Lazard Funds Summary Prospectus November 29, 2013
Before you invest, you may want to review the Portfolios Prospectus, which contains more information about the Portfolio and its risks. The Portfolios Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information (SAI), both dated November 29, 2013 (as revised or supplemented), are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus. You can find the Portfolios 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.
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Institutional |
Open |
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Lazard US Small-Mid Cap Equity Portfolio |
LZSCX |
LZCOX |
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).
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Institutional |
Open |
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Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) |
1.00% |
1.00% |
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Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a |
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Management Fees |
.75% |
.75% |
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Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees |
None |
.25% |
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Other Expenses |
.13% |
.21% |
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Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses |
.88% |
1.21% |
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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 $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolios operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
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1 Year |
3 Years |
5 Years |
10 Years |
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Institutional Shares |
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$ |
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90 |
$281 |
$488 |
$1,084 |
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Open Shares |
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$ |
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123 |
$384 |
$665 |
$1,466 |
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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 Portfolios performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolios portfolio turnover rate was 92% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies The Portfolio invests primarily in equity securities, principally common stocks, of small to mid cap US companies. Lazard Asset Management LLC (the Investment Manager) considers small-mid cap companies to be those companies that, at the time of initial purchase by the Portfolio, have market
capitalizations within the range of companies included in the Russell 2500® Index (ranging from approximately $30.9 million to $9.8 billion as of November 12, 2013). Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities of small-mid cap US companies. The Investment Manager focuses on relative value in seeking to construct a diversified portfolio of investments for the Portfolio that maintains sector and industry balance, using
investment opportunities identified through bottom-up fundamental research conducted by the Investment Managers small cap, mid cap and global research analysts. The Portfolio may invest up to 20% of its assets in securities of larger or smaller US or non-US companies. Principal Investment Risks The value of your investment in the Portfolio will fluctuate, which means you could lose money. Market Risk. Market risks, including political, regulatory, market and economic developments, and developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market, can affect the value of the Portfolios investments. In addition, turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in
equity, credit and/or fixed income markets may negatively affect many issuers, which could adversely affect the Portfolio. Issuer Risk. The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuers goods or services, as well as the historical and prospective earnings of the issuer and the value of its assets. Small and Mid Cap Companies Risk. Small and mid cap companies carry additional risks because their earnings tend to be less predictable, their share prices more volatile and their securities less liquid than larger, more established companies. The shares of small and mid cap companies tend to trade less
frequently than those of larger companies, which can have an adverse effect on the pricing of these securities and on the ability to sell these securities when the Investment Manager deems it appropriate. Value Investing Risk. 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. Non-US Securities Risk. The Portfolios performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting the non-US countries and companies in which the Portfolio invests. Non-US securities carry special risks, such as exposure to 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 US dollars carry the risk that such currencies will decline in value relative to the US dollar and affect the value of these investments
held in the Portfolio. 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. 2Summary Prospectus
Performance Bar Chart and Table The accompanying bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in Lazard US Small-Mid Cap Equity Portfolio by showing the Portfolios year-by-year performance and its average annual performance compared to that of a broad measure of market performance. The bar chart shows how
the performance of the Portfolios 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 Portfolios past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how
the Portfolio will perform in the future.
Best Quarter: Average Annual Total Returns After-tax returns are shown only for Institutional Shares. After-tax returns for the Open Shares will vary. 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 investors 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. The Russell 2000/2500 Linked Index shown in the table is an unmanaged index created by the Investment Manager, which links the performance of the Russell 2000® Index for all periods through August 24, 2008 (when the Portfolios investment focus was changed from small cap companies to small-mid cap
companies) and the Russell 2500 Index for all periods thereafter. Summary Prospectus3
Year-by-Year Total Returns for Institutional Shares
As of 12/31
6/30/09 28.30%
Worst Quarter:
9/30/11 -26.02%
(for the periods ended December 31, 2012)
Inception
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Life of Institutional Shares:
10/30/91 Returns Before Taxes
15.45%
5.58%
9.16%
10.33% Returns After Taxes on Distributions
14.99%
4.96%
7.23%
8.10% Returns After Taxes on Distributions and
10.64%
4.56%
7.35%
8.13% Open Shares (Returns Before Taxes)
1/30/97
14.97%
5.22%
8.81%
6.89%
Russell 2500 Index
17.88%
4.34%
10.49%
10.39%
Russell 2000/2500 Linked Index
17.88%
4.78%
10.36%
9.30% Management Investment Manager Lazard Asset Management LLC Portfolio Manager/Analysts Daniel Breslin, portfolio manager/analyst on the Investment Managers US Small-Mid Cap Equity and US Mid Cap Equity teams, has been with the Portfolio since May 2007. Michael DeBernardis, portfolio manager/analyst on the Investment Managers US Small-Mid Cap Equity and Global Small Cap Equity teams, has been with the Portfolio since October 2010. Robert A. Failla, portfolio manager/analyst on various of the Investment Managers US Equity teams, has been with the Portfolio since October 2010. Andrew D. Lacey, portfolio manager/analyst on various of the Investment Managers US Equity and Global Equity teams, has been with the Portfolio since May 2003. 4Summary Prospectus
Date
Portfolio
Sale of Portfolio Shares
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
(Institutional)
8.28%
(Open)
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
(Institutional)
7.15%
(Open)
Purchase and Sale of Portfolio Shares The initial investment minimums are: Institutional Shares
$
100,000 Open Shares*
$
2,500
* The subsequent investment minimum is $50. Portfolio shares are redeemable through the Funds 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 a 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 intermediarys website for more information. 00073301 Lazard Asset Management LLC 30 Rockefeller Plaza New York, NY 10112 www.lazardnet.com
Unless the investor is a client of a securities dealer or other institution which has made an aggregate minimum initial purchase for its clients of at least $2,500 for Open Shares.
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