Summary Prospectus

March 1, 2023

 

The Hartford High Yield Fund 

Class A	Class C	Class I	Class R3	Class R4	Class R5	Class R6	Class Y	Class F
HAHAX	HAHCX	HAHIX	HAHRX	HAHSX	HAHTX	HAHVX	HAHYX	HAHFX

Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund’s prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund’s prospectus, reports to shareholders, and other information about the Fund online at http://www.hartfordfunds.com/prospectuses.html. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 1-888-843-7824 or request a copy of the prospectus by sending an e-mail to orders@mysummaryprospectus.com. The Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information dated March 1, 2023, each as may be amended, supplemented or restated, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus. The Fund’s statement of additional information may be obtained, free of charge, in the same manner as the Fund’s prospectus.

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE. The Fund seeks to provide high current income, and long-term total return.

YOUR EXPENSES. The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below. Please contact your financial intermediary for more information regarding whether you may be required to pay a brokerage commission or other fees. You may qualify for sales charge discounts for Class A shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000in certain classes of Hartford mutual funds or in The Hartford® SMART529® College Savings Plan. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the “How Sales Charges Are Calculated” section beginning on page 127 of the Fund’s statutory prospectus. Descriptions of any financial intermediary specific sales charge waivers and discounts are set forth in Appendix A to the statutory prospectus.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): 

Share Classes	A	C	I	R3	R4	R5	R6	Y	F
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	4.50%	None	None	None	None	None	None	None	None
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is less)	None(1)	1.00%	None	None	None	None	None	None	None

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment): 

Share Classes	A	C	I	R3	R4	R5	R6	Y	F
Management fees	0.50%	0.50%	0.50%	0.50%	0.50%	0.50%	0.50%	0.50%	0.50%
Distribution and service (12b-1) fees	0.25%	1.00%	None	0.50%	0.25%	None	None	None	None
Other expenses	0.25%	0.23%	0.21%	0.30%	0.25%	0.20%	0.09%	0.19%	0.08%
Total annual fund operating expenses	1.00%	1.73%	0.71%	1.30%	1.00%	0.70%	0.59%	0.69%	0.58%
Fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement(2)	0.05%	0.00%	0.02%	0.03%	0.03%	0.03%	0.04%	0.03%	0.03%
Total annual fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement(2)	0.95%	1.73%	0.69%	1.27%	0.97%	0.67%	0.55%	0.66%	0.55%

(1)

Investments of $1 million or more will not be subject to a front-end sales charge, but may be subject to a 1.00% contingent deferred sales charge.

(2)

Hartford Funds Management Company, LLC (the “Investment Manager”) has contractually agreed to reimburse expenses (exclusive of taxes, interest expenses, brokerage commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses and extraordinary expenses) to the extent necessary to limit total annual fund operating expenses as follows: 0.95% (Class A), 1.75% (Class C), 0.69% (Class I), 1.27% (Class R3), 0.97% (Class R4), 0.67% (Class R5), 0.55% (Class R6), 0.66% (Class Y), and 0.55% (Class F). This contractual arrangement will remain in effect until February 29, 2024 unless the Board of Directors of The Hartford Mutual Funds, Inc. approves its earlier termination.

Example. The example below is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then, except as shown below, redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that:

•

Your investment has a 5% return each year

•

The Fund’s operating expenses remain the same (except that the example reflects the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement arrangement reflected in the table above for only the first year)

•

You reinvest all dividends and distributions.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be: 

Share Classes	Year 1	Year 3	Year 5	Year 10
A	$543	$749	$973	$1,615
C	$276	$545	$939	$2,041
I	$70	$225	$393	$881
R3	$129	$409	$710	$1,565
R4	$99	$315	$550	$1,222
R5	$68	$221	$387	$868
R6	$56	$185	$325	$734
Y	$67	$218	$381	$856
F	$56	$183	$321	$723

If you did not redeem your shares:

 

C $176 $545 $939 $2,041

Portfolio Turnover. The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the fiscal year ended October 31, 2022, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 49% of the average value of its portfolio.

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGY. The Fund normally invests at least 80%, and may invest up to 100%, of its assets in non-investment grade debt securities (also referred to as “junk bonds”). In seeking to achieve the Fund’s investment objective, the sub-adviser, Wellington Management Company LLP (“Wellington Management”), invests in specific issuers and securities that it considers to be attractive for providing current income as well as total return.

The Fund may invest up to 30% of its net assets in securities of foreign issuers, including non-dollar securities. Wellington Management generally seeks to hedge any foreign currency exposure back to U.S. dollars. The Fund may invest in bonds of any maturity or duration. The Fund may make use of derivative investments, including futures and options, swap transactions, forwards and foreign currency transactions to manage risk (including mitigating the effects of foreign currency fluctuations), to replicate securities the Fund could buy that are not currently available in the market, to manage liquidity, or for other investment purposes. The Fund may invest in “Rule 144A” securities, which are privately placed, restricted securities that may only be resold under certain circumstances to other qualified institutional buyers.

As part of the portfolio construction process, Wellington Management combines its top-down strategy with its bottom-up fundamental research. As part of this process, Wellington Management focuses on risk management; analysis of the business cycle; and sector and quality positioning. Wellington Management also integrates the evaluation of financially material environmental, social, and/or governance (“ESG”) characteristics (where available for an issuer) into its fundamental analysis. ESG characteristics are one of several factors that contribute to Wellington Management’s overall evaluation of the risk and return potential of an issuer.

PRINCIPAL RISKS. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are described below. When you sell your shares they may be worth more or less than what you paid for them, which means that you could lose money as a result of your investment. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. As with any fund, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

Market Risk –  Market risk is the risk that one or more markets in which the Fund invests will go down in value, including the possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. Securities of a company may decline in value due to its financial prospects and activities, including certain operational impacts, such as data breaches and

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cybersecurity attacks. Securities may also decline in value due to general market and economic movements and trends, including adverse changes to credit markets, or as a result of other events such as geopolitical events, natural disasters, or widespread pandemics (such as COVID-19) or other adverse public health developments.

High Yield Investments Risk –  High yield investments rated below investment grade (also referred to as “junk bonds”) are considered to be speculative and are subject to heightened credit risk, which may make the Fund more sensitive to adverse developments in the U.S. and abroad. Lower rated debt securities generally involve greater risk of default or price changes due to changes in the issuer’s creditworthiness than higher rated debt securities. The market prices of these securities may fluctuate more than those of higher rated securities and may decline significantly in periods of general economic difficulty. There may be little trading in the secondary market for particular debt securities, which may make them more difficult to value or sell.

Interest Rate Risk –  The risk that your investment may go down in value when interest rates rise, because when interest rates rise, the prices of bonds and fixed rate loans fall. A wide variety of factors can cause interest rates to rise, including central bank monetary policies and inflation rates. Generally, the longer the maturity of a bond or fixed rate loan, the more sensitive it is to this risk. Falling interest rates also create the potential for a decline in the Fund’s income. These risks are greater during periods of rising inflation. Volatility in interest rates and in fixed income markets may increase the risk that the Fund’s investment in fixed income securities will go down in value. Risks associated with rising interest rates are currently heightened because the Federal Reserve has raised, and may continue to raise, interest rates and inflation is elevated. Actions taken by the Federal Reserve Board or foreign central banks to stimulate or stabilize economic growth, such as decreases or increases in short-term interest rates, may adversely affect markets, which could, in turn, negatively impact Fund performance.

Credit Risk –  Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of a security or other instrument will not be able to make principal and interest payments when due. Changes in an issuer’s financial strength, credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. The degree of credit risk depends on both the financial condition of the issuer and the terms of the obligation. Periods of market volatility may increase credit risk.

Call Risk –  Call risk is the risk that an issuer, especially during a period of falling interest rates, may redeem a security by repaying it early, which may reduce the Fund’s income if the proceeds are reinvested at lower interest rates.

Event Risk –  Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly.

Foreign Investments Risk –  Investments in foreign securities may be riskier, more volatile, and less liquid than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between the U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including the less stringent investor protection, less stringent accounting, corporate governance, financial reporting and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, as well as political and economic developments in foreign countries and regions and the U.S. (including the imposition of sanctions, tariffs, or other governmental restrictions), may affect the value of the Fund’s investments in foreign securities. Changes in currency exchange rates may also adversely affect the Fund’s foreign investments.

Liquidity Risk –  The risk that the market for a particular investment or type of investment is or becomes relatively illiquid, making it difficult for the Fund to sell that investment at an advantageous time or price. Illiquidity may be due to events relating to the issuer of the securities, market events, rising interest rates, economic conditions or investor perceptions. Illiquid securities may be difficult to value and their value may be lower than the market price of comparable liquid securities, which would negatively affect the Fund’s performance.

Restricted Securities Risk –  Restricted securities are subject to the risk that they may be difficult to sell at the time and price the Fund prefers.

Volatility Risk –  The Fund’s investments may fluctuate in value over a short period of time. This may cause the Fund’s net asset value per share to experience significant changes in value over short periods of time.

Active Investment Management Risk –  The risk that, if the sub-adviser’s investment strategy does not perform as expected, the Fund could underperform its peers or lose money. Although the sub-adviser considers several factors when making investment decisions, the sub-adviser may not evaluate every factor prior to investing in a company or issuer, and the sub-adviser may determine that certain factors are more significant than others.

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Derivatives Risk –  Derivatives are instruments whose value depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index. Derivatives may be riskier than other types of investments because they may be more sensitive to changes in economic or market conditions than other types of investments and could result in losses that significantly exceed the Fund’s original investment. Successful use of derivative instruments by the Fund depends on the sub-adviser’s judgment with respect to a number of factors and the Fund’s performance could be worse and/or more volatile than if it had not used these instruments. In addition, the fluctuations in the value of derivatives may not correlate perfectly with the value of any portfolio assets being hedged, the performance of the asset class to which the sub-adviser seeks exposure, or the overall securities markets.

Leverage Risk –  Certain transactions, such as the use of derivatives, may give rise to leverage. Leverage can increase market exposure, increase volatility in the Fund, magnify investment risks, and cause losses to be realized more quickly. The use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions to satisfy its obligations when it may not be advantageous to do so.

Futures and Options Risk –  Futures and options may be more volatile than direct investments in the securities underlying the futures and options, may not correlate perfectly to the underlying securities, may involve additional costs, and may be illiquid. Futures and options also may involve the use of leverage as the Fund may make a small initial investment relative to the risk assumed, which could result in losses greater than if futures or options had not been used. Futures and options are also subject to the risk that the other party to the transaction may default on its obligation.

Swaps Risk –  A swap is a contract that generally obligates the parties to exchange payments based on a specified reference security, basket of securities, security index or index component. Swaps can involve greater risks than direct investment in securities because swaps may be leveraged and are subject to counterparty risk (e.g., the risk of a counterparty defaulting on the obligation or bankruptcy), credit risk and pricing risk (i.e., swaps may be difficult to value). Certain swaps may also be considered illiquid. It may not be possible for the Fund to liquidate a swap position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses.

Forward Currency Contracts Risk –  A forward currency contract is an agreement between two parties to buy and sell a currency at a set price on a future date. The market value of a forward currency contract fluctuates with changes in foreign currency exchange rates. While forward foreign currency exchange contracts do not eliminate fluctuations in the value of foreign securities, they do allow the Fund to establish a fixed rate of exchange for a future point in time. Use of such contracts, therefore, can have the effect of reducing returns and minimizing opportunities for gain. The Fund could also lose money when the contract is settled. The Fund’s gains from its positions in forward foreign currency contracts may accelerate and/or recharacterize the Fund’s income or gains and its distributions to shareholders as ordinary income. The Fund’s losses from such positions may also recharacterize the Fund’s income and its distributions to shareholders and may cause a return of capital to Fund shareholders. Such acceleration or recharacterization could affect an investor’s tax liability.

ESG Integration Risk –  Integrating ESG analysis into the investment process carries the risk that the Fund may perform differently from, and may underperform, funds that do not integrate ESG into their analysis, or funds that evaluate different ESG characteristics. ESG characteristics are not the only factors considered and as a result, the Fund’s investments may not have favorable ESG characteristics or high ESG ratings.

Large Shareholder Transaction Risk –  The Fund may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders redeem or purchase large amounts of shares of the Fund. Such redemptions may cause the Fund to sell securities at times when it would not otherwise do so or borrow money (at a cost to the Fund), which may negatively impact the Fund’s performance and liquidity. Similarly, large purchases may adversely affect the Fund’s performance to the extent that the Fund is delayed in investing new cash and is required to maintain a larger cash position than it ordinarily would. These transactions may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if such sales of investments resulted in gains, and may also increase transaction costs.

Currency Risk –  The risk that the value of the Fund’s investments in foreign securities or currencies will be affected by the value of the applicable currency relative to the U.S. dollar. When the Fund sells a foreign currency or foreign currency denominated security, its value may be worth less in U.S. dollars even if the investment increases in value in its local market. U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers may also be affected by currency risk, as the revenue earned by issuers of these securities may also be affected by changes in the issuer’s local currency.

The Fund is subject to certain other risks. For more information regarding risks and investments, please see “Additional Information Regarding Investment Strategies and Risks” and “More Information About Risks” in the Fund’s statutory prospectus.

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PAST PERFORMANCE. The performance information indicates the risks of investing in the Fund. Keep in mind that past performance does not indicate future results. Updated performance information is available at hartfordfunds.com. The returns in the bar chart and table:

•

Assume reinvestment of all dividends and distributions

•

Reflect fee waivers and/or expense limitation arrangements, if any. Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitation arrangements, performance would have been lower.

The bar chart:

•

Shows how the Fund’s total return has varied from year to year

•

Returns do not include sales charges. If sales charges were reflected, returns would have been lower

•

Shows the returns of Class A shares. Returns for the Fund’s other classes differ only to the extent that the classes do not have the same expenses.

Total returns by calendar year (excludes sales charges)

  

During the periods shown in the chart above:	Returns	Quarter Ended
Best Quarter Return	10.25%	June 30, 2020
Worst Quarter Return	-12.65%	March 31, 2020

Average Annual Total Returns. The table below shows returns for the Fund over time compared to those of a broad-based market index. After-tax returns, which are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes, are shown only for Class A shares and will vary for other classes. Actual after-tax returns, which depend on an investor’s particular tax situation, may differ from those shown and are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.

Average annual total returns for periods ending December 31, 2022 (including sales charges) 

Share Classes	1 Year	5 Years	10 Years
Class A –  Return Before Taxes	-14.55%	0.93%	2.77%
–  Return After Taxes on Distributions	-16.08%	-0.91%	0.75%
–  Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares	-8.60%	-0.05%	1.21%
Share Classes (Return Before Taxes)
Class C	-12.14%	1.07%	2.47%
Class I	-10.34%	2.10%	3.52%
Class R3	-10.84%	1.53%	2.93%
Class R4	-10.52%	1.85%	3.26%
Class R5	-10.35%	2.17%	3.56%
Class R6*	-10.25%	2.06%	3.53%
Class Y	-10.42%	2.01%	3.51%
Class F*	-10.25%	2.22%	3.58%
Bloomberg US Corporate High Yield Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)	-11.19%	2.31%	4.03%

*

Class R6 shares commenced operations on March 1, 2021 and performance prior to that date is that of the Fund’s Class Y shares. Class F shares commenced operations on February 28, 2017 and performance prior to that date is that of the Fund’s Class I shares. Performance prior to an inception date of a class has not been adjusted to reflect the operating expenses of such class.

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MANAGEMENT. The Fund’s investment manager is Hartford Funds Management Company, LLC. The Fund’s sub-adviser is Wellington Management. 

Portfolio Manager	Title	Involved with Fund Since
Christopher A. Jones, CFA*	Senior Managing Director and Fixed Income Portfolio Manager	2012
Michael V. Barry	Senior Managing Director and Fixed Income Portfolio Manager	2012

*

Effective June 30, 2023, Christopher A. Jones, CFA will no longer serve as a portfolio manager for the Fund. Mr. Jones’ portfolio management responsibilities will transition to Michael V. Barry in the months leading up to his departure.

PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES. Not all share classes are available for all investors. Minimum investment amounts may be waived for certain accounts. Certain financial intermediaries may impose different restrictions than those described below. 

Share Classes	Minimum Initial Investment	Minimum Subsequent Investment
Class A, Class C and Class I	$2,000 for all accounts except: $250, if establishing an Automatic Investment Plan (“AIP”), with recurring monthly investments of at least $50	$50
Class R3, Class R4, Class R5 and Class R6	No minimum initial investment	None
Class Y	$250,000 This requirement is waived when the shares are purchased through omnibus accounts (or similar types of accounts).	None
Class F	$1,000,000 This requirement is waived when the shares are purchased through omnibus accounts (or similar types of accounts).	None

For more information, please see the “How To Buy And Sell Shares” section of the Fund’s statutory prospectus.

You may sell your shares of the Fund on those days when the New York Stock Exchange is open, typically Monday through Friday. You may sell your shares through your financial intermediary. With respect to certain accounts, you may sell your shares on the web at hartfordfunds.com, by phone by calling 1-888-843-7824, by electronic funds transfer, or by wire. In certain circumstances you will need to write to Hartford Funds to request to sell your shares. For regular mail, please send the request to Hartford Funds, P.O. Box 219060, Kansas City, MO 64121-9060. For overnight mail, please send the request to Hartford Funds, 430 W 7th Street, Suite 219060, Kansas City, MO 64105-1407.

TAX INFORMATION. The Fund’s distributions are generally taxable, and may be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Such tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of monies from those arrangements.

PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES. If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial professional), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your financial professional to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your financial professional or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

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8 March 1, 2023 MFSUM-HI_03012023