April 30 (Reuters) - Information technology consultant

Gartner ( IT ) beat first-quarter profit and raised its annual

earnings forecast on Tuesday, as it expects to benefit from

steady demand for its research and consulting services.

The company, a dominant player in the data and analytics

market, expects full-year adjusted earnings of about $10.90 per

share, up from its previous expectation of $10.55.

It reported an adjusted profit of $2.93 per share in the

first quarter, above estimates of $2.53, according to LSEG data.

Gartner's ( IT ) research segment, which accounts for more than

half of its revenue, rose 4% to $1.27 million, primarily driven

by growth in subscriptions and contract renewal by customers.

Its consulting segment recorded a 6% rise in revenue to

$134.6 million.

Gartner ( IT ), which helps its customers make business decisions

through data and analytics, posted revenue of $1.47 billion,

in-line with analysts' average estimate.

The company also downgraded its annual revenue forecast to

$6.20 billion from its earlier forecast of $6.24 billion.

(Reporting by Priyanka.G in Bengaluru)