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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF

THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2012

Commission file number 0-21835

SUN HYDRAULICS CORPORATION

(Exact Name of Registration as Specified in its Charter)

941/362-1200

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  x    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 229.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  x    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “accelerated filer,” “large accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ¨    No  x

The Registrant had 25,987,672 shares of common stock, par value $.001, outstanding as of July 30, 2012.

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Sun Hydraulics Corporation

INDEX

For the quarter ended June 30, 2012

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PART I: FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item  1.

Sun Hydraulics Corporation

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands, except share data)

The accompanying Notes to the Consolidated, Unaudited Financial Statements are an integral part of these financial statements.

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Sun Hydraulics Corporation

Consolidated Statements of Operations

(in thousands, except per share data)

The accompanying Notes to the Consolidated, Unaudited Financial Statements are an integral part of these financial statements.

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Sun Hydraulics Corporation

Consolidated Statements of Operations

(in thousands, except per share data)

The accompanying Notes to the Consolidated, Unaudited Financial Statements are an integral part of these financial statements.

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Sun Hydraulics Corporation

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss)

(in thousands)

The accompanying Notes to the Consolidated, Unaudited Financial Statements are an integral part of this financial statement.

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Sun Hydraulics Corporation

Consolidated Statement of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity (unaudited)

(in thousands)

The accompanying Notes to the Consolidated, Unaudited Financial Statements are an integral part of this financial statement.

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Sun Hydraulics Corporation

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(in thousands)

The accompanying Notes to the Consolidated, Unaudited Financial Statements are an integral part of these financial statements.

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SUN HYDRAULICS CORPORATION

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED, UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Dollars in thousands except per share data)

Sun Hydraulics Corporation, and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, design, manufacture, and sell screw-in cartridge valves and manifolds used in hydraulic systems. The Company has facilities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Korea, France, China, and India. Sun Hydraulics Corporation (“Sun Hydraulics”), with its main offices located in Sarasota, Florida, designs, manufactures, and sells its products primarily through distributors. Sun Hydraulik Holdings Limited (“Sun Holdings”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sun Hydraulics, was formed to provide a holding company for the European market operations; its wholly-owned subsidiaries are Sun Hydraulics Limited (a British corporation, “Sun Ltd.”) and Sun Hydraulik GmbH (a German corporation, “Sun GmbH”). Sun Ltd. operates a manufacturing and distribution facility located in Coventry, England, and Sun GmbH operates a manufacturing and distribution facility located in Erkelenz, Germany. Sun Hydraulics Korea Corporation (“Sun Korea”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sun Hydraulics, located in Inchon, South Korea, operates a manufacturing and distribution facility. Sun Hydraulics, SARL (“Sun France”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sun Hydraulics, located in Bordeaux, France, was dissolved in November 2011. Concurrently, Sun Hydraulics opened a liaison office in France to service this market. Sun Hydraulics established Sun Hydraulics China Co. Ltd, a representative office in Shanghai in January 2011, to develop new business opportunities in the Chinese market. Sun Hydraulics (India) a liaison office in Bangalore, India is used to develop new business opportunities in the Indian market. WhiteOak Controls, Inc. (“WhiteOak”), a 40% equity method investment, located in Mediapolis, Iowa, designs and produces complementary electronic control products. On September 27, 2011, Sun Hydraulics purchased the outstanding shares of High Country Tek, Inc. (“HCT”) it did not already own. HCT, now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sun Hydraulics, is located in Nevada City, California, and designs and manufactures ruggedized electronic/hydraulic control solutions for mobile equipment markets.

The accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission for reporting on Form 10-Q. Accordingly, certain information and footnotes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for complete financial statements are not included herein. The financial statements are prepared on a consistent basis (including normal recurring adjustments) and should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes contained in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, filed by Sun Hydraulics Corporation (together with its subsidiaries, the “Company”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 14, 2012. In Management’s opinion, all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the Company’s financial statements are reflected in the interim periods presented. Operating results for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2012, are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the period ending December 29, 2012.

Earnings per share

The following table represents the computation of basic and diluted earnings per common share (in thousands, except per share data):

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Reclassification

Certain amounts shown in the 2011 consolidated financial statements have been reclassified to conform to the current presentation.

The Company’s 2006 Stock Option Plan (“2006 Plan”) provides for the grant of incentive stock options and nonqualified stock options for the purchase of up to an aggregate of 1,125,000 shares of the Company’s common stock by officers, employees and directors of the Company. Under the terms of the plan, incentive stock options may be granted to employees at an exercise price per share of not less than the fair value per common share on the date of the grant (not less than 110% of the fair value in the case of holders of more than 10% of the Company’s voting stock). Nonqualified stock options may be granted at the discretion of the Company’s Board of Directors. The maximum term of an option may not exceed 10 years, and options become exercisable at such times and in such installments as determined by the Board of Directors. No awards have been granted under the 2006 Plan.

The Company’s 2001 Restricted Stock Plan provides for the grant of restricted stock of up to an aggregate of 928,125 shares of the Company’s common stock to officers, employees, consultants and directors of the Company. Under the terms of the plan, the minimum period before any shares become non-forfeitable may not be less than six months. The 2001 Restricted Stock Plan expired in 2011 and was replaced in September 2011 with the 2011 Equity Incentive Plan (“2011 Plan”). The 2011 Plan provides for the grant of up to an aggregate of 1,000,000 shares of restricted stock, restricted share units, stock appreciation rights, dividend or dividend equivalent rights, stock awards and other awards valued in whole or in part by reference to or otherwise based on the Company’s common stock, to officers, employees and directors of the Company. The 2011 Plan was approved by the Company’s shareholders at the 2012 Annual Meeting. At June 30, 2012, 911,162 shares remained available to be issued through the 2011 Plan. Compensation cost is measured at the date of the grant and is recognized in earnings over the period in which the shares vest. Restricted stock expense for the six months ended June 30, 2012, and July 2, 2011, totaled $835 and $518 respectively.

The following table summarizes restricted stock activity from December 31, 2011, through June 30, 2012:

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The Company has $2,378 of total unrecognized compensation cost related to restricted stock awards granted under the two plans as of June 30, 2012. That cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.29 years.

The Company maintains an Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”), in which most employees are eligible to participate. Employees in the United States who choose to participate are granted an opportunity to purchase common stock at 85 percent of market value on the first or last day of the quarterly purchase period, whichever is lower. Employees in the United Kingdom, under a separate plan, are granted an opportunity to purchase common stock at market value, on the first or last day of the quarterly purchase period, whichever is lower, with the Company issuing one additional free share of common stock for each six shares purchased by the employee under the ESPP. The ESPP authorizes the issuance, and the purchase by employees, of up to 1,096,875 shares of common stock through payroll deductions. No U.S. employee is allowed to buy more than $25 of common stock in any year, based on the market value of the common stock at the beginning of the purchase period, and no U.K. employee is allowed to buy more than the lesser of £1.5 or 10% of his or her annual salary in any year. Employees purchased 17,593 shares at a weighted average price of $18.92, and 14,405 shares at a weighted average price of $19.05, under the ESPP during the six months ended June 30, 2012, and July 2, 2011, respectively. The Company recognized $101 and $105 of compensation expense during the six months ended June 30, 2012, and July 2, 2011, respectively. At June 30, 2012, 730,955 shares remained available to be issued through the ESPP and the U.K. plan.

The Nonemployee Director Equity and Deferred Compensation Plan (the “Plan”) originally was adopted by the Board of Directors and approved by the shareholders in 2004, and amended in 2008. Under the Plan, Directors who were not officers of the Company were paid 375 shares of Company common stock and $3 in cash fees for attendance at each meeting of the Board of Directors, as well as each meeting of each Board Committee on which they served when the committee meeting was not held within one day of a meeting of the Board of Directors. Committee Chairmen received additional fees equal to 25% of normal compensation and the Chairman of the Board was paid twice the amount of normal compensation, with such additional compensation payable in Company common stock. The Plan authorized the issuance of up to 270,000 shares of common stock. At June 30, 2012, 179,409 shares remained available to be issued through the Plan.

Prior to June 7, 2011 Directors were able to elect under the Plan to receive all or part of their cash fees in Company stock and to defer receipt of their fees until a subsequent year. When so deferred, the shares of stock were converted to deferred stock units. Deferred stock units are treated as liabilities. At June 30, 2012, there were 10,056 deferred stock units outstanding.

In March 2012, the Board reviewed its non-employee director compensation policy and determined that compensating Directors solely in Company stock would further align the interests of the Board and the shareholders. Accordingly, the Board of Directors adopted the Sun Hydraulics Corporation 2012 Nonemployee Director Fees Plan (the “2012 Directors Plan”), which was approved by the shareholders of the Company at its 2012 annual meeting.

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Under the 2012 Directors Plan, as compensation for attendance at each Board meeting and each meeting of each committee of the Board on which he or she serves when the committee meeting is not held within one day of a meeting of the Board, each Nonemployee Director will be paid 500 shares of Common Stock. The Chairman’s fee is twice that of a regular director, and the fee for the chairs of each Board committee is 125% that of a regular director. The Board has the authority to change from time to time, in any manner it deems desirable or appropriate, the share compensation to be awarded to all or any one or more Nonemployee Directors, provided that, with limited exceptions, such changes are subject to prior shareholder approval. The aggregate number of Shares which may be issued during any single calendar year is limited to 25,000 Shares. The 2012 Directors Plan authorizes the issuance of up to 270,000 shares of common stock. At June 30, 2012, 265,625 shares remained available to be issued through the 2012 Directors Plan.

Directors were granted 8,266 and 7,468 shares for the six months ended June 30, 2012, and July 2, 2011, respectively. The Company recognized director stock compensation expense of $218 and $512 for the six months ended June 30, 2012, and July 2, 2011, respectively.

The restricted cash balance at June 30, 2012, consisted of $47 in reserves as a required deferment for customs in the U.K. operation. The restricted amount was calculated as an estimate of two months of customs for items coming into the Company’s U.K. operation and is held with Lloyds TSB in the U.K.

The Company had $2,691 of goodwill at June 30, 2012, and December 31, 2011, including $715 related to its acquisition of Sun Korea and $1,976 related to the acquisition of HCT. Goodwill is held in other assets on the balance sheet.

The goodwill related to the acquisition of Sun Korea of $715 was valued at December 31, 2011, using a valuation model reflecting the expected future cash flow projections. The analysis indicated that there was no impairment of the carrying value of the goodwill. As of June 30, 2012, no factors were identified that indicated impairment of the carrying value of the goodwill related to Sun Korea.

On September 27, 2011, the company recognized goodwill arising from the acquisition of HCT equal to $1,976 consisting of the value of the workforce, synergies and competitive advantages obtained as a result of the acquisition. As of June 30, 2012, no factors were identified that indicated impairment of the carrying value of the goodwill related to HCT.

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The Company recognized $2,658 in identifiable intangible assets as a result of the acquisition of HCT. Intangible assets are held in other assets on the balance sheet. At June 30, 2012, and December 31, 2011, intangible assets consisted of the following:

Total estimated amortization expense for the years 2012 through 2016 is presented below. The amount reflected below for 2012 includes year-to-date amortization expense.

Intangible assets are evaluated for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the undiscounted net cash flows to be generated by their use over their expected useful lives and eventual disposition may be less than their net carrying value. No such events or circumstances occurred during the six months ended June 30, 2012.

On January 5, 2011, Sun Hydraulics completed the sale of its Chinese joint venture company, Sun Hydraulics Systems (Shanghai) Co, Ltd., to the joint venture partner, Links Lin, for the amount of $1,451, and recognized a gain on the sale of $366, which is included in miscellaneous income on the consolidated statement of operations. The former joint venture company has become Sun’s first authorized distributor in China. Concurrently, Sun established Sun Hydraulics China Co. Ltd, a representative office in Shanghai which now is the Company’s primary operation in the country.

On September 27, 2011, Sun purchased the remaining preferred and common shares of HCT that it did not already own. HCT designs and produces encapsulated, modular, highly ruggedized digital and analog electronic controller products for the global fluid power and motion control industry. HCT’s products complement Sun’s electro-hydraulic line of valves providing reliable, easy, simple and accurate control of individual valves, or seamless management of systems and sub-systems.

The acquisition was accounted for as a business combination using the acquisition method and, accordingly, the identifiable assets acquired and the liabilities assumed were recorded at their estimated fair value at the date of acquisition.

The revenue and earnings for HCT included in Sun’s Consolidated Statement of Operations for the six months ended June 30, 2012, and the revenue and earnings of the combined entity had the acquisition date been January 2, 2011, are:

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Effective August 1, 2011, the Company completed a credit and security agreement in the U.S. with Fifth Third Bank (the “Bank”). The agreement provides for three separate credit facilities totaling $50,000.

Facility A is a $15,000 unsecured revolving line of credit and requires monthly payments of interest. Facility A has a floating interest rate of 1.45% over the 30-day LIBOR Rate (as defined).

Facility B is an accordion feature to increase the revolving line of credit to a $35,000 secured revolving line of credit. Facility B will be secured by the Company’s U.S. assets, including its manufacturing facilities, and requires monthly payments of interest. Facility B will bear interest at the 30-day LIBOR Rate or the Bank’s Base Rate (as defined), at the Company’s discretion, plus a margin based on the Borrower’s Funded Debt to EBITDA Leverage Ratio (as defined). The LIBOR Margin ranges from 1.45% to 2.25% and the Bank’s Base Rate ranges from -0.25% to 0.00%.

Facility C is a $15,000 construction and term loan. Facility C requires monthly payments of interest for the first 24 months and monthly payments of principal plus accrued interest for 60 months based upon a 15 year amortization schedule. The Construction Loan bears interest at the 30-day LIBOR Rate or the Bank’s Base Rate, at the Company’s discretion, plus a margin based on the Borrower’s Funded Debt to EBITDA Leverage Ratio. The LIBOR Margin ranges from 1.65% to 2.45% and the Bank’s Base Rate ranges from -0.05% to 0.20%.

Facility A or Facility B (if activated) is payable in full on August 1, 2016. Facility C is payable seven years after the closing of the facility. Maturity may be accelerated by the Bank upon an Event of Default (as defined). Prepayment may be made without penalty or premium at any time upon the required notice to the Bank.

Facility A is subject to debt covenants (capitalized terms are defined therein) including: 1) Minimum Tangible Net Worth of not less than $92,000, increased annually by 50% of Net Income, and 2) Minimum EBITDA of not less than $5,000; and requires the Company to maintain its primary domestic deposit accounts with the bank.

If Facility B or Facility C are activated, covenant 2 above will automatically terminate and two additional covenants will be required: 1) Funded Debt to EBITDA ratio equal to or less than 3.0:1.0, and 2) EBIT to Interest Expense ratio of not less than 2.5:1.0.

At June 30, 2012, the Company had an unrecognized tax benefit of $303 including accrued interest for uncertain tax positions related to previous years. If recognized, the unrecognized tax benefit would have a favorable effect on the effective tax rate in future periods. The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to income tax matters in income tax expense. Interest accrued as of June 30, 2012, is not considered material to the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

The Company files U.S. federal income tax returns as well as income tax returns in various states and foreign jurisdictions. The Company is no longer subject to income tax examinations by tax authorities for years prior to 2004 for the majority of tax jurisdictions.

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The Company’s federal returns are currently under examination by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the United States for the periods 2004 through 2009. The reduction in the reserve during 2012 is primarily related to an IRS proposal from Appeals regarding the Company’s research and development tax credit position. The Company has accepted the proposal. There is no longer an amount reserved for the Company’s research and development tax credits for the periods 2004 through 2007 and no tax benefit was recognized as a result of this settlement. To date, there have not been any other significant proposed adjustments that have not been accounted for in the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Audit outcomes and the timing of audit settlements are subject to significant uncertainty. It is reasonably possible that within the next twelve months the Company will resolve some or all of the matters presently under consideration for 2004 through 2009 with the IRS and that there could be significant increases or decreases to unrecognized tax benefits.

The individual subsidiaries comprising the Company operate predominantly in a single industry as manufacturers and distributors of hydraulic components. The Company is multinational with operations in the United States, and subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, Germany, Korea, and France. Amounts for France, due to their immateriality, are included with the U.S. France operated as a subsidiary of the Company until its dissolution in November 2011, at which time it became a liaison office. Additionally, costs associated with the Company’s representative office in China and liaison office in India are included as part of the U.S. operating segment, as are sales into these regions. In computing operating profit for the foreign subsidiaries, no allocations of general corporate expenses have been made. Management bases its financial decisions by the geographical location of its operations.

Identifiable assets of the foreign subsidiaries are those assets related to the operation of those companies. United States assets consist of all other operating assets of the Company.

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Segment information is as follows:

Sales to unaffiliated customers represent sales from each of the individual subsidiaries. For information on sales to geographic locations, see the Comparison of the Six Month Periods Ended June 30, 2012, and July 2, 2011, in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. Operating income is total sales and other operating income less operating expenses. Segment operating income does not include interest income/expense, foreign currency transaction gain/loss, and net miscellaneous income/expense.

The Company uses the three-tier fair value hierarchy which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value as follows:

Level 1. Observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets;

Level 2. Inputs, other than the quoted prices in active markets, that are observable either directly or indirectly; and

Level 3. Unobservable inputs in which there is little or no market data, which require the reporting entity to develop its own assumptions.

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The Company held available-for-sale securities with an aggregate fair value of $30,872 and $21,832 at June 30, 2012, and December 31, 2011, respectively. The Company, on a recurring basis, measures available-for-sale securities at fair value using quoted prices in active markets. The net unrealized holding loss amounted to $375 and $492 at June 30, 2012, and December 31, 2011, respectively. In addition, the Company reports deferred director stock units and phantom stock units as a liability. These liabilities, on a recurring basis, are measured at fair value using quoted prices in the active market. The Company’s liability was $298 and $1,182, at June 30, 2012, and December 31, 2011, respectively. The Company recognized expense related to those liabilities of $35 and $393 for the six month periods ended June 30, 2012, and July 2, 2011, respectively.

The Company did not have any fair value adjustments for assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis during the six months ended June 30, 2012, and July 2, 2011.

Assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis include the following at June 30, 2012:

Liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis include the following at June 30, 2012: