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Before you invest, you may want to review the Portfolio’s Prospectus, which contains more information about the Portfolio and its risks. The Portfolio’s Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”), both dated May 1, 2012 (as revised or supplemented), are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus. You can find the Portfolio’s Prospectus, SAI and other information about the Portfolio online at www.LazardNet.com/lam/us/ lazardfunds.shtml. You can also get this information at no cost by calling (800) 823-6300 or by sending an e-mail request to ContactUs@LazardNet.com.

This Portfolio is closed to investment by most new investors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Institutional
Shares

 

Open
Shares

Lazard Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio

 

LZEMX

 

LZOEX

Investment Objective

The Portfolio seeks long-term capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio, a series of The Lazard Funds, Inc. (the “Fund”).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Institutional
Shares

 

Open
Shares

 

Shareholder Transaction Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Maximum Redemption Fee (as a % of amount redeemed,
on shares owned for 30 days or less)

 

1.00%

 

1.00%

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Management Fees

 

1.00%

 

1.00%

 

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

 

None

 

.25%

 

Other Expenses

 

.12%

 

.17%

 

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

 

1.12%

 

1.42%

 

Example

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

 

1 Year

 

3 Years

 

5 Years

 

10 Years

 

Institutional Shares

 

$114

 

$356

 

$617

 

$1,363

 

Open Shares

 

$145

 

$449

 

$776

 

$1,702

 

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio 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 Portfolio shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio’s portfolio turnover rate was 23% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

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Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio invests primarily in equity securities, principally common stocks, of non-U.S. companies whose principal activities are located in emerging market countries and that Lazard Asset Management LLC (the “Investment Manager”) believes are undervalued based on their earnings, cash flow or asset values.

Emerging market countries include all countries represented by the Morgan Stanley Capital International (“MSCI®”) Emerging Markets (“EM®”) Index, which currently includes: Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand and Turkey.

Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities of companies whose principal business activities are located in emerging market countries.

Principal Investment Risks

While stocks have historically been a leading choice of long-term investors, they do fluctuate in price, often based on factors unrelated to the issuer’s value, such as investor perception. The value of your investment in the Portfolio will fluctuate, which means you could lose money.

Non-U.S. securities carry special risks, such as exposure to currency fluctuations, less developed or less efficient trading markets, political instability, a lack of company information, differing auditing and legal standards, and, potentially, less liquidity. In addition, investments denominated in currencies other than U.S. dollars carry the risk that such currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the value of these investments held in the Portfolio.

The Portfolio’s performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting the non- U.S. countries and companies in which the Portfolio invests. Emerging market countries can generally have economic structures that are less diverse and mature, and political systems that are less stable, than those of developed countries. The securities markets of emerging market countries have historically been extremely volatile. However, the capital markets in the U.S. and internationally have experienced unprecedented volatility in recent years, causing significant declines in the value and liquidity of many securities. These market conditions may continue or worsen.

The Portfolio invests in stocks believed by the Investment Manager to be undervalued, but that may not realize their perceived value for extended periods of time or may never realize their perceived value. The stocks in which the Portfolio invests may respond differently to market and other developments than other types of stocks.

Performance Bar Chart and Table
Year-by-Year Total Returns for Institutional Shares

As of 12/31

The accompanying bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in Lazard Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio by showing the Portfolio’s year-by-year and average annual performance compared to those of a broad measure of market performance. The bar chart shows how the performance of the Portfolio’s Institutional Shares has varied from year to year over the past 10 calendar years. Updated performance information is available at www.LazardNet.com or by calling (800) 823-6300. The Portfolio’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.

2Summary Prospectus


 

 

 

 

Best Quarter:
6/30/09  34.12%
 
Worst Quarter:

12/31/08  -30.50%

Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2011)

After-tax returns for the Open Shares vary from those of Institutional Shares. After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. The after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inception
Date

 

1 Year

 

5 Years

 

10 Years

 

Life of
Portfolio

 

Institutional Shares:

 

7/15/94

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Returns Before Taxes

 

 

 

-17.75%

 

3.53%

 

16.00%

 

7.80%

 

Returns After Taxes on Distributions

 

 

 

-18.62%

 

2.24%

 

14.77%

 

6.85%

 

Returns After Taxes on Distributions and
Sale of Portfolio Shares

 

 

 

-10.62%

 

2.80%

 

14.23%

 

6.65%

 

Open Shares (Returns Before Taxes)

 

1/8/97

 

-18.02%

 

3.18%

 

15.68%

 

7.72%

 

MSCI EM Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

 

 

 

-18.42%

 

2.40%

 

13.86%

 

5.91%
(Institutional)
6.79%
(Open)

 

Management

Investment Manager

Lazard Asset Management LLC

Portfolio Manager/Analysts

James M. Donald, portfolio manager/analyst on the Investment Manager’s Emerging Markets Equity team, has been with the Portfolio since November 2001.

Rohit Chopra, portfolio manager/analyst on the Investment Manager’s Emerging Markets Equity team, has been with the Portfolio since May 2007.

Erik McKee, portfolio manager/analyst on the Investment Manager’s Emerging Markets Equity team, has been with the Portfolio since July 2008.

John R. Reinsberg, portfolio manager/analyst on the Investment Manager’s Global Equity and International Equity teams, has been with the Portfolio since inception.

Summary Prospectus3


Wherever there’s opportunity, there’s Lazard.SM

Purchase and Sale of Portfolio Shares

The initial investment minimums are:

 

 

 

Institutional Shares

 

 

 

 

$100,000

 

 

Open Shares

 

 

 

 

$    2,500

 

 

IRA Rollover/Transfer (Open Shares only)

 

 

 

 

$    2,500

 

 

The subsequent investment minimum is $50.

Portfolio shares are redeemable through the Fund’s transfer agent, Boston Financial Data Services, Inc., on any business day by telephone, mail or overnight delivery. Clients of financial intermediaries may be subject to the intermediaries’ procedures.

Tax Information

All dividends and short-term capital gains distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, and long-term capital gains are generally taxable as such, whether you receive the distribution in cash or reinvest it in additional shares.

Financial Intermediary Compensation

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase shares of the Portfolio through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Portfolio and/or the Investment Manager and its affiliates may pay the intermediary for the sale of Portfolio shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Portfolio over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

 

 

 

 

Lazard Asset Management LLC
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112-6300
800-823-6300

www.LazardNet.com

Ó 2012 The Lazard Funds, Inc. and Lazard Asset Management Securities LLC

00073303

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