Ross CEO offers conservative forecast despite big sales gain

Ross Stores Inc. rolled to a quarter that "significantly exceeded" expectations on a wave of stimulus-backed consumers, pent-up demand and continued vaccine availability, CEO Barbara Rentler said on the Dublin retailer's after-hours earning call Tuesday. For its fiscal first quarter ending May 1, the Dublin off-priced retailer (NASDAQ: ROST) saw sales improve to $4.52 billion, more than 250% higher than the same quarter last year and 13% higher than the comparable period in 2019. But Rentler gave…