Firm Description
Vulcan Value Partners, LLC ("Vulcan") is an investment adviser registered with the SEC under the
Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”). Vulcan was founded in 2007 by C.T.
Fitzpatrick, who is Vulcan’s principal owner and serves as Chief Investment Officer. Mr. Fitzpatrick, along
with McGavock Dunbar, Stephen Simmons, Colin Casey and Taylor Cline manage each of Vulcan's
portfolio strategies for separately managed accounts, as well as several pooled investment vehicles. Mr.
Fitzpatrick is primarily responsible for the day-to-day operation of, and final decision making for, each
Vulcan investment portfolio (other than private funds sponsored by Vulcan’s affiliates) and has served in
that capacity since Vulcan's inception.
At Vulcan, we are value investors—business analysts with a long-term time horizon primarily focused on
purchasing publicly-traded companies that we believe are competitively entrenched and emphasize a
margin of safety in terms of price as compared to our estimation of their intrinsic worth. We view equity
investments as ownership in a business enterprise and approach investing as long-term partial ownership
of businesses.
Types of Advisory Services
Vulcan provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory services to both individual and
institutional clients, including registered investment companies, trusts, estates, charitable
organizations, pension and profit-sharing plans, pooled investment vehicles, corporations and other
business entities. Vulcan manages its investment strategies through separately managed accounts,
mutual funds, UCITS, a Collective Investment Trust, private funds, and as an investment manager in wrap
fee programs.
Except with respect to certain private funds as described below, day-to-day management of the entire set
of Vulcan's portfolios is a team effort, requiring the involvement of our full research staff as well as
administrative support. Each member of the research team is encouraged to produce ideas for any
portfolio in any industry, limited only by the parameters of Vulcan’s investment criteria. Once an idea is
generated, it is reviewed and analyzed by the full research team for qualification under Vulcan’s
investment criteria.
No investment is approved unless the concerns of the entire team have been addressed. This team
approach reinforces Vulcan's disciplines, as it requires each team member to participate in the analysis
and evaluation of each potential investment. Once an idea has qualified for investment, the research
team implements the investment for discretionary clients and updates non-discretionary model portfolios
accordingly.
Separately Managed Accounts
Vulcan provides investment advisory services through separately managed accounts to high net worth
individual and institutional clients. Separately managed accounts are generally managed according to one
of Vulcan’s portfolio strategies described in Item 8 but may be tailored to the needs of a particular client.
Prior to initial trading for a separately managed account, Vulcan will consult with the prospective client
to discuss the available investment strategies and the client’s investment objectives. Investments in
certain securities or types of securities may be restricted at the request of a client in consultation with
Vulcan. Any such restrictions, as well as the duties, responsibilities, and guidelines applicable to the
advisory relationship with Vulcan, will be set forth in the client’s investment advisory agreement.
Pooled Investment Vehicles
Vulcan serves as the investment adviser to the Vulcan Value Partners Fund and the Vulcan Value Partners
Small Cap Fund, affiliated mutual funds organized as non-diversified investment portfolios of Financial
Investors Trust, an open-end series management investment company organized as a Delaware statutory
trust (each, a "Mutual Fund" and collectively, the "Mutual Funds"). Each Mutual Fund is managed in
accordance with its respective investment objectives, strategies, and restrictions as approved by its Board
of Trustees and set forth in its investment advisory agreement with Vulcan and the Mutual Fund’s
applicable offering documents.
In addition, Vulcan serves as the sponsor and/or investment adviser of certain other pooled investment
vehicles, including:
Vulcan Global Value Fund Plc, an opened-ended umbrella investment company with variable
capital and with segregated liability between sub funds, incorporated and registered in Ireland
as an undertaking for collective investment in transferable securities ("UCITS") pursuant to the
European Communities (Undertakings for Collective Investments in Transferable Securities)
Regulations 2011.
Vulcan Value Partners CIF – Large Cap, a Collective Investment Trust (“CIT”) for which Reliance Trust,
a trust company organized under the laws of Georgia, serves as trustee. Investment in the CIT is
generally limited to certain retirement plans such as 401(k) plans, certain other defined benefit or
contribution plans, and certain governmental plans.
Private funds exempted from registration as investment companies under the Investment Company
Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), pursuant to Section 3(c)(1) or Section
3(c)(7) under the Investment Company Act. Interests in such private funds are offered solely to
certain eligible investors. From time to time, private funds may enter into “side letters” with certain
investors that provide for investment terms that are more favorable than the terms described in
the applicable fund’s offering materials. Such terms may include, among other things, differing fee
rates and/or the waiver of fees. Vulcan will not enter into any side letter arrangement that is
inconsistent with its fiduciary duties to other investors in a private fund.
One or
more private funds sponsored by Enduring Equity Holdings, LLC (“EEH”), an affiliate under
common control with Vulcan. Private funds sponsored by EEH are managed by certain supervised
persons of Vulcan pursuant to strategies that differ materially from Vulcan’s other portfolio
strategies and do not utilize the team approach described above with respect to those strategies.
See Enduring Equity Holdings Strategy in Item 8 for additional information.
Sub-Advisory Services
Vulcan may from time to time serve as a sub-adviser to unaffiliated mutual funds and other pooled
vehicles. When we act as a sub-adviser, our services will be overseen by a third-party fund manager. In
such arrangements, the imposition of specific investment restrictions or tailoring of investment strategies
will generally be the responsibility of the fund manager.
Wrap Fee Programs and Dual Contract Accounts
Vulcan participates as an investment manager in discretionary wrap fee programs (“Wrap Programs”)
sponsored by other registered investment advisers and broker-dealers (“Sponsors”). The underlying client
in a Wrap Program typically receives investment management services through one or more investment
advisers (including Vulcan) participating in the Wrap Program, as well as trade execution, custodial,
administrative, performance monitoring and reporting services for a single, all-inclusive “wrap fee”
charged by the program Sponsor based on the value of the client’s account assets. Vulcan is generally paid
a portion of the wrap fee by the Sponsor when participating in a Wrap Program. The Sponsor typically
assists the client in defining the client’s investment objectives based on information provided by the
client, aids in the selection of one or more investment managers to manage the client’s account and
periodically contacts the client to ascertain whether there have been any changes in the client’s financial
circumstances or objectives that warrant a change in the arrangement or the manner in which the client’s
assets are managed. As such, the Sponsor may select Vulcan based on the appropriateness, in the
Sponsor’s judgment, of Vulcan’s investment strategies for the Sponsor’s Wrap Program. In discretionary
Wrap Programs, Vulcan has the authority to enter into transactions on behalf of Wrap Program
participants, subject to any investment or trading restrictions provided by the Sponsor or Wrap Program
participants. Our participation in Wrap Programs may create certain conflicts of interest. For example, we
may have an incentive to execute brokerage transactions through a Sponsor, who in turn may recommend
our services to Wrap Program participants.
Vulcan also manages discretionary “dual contract” separate accounts pursuant to which a participant
enters into an investment advisory agreement with Vulcan and a separate agreement with the Sponsor.
In such dual contract arrangements, the participant typically pays Vulcan directly for its advisory services
pursuant to the terms of the client’s agreement with Vulcan.
Vulcan acts only as an investment manager for Wrap Programs and does not act as the Sponsor of any
Wrap Program. In all cases, collecting the clients’ investment objectives, determining the strategy best
suited for the clients, and communication with the clients will be the responsibility of the Sponsor. Wrap
Program participants are encouraged to review the Wrap Program Brochure prepared by their Wrap
Program’s Sponsor to understand the specific types of services covered under the participant’s wrap fee,
and the roles performed by the Sponsor and the investment manager under the Wrap Program.
Model Delivery Services
Vulcan also provides model portfolio recommendations to third-party investment advisers or to Sponsors
through “Model Delivery” Wrap Programs. In these relationships, Vulcan’s client is the Sponsor (in the
case of Model-Delivery Wrap Programs) or investment adviser that receives the model, rather than the
underlying client advised by the Sponsor or investment adviser pursuant to the model. Accordingly,
Vulcan delivers a model portfolio designed to satisfy investment objectives established by the Sponsor or
investment adviser and does not take into consideration or tailor the model portfolios to the investment
objectives or risk tolerances of any specific program participant. The Sponsor or third-party investment
adviser retains sole discretion to accept, modify or reject these recommendations and is generally
responsible for implementing the ultimate investment decisions. Vulcan does not execute transactions
for any underlying clients of the Sponsor or investment adviser. In addition, Vulcan typically does not
receive or have access to information regarding the underlying participants in Model Delivery Wrap
Programs and does not have any contractual arrangement with such participants. In managing these
relationships, Vulcan generally uses the same sources of information and investment research personnel
as are used to manage discretionary client accounts.
Individually Tailored Services and Reasonable Restrictions
Clients may place reasonable restrictions on their accounts. However, a restriction request may not be
honored if it is fundamentally inconsistent with Vulcan’s investment philosophy, is counter to the
applicable strategy’s stated investment objectives, or would prevent the firm from properly servicing client
accounts. With respect to the pooled investment vehicles, Vulcan’s management cannot be tailored to the
individual needs of any particular investor. As such, fund investors do not have the ability to impose
restrictions on Vulcan’s management.
Assets Under Management
As of February 29, 2024, Vulcan had $7,962,764,822.23 in total client assets of which $$7,878,130,018 is
managed on a discretionary basis and approximately $84,634,804 is managed on a model delivery basis.