Lazard Funds Summary Prospectus June 29, 2018
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, 2018 (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 http://www.lazardassetmanagement.com/us/en_us/funds. You can also get this information at no cost by calling (800) 823-6300 or by sending an e-mail request to Contact.US@Lazard.com.
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Institutional |
Open |
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Lazard Global Listed Infrastructure Portfolio |
GLIFX |
GLFOX |
Investment Objective
The Portfolio seeks total return.
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”). Investors transacting in Institutional shares through a financial intermediary acting as a broker in an agency capacity may be required to pay a commission directly to the broker.
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Institutional |
Open |
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Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
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Management Fees |
.90% |
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.90% |
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Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees |
None |
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.25% |
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Other Expenses |
.05% |
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.06% |
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Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses |
.01% |
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.01% |
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Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses* |
.96% |
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1.22% |
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Excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, the Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses are .95% and 1.21% of the Portfolio’s Institutional Shares and Open Shares, respectively. |
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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 $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then hold or redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
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1 Year |
3 Years |
5 Years |
10 Years |
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Institutional Shares |
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$ |
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98 |
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$ |
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306 |
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$ |
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531 |
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$ |
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1,178 |
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Open Shares |
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$ |
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124 |
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$ |
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387 |
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$ |
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670 |
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$ |
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1,477 |
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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 Portfolio’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio’s portfolio turnover rate was 33% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Portfolio invests primarily in equity securities, principally common stocks, of infrastructure
companies and concentrates its investments in industries represented by infrastructure companies. Lazard Asset Management LLC (the “Investment Manager”) focuses on companies with a minimum market capitalization of $250 million that own physical infrastructure and which the Investment Manager believes are undervalued.
Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities of infrastructure companies, which consist of utilities, pipelines, toll roads, airports, railroads, ports, telecommunications and other infrastructure companies, with securities listed on a national or other recognized securities exchange.
Under normal market conditions, the Portfolio invests significantly (at least 40%—unless market conditions are not deemed favorable by the Investment Manager, in which case the Portfolio would invest at least 30%) in infrastructure companies organized or located outside the US or doing a substantial amount of business outside the US. The Investment Manager allocates the Portfolio’s assets among various regions and countries, including the United States (but in no less than three different countries). The Portfolio may invest in equity securities of companies with some business activities located in emerging market countries.
The Investment Manager generally seeks to substantially hedge foreign currency exposure in the Portfolio against movements relative to the US dollar by entering into foreign currency forward contracts, although the Portfolio’s total foreign currency exposure may not be fully hedged at all times.
Although the Portfolio is classified as “diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, it may invest in a smaller number of issuers than other, more diversified investment portfolios.
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 Portfolio’s 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 issuer’s goods or services, as well as the historical and prospective earnings of the issuer and the value of its assets or factors unrelated to the issuer’s value, such as investor perception.
Infrastructure Companies Risk. Securities and instruments of infrastructure companies are more susceptible to adverse economic or regulatory occurrences affecting their industries. Infrastructure companies may be subject to a variety of factors that may adversely affect their business or operations, including high interest costs in connection with capital construction programs, high leverage, costs associated with environmental and other regulations, the effects of economic slowdown, surplus capacity, increased competition from other providers of services, uncertainties concerning the availability of fuel at reasonable prices, the effects of energy conservation policies and other factors. Infrastructure companies also may be affected by or subject to, among other factors, regulation by various government authorities, including rate regulation and service interruption due to environmental, operational or other mishaps.
Non-US Securities Risk. The Portfolio’s 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 less developed or less efficient trading markets, political instability, a lack of company information, differing auditing and legal standards, and, potentially, less liquidity.
2Summary Prospectus |
Emerging Market Risk. Emerging market countries generally have economic structures that are less diverse and mature, and political systems that are less stable, than those of developed countries. The economies of countries with emerging markets may be based predominantly on only a few industries, may be highly vulnerable to changes in local or global trade conditions, and may suffer from extreme debt burdens or volatile inflation rates. The securities markets of emerging market countries have historically been extremely volatile. These market conditions may continue or worsen. Significant devaluation of emerging market currencies against the US dollar may occur subsequent to acquisition of investments denominated in emerging market currencies.
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.
Foreign Currency and Foreign Currency Hedging Risk. Irrespective of any foreign currency exposure hedging, the Portfolio may experience a decline in the value of its portfolio securities, in US dollar terms, due solely to fluctuations in currency exchange rates. The Investment Manager may not be able to accurately predict movements in exchange rates and there may be imperfect correlations between movements in exchange rates that could cause the Portfolio to incur significant losses. Currency investments could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, repatriation of funds or conversion of emerging market currencies.
Forward Currency Contracts Risk. Forward currency contracts may increase volatility or reduce returns, perhaps substantially, particularly since most derivatives have a leverage component that provides investment exposure in excess of the amount invested. Forward currency contracts are subject to the risk of default by the counterparty to the contracts and can be illiquid. These contracts are subject to many of the risks of, and can be highly sensitive to changes in the value of, the related currency. As such, a small investment could have a potentially large impact on the Portfolio’s performance. Derivatives transactions incur costs, either explicitly or implicitly, which reduce return. Successful use of derivatives is subject to the Investment Manager’s ability to predict correctly movements in the direction of the relevant reference asset or market. Use of forward currency contracts, even when entered into for hedging purposes, may cause the Portfolio to experience losses greater than if the Portfolio had not engaged in such transactions.
Large Cap Companies Risk. Investments in large cap companies may underperform other segments of the market when such other segments are in favor or because such companies may be less responsive to competitive challenges and opportunities and may be unable to attain high growth rates during periods of economic expansion.
Focused Investing Risk. The Portfolio’s net asset value may be more vulnerable to changes in the market value of a single issuer or group of issuers and may be relatively more susceptible to adverse effects from any single corporate, industry, economic, market, political or regulatory occurrence than if the Portfolio’s investments consisted of securities issued by a larger number of issuers.
Securities Selection Risk. Securities and other investments selected by the Investment Manager for the Portfolio may not perform to expectations. This could result in the Portfolio’s underperformance compared to other funds with similar investment objectives or strategies.
Summary Prospectus3 |
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 Global Listed Infrastructure Portfolio by showing the Portfolio’s year-by-year performance and its average annual performance compared to that of broad measures of market performance. The bar chart shows how the performance of the Portfolio’s Institutional Shares has varied from year to year. Updated performance information is available at www.lazardassetmanagement.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.
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4Summary Prospectus |
Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2017)
After-tax returns are shown only for Institutional Shares. After-tax returns of the Portfolio’s other share classes 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 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.
The Custom Infrastructure Index (Hedged) is an index created by the Portfolio’s Investment Manager, which is the performance of the UBS Global 50/50 Infrastructure & Utilities® Index (Hedged) for all periods through March 31, 2015, when the index ceased to be published, and the FTSE Developed Core Infrastructure 50/50® Index (Hedged) for all periods thereafter. The Custom Infrastructure Index (Hedged) will be replaced with the MSCI World Core Infrastructure Index (Hedged). The Investment Manager believes that the new index is an appropriate alternative to the prior index.
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Inception |
1 Year |
5 Years |
Life of |
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Institutional Shares: |
12/31/09 |
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Returns Before Taxes |
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20.80% |
16.59% |
13.05% |
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Returns After Taxes on Distributions |
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18.82% |
14.19% |
11.42% |
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Returns After Taxes on Distributions and |
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13.24% |
12.69% |
10.35% |
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Open Shares (Returns Before Taxes) |
12/31/09 |
20.47% |
16.29% |
12.71% |
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MSCI World Core Infrastructure Index (Hedged) |
15.02% |
12.17% |
10.30% |
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Custom Infrastructure Index (Hedged) |
13.95% |
12.86% |
9.88% |
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MSCI World Index |
22.40% |
11.64% |
9.85% |
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Summary Prospectus5 |
Management
Investment Manager
Lazard Asset Management LLC
Bertrand Cliquet, portfolio manager/analyst on the Investment Manager’s Global Listed Infrastructure and Global Equity Franchise teams, has been with the Portfolio since September 2017.
Matthew Landy, portfolio manager/analyst on the Investment Manager’s Global Listed Infrastructure and Global Equity Franchise teams, has been with the Portfolio since March 2016.
John Mulquiney, portfolio manager/analyst on the Investment Manager’s Global Listed Infrastructure and Global Equity Franchise teams, has been with the Portfolio since December 2009.
Warryn Robertson, portfolio manager/analyst on the Investment Manager’s Global Listed Infrastructure and Global Equity Franchise teams, has been with the Portfolio since December 2009.
Purchase and Sale of Portfolio Shares
The initial investment minimums are:
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Institutional Shares* |
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$ |
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100,000 |
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Open Shares* |
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$ |
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2,500 |
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* |
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 $100,000 for Institutional Shares or $2,500 for Open Shares.
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The subsequent investment minimum is $50 for Institutional Shares and Open Shares.
Portfolio shares are redeemable through the Fund’s transfer agent, DST Asset Manager Solutions, 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.
0073298
Lazard Asset Management LLC • 30 Rockefeller Plaza • New York, NY 10112 • www.lazardassetmanagement.com