(Reuters) -Cognizant Technology Solutions forecast annual revenue below estimates on Wednesday, as uncertainty about the path of future interest rate cuts forces companies to temper spending on IT services and consultancy.

Persistent high capital costs continue to strain IT spending, prompting enterprises to rethink spending on consultancy services while prioritizing investments in AI-related projects.

Still, an increase in spending by clients in the financial services sector helped Cognizant win more large deals in the fourth quarter than a year earlier, powering its quarterly revenue above Wall Street expectations.

"In North America, we are seeing an improved pipeline of opportunities for transformation and modernization projects across both insurance and select ADRs of banking and financial services clients," finance chief Jatin Dalal said.

The company's fourth-quarter revenue stood at $5.08 billion, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.07 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.

Cognizant's adjusted profit came in at $1.21 per share in the quarter ended December 31, compared with analysts' average estimate of $1.12 per share.

The New Jersey-based company said it expects first-quarter revenue in the range of $5 billion to $5.1 billion, compared with analysts' average estimate of $5.06 billion.

Cognizant expects its 2025 revenue to be between $20.30 billion and $20.80 billion, lower than estimates of $20.89 billion compiled by LSEG.

It projected 2025 adjusted earnings between $4.90 per share and $5.06 per share. The midpoint of the forecast is $4.98 per share, compared with analysts' average estimate of $4.99 per share.