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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

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 26,235,442 shares of common stock, par value $.001, outstanding as of April 26, 2013.

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Sun Hydraulics Corporation

INDEX

For the quarter ended March 30, 2013

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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 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. In 2012, Sun Korea acquired Seungwon Solutions Corporation (“Seungwon”), also located in Inchon, South Korea, a component supplier to Sun Korea and third parties. Sun Hydraulics, SARL (“Sun France”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sun Hydraulics was dissolved in November 2011. Concurrently, Sun Hydraulics opened a liaison office in Bordeaux, France to service the French 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 April 1, 2013, Sun Hydraulics purchased the remaining 60% of WhiteOak (see note 15). 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 29, 2012, filed by Sun Hydraulics Corporation (together with its subsidiaries, the “Company”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 12, 2013. 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 month period ended March 30, 2013, are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the period ending December 28, 2013.

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Earnings per share

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

Reclassification

Certificates of deposit classified as cash in the prior period were reclassified to marketable securities to conform to the current year 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 March 30, 2013, 823,912 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 three months ended March 30, 2013, and March 31, 2012, totaled $519 and $418 respectively.

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The following table summarizes restricted stock activity from December 29, 2012, through March 30, 2013:

The Company has $3,132 of total unrecognized compensation cost related to restricted stock awards granted under the two plans as of March 30, 2013. That cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.33 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 11,938 shares at a weighted average price of $22.35, and 8,460 shares at a weighted average price of $16.73, under the ESPP during the three months ended March 30, 2013, and March 31, 2012, respectively. The Company recognized $45 and $54 of compensation expense during the three months ended March 30, 2013, and March 31, 2012, respectively. At March 30, 2013, 701,346 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. 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 March 30, 2013, there were zero deferred stock units outstanding. The Plan has now been terminated, and no further issuance of shares will be made under the Plan.

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.

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

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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 March 30, 2013, 252,249 shares remained available for issuance under the 2012 Directors Plan.

Directors were granted 4,500 and 3,853 shares for the three months ended March 30, 2013, and March 31, 2012, respectively. The Company recognized director stock compensation expense of $156 and $234 for the three months ended March 30, 2013, and March 31, 2012, respectively.

On March 30, 2013, the Company had restricted cash of $315. A restricted cash reserve for customs and excise taxes in the U.K. operation was $46 at March 30, 2013. The restricted amount was calculated as an estimate of two months of customs and excise taxes for items coming into the Company’s U.K. operations and is held with Lloyds TSB in the U.K. Restricted cash of $269 at March 30, 2013, represents the holdback of the purchase price associated with the acquisition of Seungwon on October 18, 2012.

A summary of changes in goodwill at March 30, 2013 is as follows:

Goodwill is made up of amounts relating to the acquisitions of Sun Korea, HCT, and Seungwon. Valuation models reflecting the expected future cash flow projections are used to value reporting units. A valuation of the reporting unit at December 29, 2012, indicated that there was no impairment of the carrying value of the goodwill at Sun Korea. A valuation of the reporting unit at September 29, 2012 indicated that there was no impairment of the carrying value of the goodwill at HCT. As of March 30, 2013, no factors were identified that indicated impairment of the carrying value of goodwill.

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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 March 30, 2013, and December 29, 2012, intangible assets consisted of the following:

Total estimated amortization expense for the years 2014 through 2018 is presented below. The remaining amortization for 2013 is approximately $164.

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 three months ended March 30, 2013.

On October 18, 2012, the Company, through Sun Korea, purchased all of the outstanding stock of Seungwon Solutions Corporation (“Seungwon”) for approximately $1,458. Seungwon is a component supplier, and approximately 80% of its sales are to Sun Korea.

The results of operations of Seungwon have been included in the Company’s consolidated results since the date of acquisition. Supplemental pro forma information and disclosure of acquired assets and liabilities has not been provided as the acquisition did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

The Company recorded approximately $1,731 in goodwill and approximately $80 in transaction costs related to the acquisition.

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

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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 (if activated) 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.

The Company did not have any amounts drawn on its line of credit for the periods ended March 30, 2013, and March 31, 2012.

At March 30, 2013, the Company had an unrecognized tax benefit of $1,195 including accrued interest. 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 March 30, 2013, 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.

The Company’s federal returns are currently under examination by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the United States for the periods 2004 through 2011. To date, there have not been any 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 2011 with the IRS and that there could be significant increases or decreases to unrecognized tax benefits.

Historically the Company had four operating and reportable segments, which were based on the geographic location of its subsidiaries. In 2012, the Company re-evaluated its operating and reportable segments, resulting in a change to a single reportable segment in manufacturing, marketing, selling and distributing its products worldwide. This change was made because, increasingly, the Company is shipping products directly from the factory of origin to end-customers worldwide. Management believes the discrete financial information of the Company’s individual foreign subsidiaries is no longer representative of the business level in those locations, and management no longer makes decisions or assesses performance based on this information. Management believes the investment community will have a better understanding, with less confusion, when reviewing our results as one operating segment.

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The additional information related to the region to which our products are sold, as opposed to the region where the sale was recorded, is more aligned with managerial decision-making and will best inform all interested parties.

The individual subsidiaries comprising the Company operate predominantly in a single industry as manufacturers and distributors of hydraulic components. Given the similar nature of products offered for sale, the type of customers, the methods of distribution and how the Company is managed, the Company determined that it now has only one operating and reporting segment for both internal and external reporting purposes. Prior period financial information included herein has been restated to reflect the financial position and results of operations as one segment.

Geographic Region Information:

Net sales are measured based on the geographic destination of sales. Total and long-lived assets are shown based on the physical location of the assets. Long-lived assets primarily include net property, plant and equipment:

The Company applies fair value accounting guidelines for all financial assets and liabilities and non-financial assets and liabilities that are recognized or disclosed at fair value in the financial statements on a recurring basis (at least annually). Under these guidelines, fair value is defined as the price that would be received for the sale of an asset or paid to transfer a liability (i.e. an exit price) in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The guidance establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value as follows:

Level 1 - Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

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Level 2 - Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets or quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in inactive markets.

Level 3 - Unobservable inputs that are supported by little, infrequent, or no market activity and reflect the Company’s own assumptions about inputs used in pricing the asset or liability.

The fair value hierarchy also requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value.

The Company’s valuation techniques used to measure the fair value of marketable equity securities, mutual funds, and phantom stock units were derived from quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. The valuation techniques used to measure the fair value of all other financial instruments were valued based on quoted market prices or model driven valuations using significant inputs derived from or corroborated by observable market data.

The Company’s marketable securities have been classified and accounted for as available-for-sale. Management determines the appropriate classification of its investments at the time of purchase and reevaluates the designation at each balance sheet date. The Company may or may not hold securities with stated maturities greater than 12 months until maturity. As management views these securities as available to support current operations, the Company classifies securities with maturities beyond 12 months as current assets under the caption marketable securities in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company’s marketable securities are carried at fair value, with the unrealized gains and losses reported as a component of shareholder’s equity. Realized gains and losses on sales of marketable securities are generally determined using the specific identification method, and are included in miscellaneous (income) expense in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

The following tables provide information regarding the Company’s assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis at March 30, 2013, and December 29, 2012.

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The net realized loss on marketable securities recognized by the Company during the three months ended March 30, 2013, and March 31, 2012, was $52 and $2, respectively. As of March 30, 2013, gross unrealized losses related to individual securities that had been in a continuous loss position for 12 months or longer were not significant. The Company considers these unrealized losses in market value of its marketable securities to be temporary in nature. When evaluating an investment for other-than-temporary impairment, the Company reviews factors such as the length of time and extent to which fair value has been below its cost basis, the financial condition of the issuer and any changes thereto, and the Company’s intent to sell, or whether it is more likely than not it will be required to sell, the investment before recovery of the investment’s cost basis. During the three months ended March 30, 2013, the Company recognized an impairment charge of $61, which is included in the net realized loss for the period. This resulted from the deterioration of the financial condition of an issuer of a corporate bond security.

Maturities of marketable securities at March 30, 2013 are as follows:

The Company reports deferred director stock units and phantom stock units as a liability. All remaining deferred stock units were issued in 2013. The Company recognized expense relating to these liabilities of $20 and $142, for the periods ended March 30, 2013, and March 31, 2012. Phantom stock units vest over a period of three years.

The Company did not have any fair value adjustments for assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis during the period ended March 30, 2013.

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Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income by Component

Three Months Ended March 30, 2013

Reclassifications out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

Three Months Ended March 30, 2013