REFILE-Hershey profit tops expectations by a penny

* Refiling to fix dateline

Oct 25 (Reuters) - Hershey Co reported a quarterly profit on Thursday that was slightly better than expected, citing price increases and productivity gains.

Net income was $176.7 million, or 77 cents per share in the third quarter, down from $196.7 million, or 86 cents per share, a year earlier.

Excluding items, including one-time charges and pension expense, earnings were 87 cents per share. On that basis, analysts on average were expecting 86 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Sales rose to $1.75 billion, from $1.62 billion a year earlier.