Shares of the off-price retailer Ross Stores (NASDAQ: ROST) eked out a 3% gain to date. With nearly 1,700 stores in 40 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Guam, the company's Ross Dress for Less brand is the biggest off-price retailer in the U.S. With pandemic-related stimulus circulating around the economy and inflation only beginning to increase in the year-ago period, Ross Stores had to contend with a difficult comparison.