By Stephen Culp NEW YORK, Nov 28 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks ended with modest gains on Tuesday as investors parsed conflicting remarks from Federal Reserve officials, with upbeat consumer data providing some lift. The crucial holiday shopping season has shifted into high gear, with survey data from the National Retail Federation suggesting consumers plan to spend about 5% more this year. Later in the week, the Commerce Department is due to release its second estimate for third-quarter Gross Domestic Product, and its broad-ranging Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) report, which covers income, spending and crucially, inflation.