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Lazard International Equity Value Portfolio
Lazard International Equity Value 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 International Equity Value Portfolio
Institutional Shares
Open Shares
R6 Shares
Management Fees 0.80% 0.80% 0.80%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees none 0.25% none
Other Expenses 1.21% 14.77% 1.21% [1]
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses 0.01% 0.01% 0.01% [1]
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses 2.02% 15.83% 2.02%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement [2] 1.06% 14.62% 1.11%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement [3] 0.96% 1.21% 0.91%
[1] Based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year, using amounts for Institutional Shares from the last fiscal year.
[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, 2021, to the extent Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses exceed .95%, 1.20% and .90% 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," fees and expenses related to filing foreign tax reclaims 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.
[3] Excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, the Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are .95%, 1.20% and .90% of the Portfolio's Institutional Shares, Open Shares and R6 Shares, respectively.
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 arrangement in year one only. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example - Lazard International Equity Value Portfolio - USD ($)
1 year
3 years
5 years
10 years
Institutional Shares 98 531 990 2,263
Open Shares 123 3,036 5,401 9,358
R6 Shares 92 526 985 2,259
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 104% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio invests primarily in equity securities, principally common stocks, of non-US companies. The Portfolio has a concentrated portfolio of investments, typically investing in 20 to 30 securities of non-US companies, including those whose principal business activities are located in emerging market countries.


The Investment Manager seeks to realize the Portfolio’s investment objective primarily by investing in companies that the Investment Manager believes are undervalued and whose valuations will benefit from potential company-specific catalysts identified by the Investment Manager. For example, the Investment Manager may seek to invest in companies engaging in activities that the Investment Manager believes will improve the companies’ fundamentals, resolve circumstances that may be negatively affecting valuation and/or improve market and investor perceptions of the companies. The Investment Manager divides these catalysts into three main categories: self-help, positive changes in capital allocation and business simplifications.  


 Self-Help – Many companies undertake self-directed initiatives intended to drive improvement in fundamentals regardless of macroeconomic conditions. These initiatives may range from large-scale corporate restructurings to smaller-scale cost-cutting programs. In many cases, new corporate management teams, changes to the board of directors and/or shifts in a company’s ownership structure are the impetus for self-help plans.


 Positive Changes in Capital Allocation – The Investment Manager believes companies seeking to address inefficient balance sheets often offer opportunities to add value to shareholders. The Portfolio seeks to invest in companies undertaking special capital returns, deleveraging programs and/or value-enhancing reinvestment or mergers and acquisitions. In-depth analysis of balance sheet and cash flow potential, as well as interviews with corporate management teams, helps the Investment Manager identify potential positive capital allocation change opportunities before they are reflected in equity prices.


 Business Simplifications – The simplification of organizational and ownership structures often enables corporate management to increase returns through more effective resource allocation and less operational distraction. Furthermore, monetization of hidden value within a company may occur as a result of asset sales, spin-offs or wind-downs.


Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities. The Portfolio may invest in securities of companies across the capitalization spectrum. At times, the Portfolio may engage in active and frequent trading, which will increase portfolio turnover.


The Investment Manager may seek to hedge some or all foreign currency exposure in the Portfolio against movements relative to the US dollar by entering into foreign currency forward contracts, but the Investment Manager may determine not to hedge some or all of the Portfolio’s foreign currency exposure from time-to-time or at any time.


The Portfolio is classified as “non-diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, which means that it may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, when compared to a diversified fund.

Principal Investment Risks

The value of your investment in the Portfolio will fluctuate, which means you could lose money.


Market Risk. The Portfolio may incur losses due to declines in one or more markets in which it invests. These declines may be the result of, among other things, political, regulatory, market, economic or social developments affecting the relevant market(s). To the extent that such developments impact specific industries, market sectors, countries or geographic regions, the Portfolio’s investments in such industries, market sectors, countries and/or geographic regions can be expected to be particularly affected, especially if such investments are a significant portion of its investment portfolio. 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.


Global economies and financial markets are increasingly interconnected, and conditions and events in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers worldwide. As a result, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, recessions or other events could have a significant negative impact on global economic and market conditions. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic and the aggressive responses taken by many governments or voluntarily imposed by private parties, including closing borders, restricting travel and imposing prolonged quarantines or similar restrictions, as well as the closure of, or operational changes to, many retail and other businesses, has had negative impacts, and in many cases severe negative impacts, on markets worldwide. It is not known how long such impacts, or any future impacts of other significant events described above, will or would last, but there could be a prolonged period of global economic slowdown, which may be expected to impact the Portfolio and its investments.


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.


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.


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. Value investments are believed by the Investment Manager to be undervalued, but may not realize their perceived value for extended periods of time or may never realize their perceived value. These securities may respond differently to market and other developments than other types of securities.


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.


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.


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.


Non-Diversification 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.


Concentration Risk. The Portfolio’s ability to concentrate its investments may be limited by applicable requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, for qualification as a regulated investment company.


High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Portfolio’s investment strategy may involve high portfolio turnover (such as 100% or more). A portfolio turnover rate of 100%, for example, is equivalent to the Portfolio buying and selling all of its securities once during the course of the year. A high portfolio turnover rate could result in high transaction costs and an increase in taxable capital gains distributions to the Portfolio’s shareholders, which will reduce returns to shareholders.

Performance Bar Chart and Table 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 International Equity Value Portfolio by showing the Portfolio’s performance for the first complete calendar year of operation compared to that of a broad measure of market performance. The bar chart shows the performance of the Portfolio’s Institutional Shares. 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:

Q4 19

7.44%

 

 

Worst Quarter:

Q3 19

-2.22%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2019)

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. Returns shown below for the Portfolio’s R6 Shares (which were not operational as of December 31, 2019) reflect the performance of the Portfolio’s Institutional Shares. R6 Shares would have had substantially similar returns as Institutional Shares because the share classes are invested in the same portfolio of securities, and the returns would differ only to the extent that the classes do not have the same expenses.

Average Annual Returns - Lazard International Equity Value Portfolio
1 Year
Life of Portfolio
Inception Date
Institutional Shares 14.14% 3.80% Oct. 31, 2018
Open Shares 13.98% 3.54% Oct. 31, 2018
R6 Shares 14.14% 3.80%  
After Taxes on Distributions | Institutional Shares 13.25% 3.08%  
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Institutional Shares 9.62% 3.18%  
MSCI World Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expense or taxes) 22.01% 13.52%