March 27 (Reuters) - Cintas Corp on Wednesday raised its forecasts for annual revenue and profit, banking on resilient demand for its high-priced products including uniforms, sending its shares up nearly 5% in premarket trading.

The company, whose bulk of revenue comes from uniform rental and facility services, saw a boost in demand by its customers from sectors like healthcare, hospitality, government and education continued to hire more employees.

The company's revenue rose 9.9% to $2.41 billion for the quarter ended Feb. 29, compared to analysts' average estimate of $2.39 billion, according to LSEG data.

Robust demand for its products and facility services coupled with lower energy expenses helped in expanding its gross margins by 220 basis points to 49.4% in the third quarter.

Cintas' margins received a further boost from cross-selling within its vast portfolio including a comprehensive range of work uniforms, facility services like cleaning supplies, wide range of first-aid kits along with fire protection services.

For fiscal 2024, the company now expects earnings per share between $14.80 to $15.00, up from its prior forecast of $14.35 to $14.65. Analysts' estimates stood at $14.60 per share.

The Mason, Ohio-based company, which recently acquired Paris Uniform Services - a Pennsylvania-based uniform and facility services company - expects its annual revenue to rise to a range of $9.57 billion to $9.60 billion. (Reporting by Anuja Bharat Mistry in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)