XML 57 R8.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.19.3.a.u2
Total
Lazard US Equity Focus Portfolio
Lazard US Equity Focus Portfolio
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”). Investors transacting in Institutional or R6 shares through a financial intermediary acting as a broker in an agency capacity may be required to pay a commission directly to the broker.

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Annual Fund Operating Expenses - Lazard US Equity Focus Portfolio
Institutional Shares
Open Shares
R6 Shares
Management Fees [1] 0.55% 0.55% 0.55%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees none 0.25% none
Other Expenses 0.22% 1.38% 0.31%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses 0.77% 2.18% 0.86%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement [2] 0.07% 1.23% 0.16%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement 0.70% 0.95% 0.70%
[1] Restated to reflect current management fee.
[2] Reflects a contractual agreement by Lazard Asset Management LLC (the "Investment Manager") to waive its fee and, if necessary, reimburse the Portfolio until May 1, 2020, to the extent Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses exceed .70%, .95% and .70% of the average daily net assets of the Portfolio's Institutional Shares, Open Shares and R6 Shares, respectively, exclusive of taxes, brokerage, interest on borrowings, fees and expenses of "Acquired Funds" and extraordinary expenses. This expense limitation agreement can only be amended by agreement of the Fund, upon approval by the Fund's Board of Directors, and the Investment Manager to lower the net amount shown and will terminate automatically in the event of termination of the Management Agreement between the Investment Manager and the Fund, on behalf of the Portfolio.
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, giving effect to the expense limitation agreement in year one only. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example - Lazard US Equity Focus Portfolio - USD ($)
1 year
3 years
5 years
10 years
Institutional Shares 72 239 421 948
Open Shares 97 563 1,057 2,417
R6 Shares 72 258 461 1,046
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 62% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio invests primarily in equity securities, principally common stocks, of US companies that the Investment Manager believes have strong and/or improving financial productivity and are undervalued based on their earnings, cash flow or asset values. The Portfolio typically invests in 20 to 30 companies with market capitalizations generally over $5 billion. Although the Portfolio generally focuses on large cap companies, the market capitalizations of issuers in which the Portfolio invests may vary with market conditions and the Portfolio also may invest in mid cap and small cap companies.


Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities of US companies. The Portfolio may invest up to 20% of its assets in securities of non-US companies.


Although the Portfolio is classified as "diversified" under the 1940 Act, 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 a 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.


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.


Value Investing Risk. The Portfolio invests in securities 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 securities in which the Portfolio invests may respond differently to market and other developments than other types of securities.


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.


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.


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. In addition, investments denominated in currencies other than US dollars may experience a decline in value, in US dollar terms, due solely to fluctuations in currency exchange rates. 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.


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.

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 US Equity Focus Portfolio by showing the Portfolio’s 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 Portfolio’s Institutional Shares has varied from year to year over the past 10 calendar years. 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.

Bar Chart
  

Best Quarter:

Q2 09

16.46%

 

 

Worst Quarter:

Q3 11

-14.20%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2018)

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.

Average Annual Returns - Lazard US Equity Focus Portfolio
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Life of Portfolio
Inception Date
Institutional Shares (3.12%) 6.59% 11.54% 6.39% Dec. 30, 2004
Open Shares (3.40%) 6.28% 11.21% 6.08% Dec. 30, 2004
R6 Shares (3.13%)     6.59% May 19, 2014
After Taxes on Distributions | Institutional Shares (6.87%) 3.93% 99.70% 4.97%  
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Institutional Shares 0.39% 4.85% 9.42% 5.01%  
S&P 500 Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expense or taxes) | Institutional Shares (4.38%) 8.49% 13.12% 7.53% Dec. 30, 2004
S&P 500 Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expense or taxes) | Open Shares (4.38%) 8.49% 13.12% 7.53% Dec. 30, 2004
S&P 500 Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expense or taxes) | R6 Shares (4.38%) 8.49% 13.12% 8.64% May 19, 2014