in mid-February and then began to work their way higher, as commodity prices recovered and the U.S. dollar weakened. In late June, world equity markets experienced a brief but intense sell-off as the UK unexpectedly voted in favor of leaving the European Union. However, stocks resumed their upward trajectory amid expectations that global central banks would provide additional monetary stimulus to prevent a Brexit-related economic downturn. The unexpected victory by Donald Trump in the presidential election sparked a stock market rally in anticipation of a friendlier regulatory environment and stimulative fiscal policies, including tax cuts and increased infrastructure spending.

Earnings for the S&P 500 as a whole rose in the third quarter on a year-over-year basis, ending five quarters of declines. Most sectors produced excellent returns for the year. Energy stocks recorded strong gains as oil prices rebounded from early-year lows and as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) agreed in the latter part of the year to cut production. Financial stocks also did very well, thanks to a brisk year-end rally. The sector was lifted by expectations for a friendlier regulatory environment under President Trump and more profitable bank lending due to rising interest rates. Consumer discretionary and consumer staples stocks produced mild gains. Health care stocks fell for the year, hurt by scrutiny over drug pricing practices.

Developed non-U.S. equity markets significantly underperformed U.S. shares, as returns to U.S. investors were hurt by a stronger dollar versus most major currencies. Global merger and acquisition activity declined from 2015’s record high but, at $3.84 trillion, was still one of the highest totals on record, according to market analytics firm Dealogic.

The U.S. economic backdrop improved after sluggish results in the first half of the year. According to the Commerce Department’s latest estimate, third-quarter gross domestic product grew at an annualized pace of 3.5%, following readings of 0.8% and 1.4% in the first and second quarters, respectively. Although the pace of employment growth has moderated, the labor market remains strong and wage growth has accelerated. Inflation pressures have been firming as commodity prices have rebounded from early-2016 lows.

In December, after delaying additional rate increases for a year, the Federal Reserve judged that the economy had strengthened enough for it to lift the fed funds target rate to a range of 0.50% to 0.75%—an increase of 25 basis points. The yield of the benchmark 10-year Treasury note had reached a record low in July, but yields moved sharply higher following the U.S. election as inflation expectations increased.

PORTFOLIO REVIEW

After underperforming in the first half of the year, the portfolio made up some ground in the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter. However, cyclical value sectors such as financials, telecoms, energy, and industrials outperformed during the rally that followed the presidential election, while the more secular growth-oriented health care, technology, and consumer discretionary sectors that we typically focus on lagged. Health care and information technology were our largest detractors for the 12-month period. We added to our position in financials, where our stock selection contributed to relative results.

Health care companies generally faced a difficult environment in 2016 as drug pricing came under increased scrutiny, and seven of the 10 largest detractors in our portfolio came from the sector. Pharmaceutical firms Allergan and Valeant Pharmaceuticals and biotech Alexion Pharmaceuticals were our largest detractors. (Please refer to the fund’s portfolio of investments for a complete list of holdings and the amount each represents in the portfolio.)

Allergan faced head-winds early in the year when its proposed merger with Pfizer was called off after the U.S. Treasury Department issued a notice aimed at curbing the benefits of tax inversions. In addition, the company’s drug pipeline produced little positive news. Alexion Pharmaceuticals issued weaker-than-expected guidance in the first quarter and later announced disappointing results from a clinical trial that led to a sharp decline in the second quarter. The stock saw further volatility late in the year after the company delayed filing its quarterly financial statements and the board removed its CEO and CFO. The company’s financials have since been filed, and a new management team is in place. We continue to hold both stocks as we believe the companies have upside potential at current valuations.


We eliminated Valeant in the first quarter after a series of troubles, including accounting restatements, management changes, and investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission. On the positive side, health insurer UnitedHealth Group was one of the top performers in the portfolio, offsetting some of the losses we experienced elsewhere in the health care sector. The company outperformed amid revenue and market share increases. Our allocation to health care came down from about 22% to 15.5% over the past year, with most of the reduction occurring in the last six months. This left us with a slight underweight relative to the Russell benchmark at year-end. While we don’t expect much from drug pipelines in 2017, mergers could be a positive factor and managed care companies could do well.

Our stock selection in IT also hampered results. The professional social network LinkedIn had been a strong performer for us, but it showed signs of a slowdown in netting new subscribers and uncertainty surrounding its growth prospects. We eliminated the stock in the second quarter, and we decided to put the proceeds into stronger ideas. Shortly after our sale, Microsoft launched a surprise bid to buy LinkedIn, and the deal closed just before year-end. Microsoft, one of our largest holdings, was a top contributor to the portfolio for the 12-month period.

Despite excellent fundamentals, sentiment weighed on shares of Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba Group Holding due to concerns about the future of the China-U.S. relationship in the post-election landscape. In addition to uncertainty surrounding global trade policies, shares of Alibaba have seen further pressure due to expected foreign exchange translation headwinds. Our exposure to salesforce.com detracted from relative returns in the latter half of 2016, largely in response to a lack of clarity surrounding the company’s acquisition strategy. Sentiment weighed on the stock following its failed pursuit of LinkedIn, rumors of the CEO’s interest in acquiring Twitter, and a leaked presentation highlighting numerous other potential acquisition targets.

Despite the underperformance, the fundamentals of our tech holdings are strong. IT remains our largest sector, and we have increased our position from about 30% to 35% over the 12-month period, which included additions to our Paypal Holdings, salesforce.com, and Alibaba holdings.

Stock selection in financials was a bright spot for the portfolio. The outcome of the U.S. presidential election led to a more favorable outlook for the sector in light of expectations for reduced regulations, lower corporate taxes, rising interest rates, and accelerated loan growth, all of which would be beneficial for many companies in the sector. Morgan Stanley, which has seen an improvement in fundamentals as it focuses more on its higher-margin wealth management business, was one of the portfolio’s top contributors. Discount broker TD Ameritrade Holding also benefited from the favorable tailwinds in the sector and its timely acquisition of Scottrade.

We have been underweight banks because of the tough regulatory environment they have faced in the past, but we think this industry has considerable potential in the post-election atmosphere. We established a new position in JPMorgan Chase in the fourth quarter. The firm is a high-quality global bank, and its main businesses are all market leaders. We also initiated a new position in Charles Schwab, a large discount broker that is well positioned to benefit from rising interest rates.

Amazon.com, Alphabet (Google’s parent company), and Priceline remained the fund’s largest holdings; consumer discretionary companies Amazon.com and Priceline were the largest and third-largest contributors, respectively, to the fund’s performance, while Alphabet’s returns were more muted and the stock underperformed in the IT sector. After stellar performance in 2015, Amazon.com declined sharply early in the year, but the stock recovered. The company’s rapidly growing third-party sales and Amazon Web Services businesses possess margins above the company average. The growth of these businesses has propelled a meaningful ascent in gross profit margins. The company also provided greater disclosure for Amazon Web Services—which provides cloud computing infrastructure for other companies—demonstrating that the business is far more profitable than many had expected. Priceline’s stock has been buffeted periodically by terrorist threats or other factors influencing travel, but the online travel service’s results have been quite strong. Alphabet underperformed early in the year after investors were disappointed with its first-quarter earnings report, but the company produced significant second-half gains on the strength of its mobile search monetization and the rapid growth at its YouTube division.


OUTLOOK

After the rally at the end of 2016, market valuations are still near long-term averages according to a variety of metrics; in our opinion, stock prices are reasonable although not cheap. The U.S. economy appears healthy, and we could see pent-up demand from consumers who were delaying spending amid the uncertainty related to the U.S. election and who are starting to see wage gains in a tightening labor market. While the Fed has stated it is ready to continue raising interest rates in 2017, gradual rate increases shouldn’t be a stumbling block for equities.

The big questions for investors in 2017 will be how successful the new administration will be in implementing its pro-growth policies and to what extent these policies have already been priced in to stocks. A more business-friendly approach to regulations seems likely and should help company profits. However, more uncertainty surrounds corporate tax reform and the proposed border adjustment tax, which could also have a large and divergent impact on profits across different industries.

While we are factoring in how a changing political environment could affect different companies, our investment approach remains largely the same as we have discussed in our previous letters. We believe that disciplined fundamental analysis will enable us to identify high-quality companies with durable growth prospects that are poised to stand out from the broader market. We continue to favor companies that have more control over their destiny, are positioned to benefit from powerful secular trends, and are using innovation to disrupt less efficient business models and create new ones. Finally, we believe that by consistently following a disciplined approach, we will be able to provide long-term investors with the potential for attractive returns.

Respectfully submitted,

Joseph B. Fath
Chairman of the fund’s Investment Advisory Committee

January 23, 2017

The committee chairman has day-to-day responsibility for managing the portfolio and works with committee members in developing and executing the fund’s investment program.

RISKS OF STOCK INVESTING

As with all stock and bond mutual funds, a fund’s share price can fall because of weakness in the stock or bond markets, a particular industry, or specific holdings. Stock markets can decline for many reasons, including adverse political or economic developments, changes in investor psychology, or heavy institutional selling. The prospects for an industry or company may deteriorate because of a variety of factors, including disappointing earnings or changes in the competitive environment. In addition, the investment manager’s assessment of companies held in a fund may prove incorrect, resulting in losses or poor performance even in rising markets. Funds investing in stocks with a dividend orientation may have somewhat lower potential for price appreciation than those concentrating on rapidly growing firms. Also, a company may reduce or eliminate its dividend.

GLOSSARY

Dividend yield: The annual dividend of a stock divided by the stock’s price.

Earnings growth rate—current fiscal year: Measures the annualized percent change in earnings per share from the prior fiscal year to the current fiscal year.

Free cash flow: The excess cash a company is generating from its operations that can be taken out of the business for the benefit of shareholders, such as dividends, share repurchases, investments, and acquisitions.

Gross domestic product (GDP): The total market value of all goods and services produced in a country in a given year.

Lipper indexes: Fund benchmarks that consist of a small number (10 to 30) of the largest mutual funds in a particular category as tracked by Lipper Inc.

Price/book ratio: A valuation measure that compares a stock’s market price with its book value, i.e., the company’s net worth divided by the number of outstanding shares.

Price/earnings (P/E) ratio: A valuation measure calculated by dividing the price of a stock by its current or projected earnings per share. This ratio gives investors an idea of how much they are paying for current or future earnings power.

Russell 1000 Growth Index: Market capitalization-weighted index of those firms in the Russell 1000 Index with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecast growth values.

Russell 1000 Index: A market capitalization-weighted index that tracks the performance of the 1,000 largest U.S. companies.

S&P 500 Index: An unmanaged index that tracks the stocks of 500 primarily large-cap U.S. companies.

Note: Russell Investment Group is the source and owner of the trademarks, service marks, and copyrights related to the Russell indexes. Russell® is a trademark of Russell Investment Group.




Performance and Expenses

Growth of $10,000

This chart shows the value of a hypothetical $10,000 investment in the fund over the past 10 fiscal year periods or since inception (for funds lacking 10-year records). The result is compared with benchmarks, which may include a broad-based market index and a peer group average or index. Market indexes do not include expenses, which are deducted from fund returns as well as mutual fund averages and indexes.




 

 
Fund Expense Example

As a mutual fund shareholder, you may incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, such as redemption fees or sales loads, and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees, distribution and service (12b-1) fees, and other fund expenses. The following example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds. The example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the most recent six-month period and held for the entire period.

Please note that the fund has four share classes: The original share class (Investor Class) charges no distribution and service (12b-1) fee, Advisor Class shares are offered only through unaffiliated brokers and other financial intermediaries and charge a 0.25% 12b-1 fee, R Class shares are available to retirement plans serviced by intermediaries and charge a 0.50% 12b-1 fee, and I Class shares are available to institutionally oriented clients and impose no 12b-1 or administrative fee payment. Each share class is presented separately in the table.

Actual Expenses
The first line of the following table (Actual) provides information about actual account values and expenses based on the fund’s actual returns. You may use the information on this line, together with your account balance, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number on the first line under the heading “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.

Hypothetical Example for Comparison Purposes
The information on the second line of the table (Hypothetical) is based on hypothetical account values and expenses derived from the fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed 5% per year rate of return before expenses (not the fund’s actual return). You may compare the ongoing costs of investing in the fund with other funds by contrasting this 5% hypothetical example and the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period.

Note: T. Rowe Price charges an annual account service fee of $20, generally for accounts with less than $10,000. The fee is waived for any investor whose T. Rowe Price mutual fund accounts total $50,000 or more; accounts electing to receive electronic delivery of account statements, transaction confirmations, prospectuses, and shareholder reports; or accounts of an investor who is a T. Rowe Price Preferred Services, Personal Services, or Enhanced Personal Services client (enrollment in these programs generally requires T. Rowe Price assets of at least $100,000). This fee is not included in the accompanying table. If you are subject to the fee, keep it in mind when you are estimating the ongoing expenses of investing in the fund and when comparing the expenses of this fund with other funds.

You should also be aware that the expenses shown in the table highlight only your ongoing costs and do not reflect any transaction costs, such as redemption fees or sales loads. Therefore, the second line of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. To the extent a fund charges transaction costs, however, the total cost of owning that fund is higher.





The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

















The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.




The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.




The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.



The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

Notes to Financial Statements

T. Rowe Price Growth Stock Fund, Inc. (the fund), is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the 1940 Act) as a diversified, open-end management investment company. The fund seeks long-term capital growth through investments in stocks. The fund has four classes: the Growth Stock Fund (Investor Class), the Growth Stock Fund-Advisor Class, the Growth Stock Fund-R Class (R Class), and the Growth Stock Fund-I Class (I Class). Advisor Class shares are sold only through unaffiliated brokers and other unaffiliated financial intermediaries, and R Class shares are available to retirement plans serviced by intermediaries. I Class shares generally are available only to investors meeting a $1,000,000 minimum investment or certain other criteria. The Advisor Class and R Class each operate under separate Board-approved Rule 12b-1 plans, pursuant to which each class compensates financial intermediaries for distribution, shareholder servicing, and/or certain administrative services; the Investor and I Classes do not pay Rule 12b-1 fees. Each class has exclusive voting rights on matters related solely to that class; separate voting rights on matters that relate to all classes; and, in all other respects, the same rights and obligations as the other classes.

NOTE 1 - SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of Preparation The fund is an investment company and follows accounting and reporting guidance in the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946 (ASC 946). The accompanying financial statements were prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP), including, but not limited to, ASC 946. GAAP requires the use of estimates made by management. Management believes that estimates and valuations are appropriate; however, actual results may differ from those estimates, and the valuations reflected in the accompanying financial statements may differ from the value ultimately realized upon sale or maturity.

Investment Transactions, Investment Income, and Distributions Income and expenses are recorded on the accrual basis. Dividends received from mutual fund investments are reflected as dividend income; capital gain distributions are reflected as realized gain/loss. Dividend income and capital gain distributions are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Income tax-related interest and penalties, if incurred, would be recorded as income tax expense. Investment transactions are accounted for on the trade date. Realized gains and losses are reported on the identified cost basis. Distributions from REITs are initially recorded as dividend income and, to the extent such represent a return of capital or capital gain for tax purposes, are reclassified when such information becomes available. Income distributions are declared and paid by each class annually. Distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Capital gain distributions are generally declared and paid by the fund annually.

Currency Translation Assets, including investments, and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollar values each day at the prevailing exchange rate, using the mean of the bid and asked prices of such currencies against U.S. dollars as quoted by a major bank. Purchases and sales of securities, income, and expenses are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing exchange rate on the date of the transaction. The effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates on realized and unrealized security gains and losses is reflected as a component of security gains and losses.

Class Accounting Shareholder servicing, prospectus, and shareholder report expenses incurred by each class are charged directly to the class to which they relate. Expenses common to all classes, investment income, and realized and unrealized gains and losses are allocated to the classes based upon the relative daily net assets of each class. The Advisor Class and R Class each pay Rule 12b-1 fees, in an amount not exceeding 0.25% and 0.50%, respectively, of the class’s average daily net assets.

Rebates Subject to best execution, the fund may direct certain security trades to brokers who have agreed to rebate a portion of the related brokerage commission to the fund in cash. Commission rebates are reflected as realized gain on securities in the accompanying financial statements and totaled $239,000 for the year ended December 31, 2016.

In-Kind Redemptions In accordance with guidelines described in the fund’s prospectus, and when considered to be in the best interest of all shareholders, the fund may distribute portfolio securities rather than cash as payment for a redemption of fund shares (in-kind redemption). Gains and losses realized on in-kind redemptions are not recognized for tax purposes and are reclassified from undistributed realized gain (loss) to paid-in capital. During the year ended December 31, 2016, the fund realized $497,427,000 of net gain on $909,284,000 of in-kind redemptions.

In-Kind Subscriptions Under certain circumstances, and when considered to be in the best interest of all shareholders, the fund may accept portfolio securities rather than cash as payment for the purchase of fund shares (in-kind subscription). For financial reporting and tax purposes, the cost basis of contributed securities is equal to the market value of the securities on the date of contribution. In-kind subscriptions result in no gain or loss and no tax consequences for the fund. During the year ended December 31, 2016, the fund accepted $27,214,000 of in-kind subscriptions, all of which were from other T. Rowe Price funds.

New Accounting Guidance In October 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a new rule, Investment Company Reporting Modernization, which, among other provisions, amends Regulation S-X to require standardized, enhanced disclosures, particularly related to derivatives, in investment company financial statements. Compliance with the guidance is effective for financial statements filed with the SEC on or after August 1, 2017; adoption will have no effect on the fund’s net assets or results of operations.

NOTE 2 - VALUATION

The fund’s financial instruments are valued and each class’s net asset value (NAV) per share is computed at the close of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), normally 4 p.m. ET, each day the NYSE is open for business. However, the NAV per share may be calculated at a time other than the normal close of the NYSE if trading on the NYSE is restricted, if the NYSE closes earlier, or as may be permitted by the SEC.

Fair Value The fund’s financial instruments are reported at fair value, which GAAP defines as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The T. Rowe Price Valuation Committee (the Valuation Committee) is an internal committee that has been delegated certain responsibilities by the fund’s Board of Directors (the Board) to ensure that financial instruments are appropriately priced at fair value in accordance with GAAP and the 1940 Act. Subject to oversight by the Board, the Valuation Committee develops and oversees pricing-related policies and procedures and approves all fair value determinations. Specifically, the Valuation Committee establishes procedures to value securities; determines pricing techniques, sources, and persons eligible to effect fair value pricing actions; oversees the selection, services, and performance of pricing vendors; oversees valuation-related business continuity practices; and provides guidance on internal controls and valuation-related matters. The Valuation Committee reports to the Board and has representation from legal, portfolio management and trading, operations, risk management, and the fund’s treasurer.

Various valuation techniques and inputs are used to determine the fair value of financial instruments. GAAP establishes the following fair value hierarchy that categorizes the inputs used to measure fair value:

Level 1 – quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical financial instruments that the fund can access at the reporting date

Level 2 – inputs other than Level 1 quoted prices that are observable, either directly or indirectly (including, but not limited to, quoted prices for similar financial instruments in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar financial instruments in inactive markets, interest rates and yield curves, implied volatilities, and credit spreads)

Level 3 – unobservable inputs

Observable inputs are developed using market data, such as publicly available information about actual events or transactions, and reflect the assumptions that market participants would use to price the financial instrument. Unobservable inputs are those for which market data are not available and are developed using the best information available about the assumptions that market participants would use to price the financial instrument. GAAP requires valuation techniques to maximize the use of relevant observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. When multiple inputs are used to derive fair value, the financial instrument is assigned to the level within the fair value hierarchy based on the lowest-level input that is significant to the fair value of the financial instrument. Input levels are not necessarily an indication of the risk or liquidity associated with financial instruments at that level but rather the degree of judgment used in determining those values.

Valuation Techniques Equity securities listed or regularly traded on a securities exchange or in the over-the-counter (OTC) market are valued at the last quoted sale price or, for certain markets, the official closing price at the time the valuations are made. OTC Bulletin Board securities are valued at the mean of the closing bid and asked prices. A security that is listed or traded on more than one exchange is valued at the quotation on the exchange determined to be the primary market for such security. Listed securities not traded on a particular day are valued at the mean of the closing bid and asked prices for domestic securities and the last quoted sale or closing price for international securities.

For valuation purposes, the last quoted prices of non-U.S. equity securities may be adjusted to reflect the fair value of such securities at the close of the NYSE. If the fund determines that developments between the close of a foreign market and the close of the NYSE will, in its judgment, materially affect the value of some or all of its portfolio securities, the fund will adjust the previous quoted prices to reflect what it believes to be the fair value of the securities as of the close of the NYSE. In deciding whether it is necessary to adjust quoted prices to reflect fair value, the fund reviews a variety of factors, including developments in foreign markets, the performance of U.S. securities markets, and the performance of instruments trading in U.S. markets that represent foreign securities and baskets of foreign securities. The fund may also fair value securities in other situations, such as when a particular foreign market is closed but the fund is open. The fund uses outside pricing services to provide it with quoted prices and information to evaluate or adjust those prices. The fund cannot predict how often it will use quoted prices and how often it will determine it necessary to adjust those prices to reflect fair value. As a means of evaluating its security valuation process, the fund routinely compares quoted prices, the next day’s opening prices in the same markets, and adjusted prices.

Actively traded equity securities listed on a domestic exchange generally are categorized in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. Non-U.S. equity securities generally are categorized in Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy despite the availability of quoted prices because, as described above, the fund evaluates and determines whether those quoted prices reflect fair value at the close of the NYSE or require adjustment. OTC Bulletin Board securities, certain preferred securities, and equity securities traded in inactive markets generally are categorized in Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.

Investments in mutual funds are valued at the mutual fund’s closing NAV per share on the day of valuation and are categorized in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. Assets and liabilities other than financial instruments, including short-term receivables and payables, are carried at cost, or estimated realizable value, if less, which approximates fair value.

Thinly traded financial instruments and those for which the above valuation procedures are inappropriate or are deemed not to reflect fair value are stated at fair value as determined in good faith by the Valuation Committee. The objective of any fair value pricing determination is to arrive at a price that could reasonably be expected from a current sale. Financial instruments fair valued by the Valuation Committee are primarily private placements, restricted securities, warrants, rights, and other securities that are not publicly traded.

Subject to oversight by the Board, the Valuation Committee regularly makes good faith judgments to establish and adjust the fair valuations of certain securities as events occur and circumstances warrant. For instance, in determining the fair value of an equity investment with limited market activity, such as a private placement or a thinly traded public company stock, the Valuation Committee considers a variety of factors, which may include, but are not limited to, the issuer’s business prospects, its financial standing and performance, recent investment transactions in the issuer, new rounds of financing, negotiated transactions of significant size between other investors in the company, relevant market valuations of peer companies, strategic events affecting the company, market liquidity for the issuer, and general economic conditions and events. In consultation with the investment and pricing teams, the Valuation Committee will determine an appropriate valuation technique based on available information, which may include both observable and unobservable inputs. The Valuation Committee typically will afford greatest weight to actual prices in arm’s length transactions, to the extent they represent orderly transactions between market participants, transaction information can be reliably obtained, and prices are deemed representative of fair value. However, the Valuation Committee may also consider other valuation methods such as market-based valuation multiples; a discount or premium from market value of a similar, freely traded security of the same issuer; or some combination. Fair value determinations are reviewed on a regular basis and updated as information becomes available, including actual purchase and sale transactions of the issue. Because any fair value determination involves a significant amount of judgment, there is a degree of subjectivity inherent in such pricing decisions, and fair value prices determined by the Valuation Committee could differ from those of other market participants. Depending on the relative significance of unobservable inputs, including the valuation technique(s) used, fair valued securities may be categorized in Level 2 or 3 of the fair value hierarchy.

Valuation Inputs The following table summarizes the fund’s financial instruments, based on the inputs used to determine their fair values on December 31, 2016:


There were no material transfers between Levels 1 and 2 during the year ended December 31, 2016.

Following is a reconciliation of the fund’s Level 3 holdings for the year ended December 31, 2016. Gain (loss) reflects both realized and change in unrealized gain/loss on Level 3 holdings during the period, if any, and is included on the accompanying Statement of Operations. The change in unrealized gain/loss on Level 3 instruments held at December 31, 2016, totaled ($15,990,000) for the year ended December 31, 2016.

NOTE 3 - OTHER INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS

Consistent with its investment objective, the fund engages in the following practices to manage exposure to certain risks and/or to enhance performance. The investment objective, policies, program, and risk factors of the fund are described more fully in the fund’s prospectus and Statement of Additional Information.

Restricted Securities The fund may invest in securities that are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale. Prompt sale of such securities at an acceptable price may be difficult and may involve substantial delays and additional costs.

Securities Lending The fund may lend its securities to approved brokers to earn additional income. Its securities lending activities are administered by a lending agent in accordance with a securities lending agreement. Security loans generally do not have stated maturity dates, and the fund may recall a security at any time. The fund receives collateral in the form of cash or U.S. government securities, valued at 102% to 105% of the value of the securities on loan. Collateral is maintained over the life of the loan in an amount not less than the value of loaned securities; any additional collateral required due to changes in security values is delivered to the fund the next business day. Cash collateral is invested by the lending agent(s) in accordance with investment guidelines approved by fund management. Additionally, the lending agent indemnifies the fund against losses resulting from borrower default. Although risk is mitigated by the collateral and indemnification, the fund could experience a delay in recovering its securities and a possible loss of income or value if the borrower fails to return the securities, collateral investments decline in value, and the lending agent fails to perform. Securities lending revenue consists of earnings on invested collateral and borrowing fees, net of any rebates to the borrower, compensation to the lending agent, and other administrative costs. In accordance with GAAP, investments made with cash collateral are reflected in the accompanying financial statements, but collateral received in the form of securities is not. At December 31, 2016, there were no securities on loan.

Other Purchases and sales of portfolio securities other than short-term securities aggregated $19,203,309,000 and $19,876,922,000, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2016.

NOTE 4 - FEDERAL INCOME TAXES

No provision for federal income taxes is required since the fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code and distribute to shareholders all of its taxable income and gains. Distributions determined in accordance with federal income tax regulations may differ in amount or character from net investment income and realized gains for financial reporting purposes. Financial reporting records are adjusted for permanent book/tax differences to reflect tax character but are not adjusted for temporary differences.

The fund files U.S. federal, state, and local tax returns as required. The fund’s tax returns are subject to examination by the relevant tax authorities until expiration of the applicable statute of limitations, which is generally three years after the filing of the tax return but which can be extended to six years in certain circumstances. Tax returns for open years have incorporated no uncertain tax positions that require a provision for income taxes.

Reclassifications to paid-in capital relate primarily to redemptions in kind and a tax practice that treats a portion of the proceeds from each redemption of capital shares as a distribution of taxable net investment income or realized capital gain. Reclassifications between income and gain relate primarily to the character of net currency losses. For the year ended December 31, 2016, the following reclassifications were recorded to reflect tax character (there was no impact on results of operations or net assets):


Distributions during the years ended December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, were characterized for tax purposes as follows:

At December 31, 2016, the tax-basis cost of investments and components of net assets were as follows:

The difference between book-basis and tax-basis net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) is attributable to the deferral of losses from wash sales for tax purposes.

NOTE 5 - RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

The fund is managed by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (Price Associates), a wholly owned subsidiary of T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. (Price Group). The investment management agreement between the fund and Price Associates provides for an annual investment management fee, which is computed daily and paid monthly. The fee consists of an individual fund fee and a group fee. The individual fund fee is equal to 0.25%% of the fund’s average daily net assets up to $15 billion and 0.21% of the fund’s average daily net assets in excess of $15 billion. The group fee rate is calculated based on the combined net assets of certain mutual funds sponsored by Price Associates (the group) applied to a graduated fee schedule, with rates ranging from 0.48% for the first $1 billion of assets to 0.270% for assets in excess of $500 billion. The fund’s group fee is determined by applying the group fee rate to the fund’s average daily net assets. At December 31, 2016, the effective annual group fee rate was 0.29%.

The I Class is subject to an operating expense limitation (I Class limit) pursuant to which Price Associates is contractually required to pay all operating expenses of the I Class, excluding management fees, interest, expenses related to borrowing, taxes, brokerage, and other non-recurring expenses permitted by the investment management agreement, to the extent such operating expenses, on an annualized basis, exceed 0.05% of average net assets. This agreement will continue until April 30, 2018, and may be renewed, revised or revoked only with approval of the fund’s Board. The I Class is required to repay Price Associates for expenses previously paid to the extent the class’s net assets grow or expenses decline sufficiently to allow repayment without causing the class’s operating expenses to exceed the I Class limit in effect at the time of the waiver. However, no repayment will be made more than three years after the date of a payment or waiver. For the year ended December 31, 2016, the I Class operated below its expense limitation.

In addition, the fund has entered into service agreements with Price Associates and two wholly owned subsidiaries of Price Associates (collectively, Price). Price Associates provides certain accounting and administrative services to the fund. T. Rowe Price Services, Inc., provides shareholder and administrative services in its capacity as the fund’s transfer and dividend-disbursing agent. T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services, Inc., provides subaccounting and recordkeeping services for certain retirement accounts invested in the Investor Class and R Class. For the year ended December 31, 2016, expenses incurred pursuant to these service agreements were $67,000 for Price Associates; $2,856,000 for T. Rowe Price Services, Inc.; and $5,828,000 for T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services, Inc. The total amount payable at period-end pursuant to these service agreements is reflected as Due to Affiliates in the accompanying financial statements.

The fund is also one of several mutual funds sponsored by Price Associates (underlying Price funds) in which the T. Rowe Price Spectrum Funds (Spectrum Funds), T. Rowe Price Retirement Funds (Retirement Funds), and T. Rowe Price Target Funds (Target Funds) may invest. None of the Spectrum Funds, Retirement Funds, or Target Funds invest in the underlying Price funds for the purpose of exercising management or control. Pursuant to special servicing agreements, expenses associated with the operation of the Spectrum Funds and Retirement Funds are borne by each underlying Price fund to the extent of estimated savings to it and in proportion to the average daily value of its shares owned by the Spectrum Funds and Retirement Funds. Prior to February 1, 2016, the Target Funds were subject to same special servicing agreements; thus expenses associated with the operation of the Target Funds prior to that date were borne by the underlying Price Funds. Effective February 1, 2016, expenses associated with the operation of the Target Funds are borne by the Target Funds.

Expenses allocated under these agreements are reflected as shareholder servicing expense in the accompanying financial statements. For the year ended December 31, 2016, the fund was allocated $523,000 of Spectrum Funds’ expenses, $32,083,000 of Retirement Funds’ expenses, and $30,000 of Target Funds’ expenses. Of these amounts, $12,819,000 related to services provided by Price. At period-end, the amount payable to Price pursuant to these agreements is reflected as Due to Affiliates in the accompanying financial statements. At December 31, 2016, approximately 52% of the outstanding shares of the Investor Class were held by the Spectrum Funds and Retirement Funds, and approximately 2% of the outstanding shares of the I Class were held by the Target Funds.

In addition, other mutual funds, trusts, and other accounts managed by Price Associates or its affiliates (collectively, Price funds and accounts) may invest in the fund. No Price fund or account may invest for the purpose of exercising management or control over the fund. At December 31, 2016, approximately 24% I Class’s outstanding shares were held by Price funds and accounts.

The fund may invest in the T. Rowe Price Government Reserve Fund, the T. Rowe Price Treasury Reserve Fund, or the T. Rowe Price Short-Term Fund (collectively, the Price Reserve Funds), open-end management investment companies managed by Price Associates and considered affiliates of the fund. The Price Reserve Funds are offered as short-term investment options to mutual funds, trusts, and other accounts managed by Price Associates or its affiliates and are not available for direct purchase by members of the public. The Price Reserve Funds pay no investment management fees.

The fund may participate in securities purchase and sale transactions with other funds or accounts advised by Price Associates (cross trades), in accordance with procedures adopted by the fund’s Board and Securities and Exchange Commission rules, which require, among other things, that such purchase and sale cross trades be effected at the independent current market price of the security. During the year ended December 31, 2016, the aggregate value of purchases and sales cross trades with other funds or accounts advised by Price Associates was less than 1% of the fund’s net assets as of December 31, 2016.

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of
T. Rowe Price Growth Stock Fund, Inc.

In our opinion, the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities, including the portfolio of investments, and the related statements of operations and of changes in net assets and the financial highlights present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of T. Rowe Price Growth Stock Fund, Inc. (the “Fund”) as of December 31, 2016, the results of its operations, the changes in its net assets and the financial highlights for each of the periods indicated therein, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These financial statements and financial highlights (hereafter referred to as “financial statements”) are the responsibility of the Fund’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits of these financial statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits, which included confirmation of securities as of December 31, 2016 by correspondence with the custodian and brokers, and confirmation of the underlying fund by correspondence with the transfer agent, provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Baltimore, Maryland
February 16, 2017

Tax Information (Unaudited) for the Tax Year Ended 12/31/16

We are providing this information as required by the Internal Revenue Code 1. The amounts shown may differ from those elsewhere in this report because of differences between tax and financial reporting requirements.

The fund’s distributions to shareholders included $1,433,452,000 from long-term capital gains, subject to a long-term capital gains tax rate of not greater than 20%.

For taxable non-corporate shareholders, $41,755,000 of the fund’s income represents qualified dividend income subject to a long-term capital gains tax rate of not greater than 20%.

For corporate shareholders, $41,755,000 of the fund’s income qualifies for the dividends-received deduction.

Information on Proxy Voting Policies, Procedures, and Records

A description of the policies and procedures used by T. Rowe Price funds and portfolios to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities is available in each fund’s Statement of Additional Information. You may request this document by calling 1-800-225-5132 or by accessing the SEC’s website, sec.gov.

The description of our proxy voting policies and procedures is also available on our corporate website. To access it, please visit the following Web page:

https://www3.troweprice.com/usis/corporate/en/utility/policies.html

Scroll down to the section near the bottom of the page that says, “Proxy Voting Policies.” Click on the Proxy Voting Policies link in the shaded box.

Each fund’s most recent annual proxy voting record is available on our website and through the SEC’s website. To access it through T. Rowe Price, visit the website location shown above, and scroll down to the section near the bottom of the page that says, “Proxy Voting Records.” Click on the Proxy Voting Records link in the shaded box.

How to Obtain Quarterly Portfolio Holdings

The fund files a complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-Q. The fund’s Form N-Q is available electronically on the SEC’s website (sec.gov); hard copies may be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room, 100 F St. N.E., Washington, DC 20549. For more information on the Public Reference Room, call 1-800-SEC-0330.

About the Fund’s Directors and Officers

Your fund is overseen by a Board of Directors (Board) that meets regularly to review a wide variety of matters affecting or potentially affecting the fund, including performance, investment programs, compliance matters, advisory fees and expenses, service providers, and business and regulatory affairs. The Board elects the fund’s officers, who are listed in the final table. At least 75% of the Board’s members are independent of T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (T. Rowe Price), and its affiliates; “inside” or “interested” directors are employees or officers of T. Rowe Price. The business address of each director and officer is 100 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202. The Statement of Additional Information includes additional information about the fund directors and is available without charge by calling a T. Rowe Price representative at 1-800-638-5660.

Independent Directors      
 
Name
(Year of Birth)
Year Elected*
[Number of T. Rowe Price Principal Occupation(s) and Directorships of Public Companies and
Portfolios Overseen] Other Investment Companies During the Past Five Years
 
William R. Brody, M.D., Ph.D. President and Trustee, Salk Institute for Biological Studies
(1944) (2009 to present); Director, BioMed Realty Trust (2013 to 2016);
2009 Chairman of the Board, Mesa Biotech, a molecular diagnostic
[187] company (March 2016 to present); Director, Radiology Partners,
an integrated radiology practice management company (June 2016
to present); Director, Novartis, Inc. (2009 to 2014); Director, IBM
(2007 to present)
 
Anthony W. Deering Chairman, Exeter Capital, LLC, a private investment firm (2004 to
(1945)   present); Director, Brixmor Real Estate Investment Trust (2012 to
2001 present); Director and Advisory Board Member, Deutsche Bank
[187] North America (2004 to present); Director, Under Armour (2008
to present); Director, Vornado Real Estate Investment Trust (2004
to 2012)
 
Bruce W. Duncan Chief Executive Officer and Director (2009 to present), Chairman
(1951) of the Board (January 2016 to present), and President (2009
2013 to September 2016), First Industrial Realty Trust, an owner and
[187] operator of industrial properties; Chairman of the Board (2005 to
May 2016) and Director (1999 to May 2016), Starwood Hotels &
Resorts, a hotel and leisure company; Director, Boston Properties
(May 2016 to present)
 
Robert J. Gerrard, Jr. Advisory Board Member, Pipeline Crisis/Winning Strategies, a
(1952) collaborative working to improve opportunities for young African
2012 Americans (1997 to present)
[187]
 
Paul F. McBride Advisory Board Member, Vizzia Technologies (2015 to present)
(1956)
2013
[187]
 
Cecilia E. Rouse, Ph.D. Dean, Woodrow Wilson School (2012 to present); Professor and
(1963) Researcher, Princeton University (1992 to present); Director, MDRC,
2012 a nonprofit education and social policy research organization (2011
[187] to present); Member of National Academy of Education (2010 to
present); Research Associate of Labor Program (2011 to present)
and Board Member (2015 to present), National Bureau of Economic
Research (2011 to present); Chair of Committee on the Status of
Minority Groups in the Economic Profession (2012 to present) and
Vice President (2015 to present), American Economic Association
 
John G. Schreiber Owner/President, Centaur Capital Partners, Inc., a real estate
(1946) investment company (1991 to present); Cofounder, Partner, and
2001 Cochairman of the Investment Committee, Blackstone Real Estate
[187] Advisors, L.P. (1992 to 2015); Director, General Growth Properties,
Inc. (2010 to 2013); Director, Blackstone Mortgage Trust, a real
estate finance company (2012 to 2016); Director and Chairman of
the Board, Brixmor Property Group, Inc. (2013 to present); Director,
Hilton Worldwide (2013 to present); Director, Hudson Pacific
Properties (2014 to 2016)
 
Mark R. Tercek President and Chief Executive Officer, The Nature Conservancy
(1957) (2008 to present)
2009
[187]
 
*Each independent director serves until retirement, resignation, or election of a successor.

Inside Directors      
 
Name
(Year of Birth)
Year Elected*
[Number of T. Rowe Price Principal Occupation(s) and Directorships of Public Companies and
Portfolios Overseen] Other Investment Companies During the Past Five Years
 
Edward C. Bernard Director and Vice President, T. Rowe Price; Vice Chairman of the
(1956) Board, Director, and Vice President, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.;
2006 Chairman of the Board, Director, and President, T. Rowe Price
[187] Investment Services, Inc.; Chairman of the Board and Director,
T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services, Inc., and T. Rowe Price
Services, Inc.; Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer,
Director, and President, T. Rowe Price International and T. Rowe
  Price Trust Company; Chairman of the Board, all funds
 
Brian C. Rogers, CFA, CIC Chief Investment Officer, Director, and Vice President, T. Rowe
(1955) Price; Chairman of the Board, Chief Investment Officer, Director, and
2006 Vice President, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.; Vice President, T. Rowe
[131] Price Trust Company; Director, United Technologies (January 2016
to present)
 
*Each inside director serves until retirement, resignation, or election of a successor.

Officers      
 
Name (Year of Birth)
Position Held With Growth Stock Fund Principal Occupation(s)
 
Darrell N. Braman (1963) Vice President, Price Hong Kong, Price
Vice President and Secretary Singapore, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price Group,
Inc., T. Rowe Price International, T. Rowe Price
Investment Services, Inc., and T. Rowe Price
Services, Inc.
 
Andrew S. Davis (1978) Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price
Vice President Group, Inc.
 
Eric L. DeVilbiss, CFA (1983) Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price
Vice President Group, Inc.
 
Shawn T. Driscoll (1975) Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price
Vice President Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Trust Company
 
Gregory Dunham, CFA (1974) Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe
Vice President Price Group; formerly, Analyst, Goldman Sachs
(to 2015)
 
David J. Eiswert, CFA (1972) Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price
Vice President Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price International
 
Joseph B. Fath, CPA (1971) Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price
President Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Trust Company
 
Jon M. Friar (1982) Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price
Vice President Group, Inc.
 
John R. Gilner (1961) Chief Compliance Officer and Vice President,
Chief Compliance Officer T. Rowe Price; Vice President, T. Rowe Price
Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Investment
Services, Inc.
 
Paul D. Greene II (1978) Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price
Vice President Group, Inc.
 
Paul J. Krug, CPA (1964) Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price
Vice President Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Trust Company
 
Daniel Martino, CFA (1974) Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price
Vice President Group, Inc.
 
Catherine D. Mathews (1963) Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price
Treasurer and Vice President Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Trust Company
 
David Oestreicher (1967) Director, Vice President, and Secretary, T. Rowe
Vice President Price Investment Services, Inc., T. Rowe Price
Retirement Plan Services, Inc., T. Rowe
  Price Services, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Trust
  Company; Chief Legal Officer, Vice President,
and Secretary, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.; Vice
President and Secretary, T. Rowe Price and
T. Rowe Price International; Vice President,
Price Hong Kong and Price Singapore
 
John W. Ratzesberger (1975) Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price
Vice President Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Trust Company;
formerly, North American Head of Listed
Derivatives Operation, Morgan Stanley
(to 2013)
 
Shannon H. Rauser (1987) Employee, T. Rowe Price
Assistant Secretary
 
Deborah D. Seidel (1962) Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price
Vice President Group, Inc., T. Rowe Price Investment Services,
Inc., and T. Rowe Price Services, Inc.
 
Robert W. Sharps, CFA, CPA (1971) Vice President, T. Rowe Price, T. Rowe Price
Vice President Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Trust Company
 
Taymour R. Tamaddon, CFA (1976) Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price
Vice President Group, Inc.
 
Justin P. White (1981) Vice President, T. Rowe Price and T. Rowe Price
Vice President Group, Inc.
 
Unless otherwise noted, officers have been employees of T. Rowe Price or T. Rowe Price International for at least 5 years.

Item 2. Code of Ethics.

The registrant has adopted a code of ethics, as defined in Item 2 of Form N-CSR, applicable to its principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions. A copy of this code of ethics is filed as an exhibit to this Form N-CSR. No substantive amendments were approved or waivers were granted to this code of ethics during the period covered by this report.

Item 3. Audit Committee Financial Expert.

The registrant’s Board of Directors/Trustees has determined that Mr. Bruce W. Duncan qualifies as an audit committee financial expert, as defined in Item 3 of Form N-CSR. Mr. Duncan is considered independent for purposes of Item 3 of Form N-CSR.

Item 4. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.

(a) – (d) Aggregate fees billed for the last two fiscal years for professional services rendered to, or on behalf of, the registrant by the registrant’s principal accountant were as follows:


Audit fees include amounts related to the audit of the registrant’s annual financial statements and services normally provided by the accountant in connection with statutory and regulatory filings. Audit-related fees include amounts reasonably related to the performance of the audit of the registrant’s financial statements and specifically include the issuance of a report on internal controls and, if applicable, agreed-upon procedures related to fund acquisitions. Tax fees include amounts related to services for tax compliance, tax planning, and tax advice. The nature of these services specifically includes the review of distribution calculations and the preparation of Federal, state, and excise tax returns. All other fees include the registrant’s pro-rata share of amounts for agreed-upon procedures in conjunction with service contract approvals by the registrant’s Board of Directors/Trustees.

(e)(1) The registrant’s audit committee has adopted a policy whereby audit and non-audit services performed by the registrant’s principal accountant for the registrant, its investment adviser, and any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the investment adviser that provides ongoing services to the registrant require pre-approval in advance at regularly scheduled audit committee meetings. If such a service is required between regularly scheduled audit committee meetings, pre-approval may be authorized by one audit committee member with ratification at the next scheduled audit committee meeting. Waiver of pre-approval for audit or non-audit services requiring fees of a de minimis amount is not permitted.

    (2) No services included in (b) – (d) above were approved pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(i)(C) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X.

(f) Less than 50 percent of the hours expended on the principal accountant’s engagement to audit the registrant’s financial statements for the most recent fiscal year were attributed to work performed by persons other than the principal accountant’s full-time, permanent employees.

(g) The aggregate fees billed for the most recent fiscal year and the preceding fiscal year by the registrant’s principal accountant for non-audit services rendered to the registrant, its investment adviser, and any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the investment adviser that provides ongoing services to the registrant were $2,146,000 and $2,158,000, respectively.

(h) All non-audit services rendered in (g) above were pre-approved by the registrant’s audit committee. Accordingly, these services were considered by the registrant’s audit committee in maintaining the principal accountant’s independence.

Item 5. Audit Committee of Listed Registrants.

Not applicable.

Item 6. Investments.

(a) Not applicable. The complete schedule of investments is included in Item 1 of this Form N-CSR.

(b) Not applicable.

Item 7. Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures for Closed-End Management Investment Companies.

Not applicable.

Item 8. Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Management Investment Companies.

Not applicable.

Item 9. Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Company and Affiliated Purchasers.

Not applicable.

Item 10. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.

Not applicable.

Item 11. Controls and Procedures.

(a) The registrant’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer have evaluated the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures within 90 days of this filing and have concluded that the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective, as of that date, in ensuring that information required to be disclosed by the registrant in this Form N-CSR was recorded, processed, summarized, and reported timely.

(b) The registrant’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer are aware of no change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s second fiscal quarter covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Item 12. Exhibits.

(a)(1) The registrant’s code of ethics pursuant to Item 2 of Form N-CSR is attached.

    (2) Separate certifications by the registrant's principal executive officer and principal financial officer, pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and required by Rule 30a-2(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, are attached.

    (3) Written solicitation to repurchase securities issued by closed-end companies: not applicable.

(b) A certification by the registrant's principal executive officer and principal financial officer, pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and required by Rule 30a-2(b) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, is attached.

SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

T. Rowe Price Growth Stock Fund, Inc.


  By      /s/ Edward C. Bernard
Edward C. Bernard
Principal Executive Officer     
 
Date     February 16, 2017
 

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
 

  By      /s/ Edward C. Bernard
Edward C. Bernard
Principal Executive Officer     
 

Date     February 16, 2017

 
 
By /s/ Catherine D. Mathews
Catherine D. Mathews
Principal Financial Officer     
 
Date     February 16, 2017