497K 1 c112069_497k.htm Untitled Document
    

 

 

 

 

 

May 1, 2025

 

 

 

Lazard Funds
Summary Prospectus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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, 2025 (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 https://www.lazardassetmanagement.com/us/en_us/investment-solutions/how-to-invest/mutual-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.

      

Lazard Opportunistic Strategies Portfolio

Institutional Shares

 

Open Shares

 

R6 Shares

LCAIX

 

LCAOX

 

RLCPX

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, hold and sell shares of the Portfolio, a series of The Lazard Funds, Inc. (the “Fund”). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and the Example below.

        

 

 

Institutional Shares

 

Open Shares

 

R6 Shares

 

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%

 

1.00%

 

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees

 

None

 

.25%

 

None

 

Other Expenses

 

.52%

 

4.54%

 

.52%

 

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (Underlying Funds)

 

.20%

 

.20%

 

.20%

 

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

 

1.72%

 

5.99%

 

1.72%

 

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement2

 

.50%

 

4.52%

 

.50%

 

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement3

 

1.22%

 

1.47%

 

1.22%

 

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, 2026, to the extent Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses exceed 1.02%, 1.27% and 1.02% 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, dividend and interest expenses on securities sold short, 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 Dividend and Borrowing Expenses on Securities Sold Short and Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, the Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are 1.02%, 1.27% and 1.02% 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 agreement in year one only. 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

$ 124

$ 493

$ 887

$ 1,989

Open Shares

$ 150

$ 1,378

$ 2,581

$ 5,488

R6 Shares

$ 124

$ 493

$ 887

$ 1,989

        

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 57% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Portfolio utilizes an asset allocation strategy to invest in a global portfolio of uncorrelated assets that can include exposure, through underlying vehicles, to stocks, bonds, commodities and other investments.

The Portfolio invests primarily in exchange-traded open-end management investment companies (“ETFs”), generally those that pursue a passive index-based strategy, as well as actively managed closed-end management investment companies (“closed-end funds”, and, together with ETFs, “Underlying Funds”). ETFs in which the Portfolio may invest include both ETFs designed to correlate directly with an index and ETFs designed to correlate inversely with an index and may include actively-managed ETFs. The Portfolio, through Underlying Funds in which it invests, may invest in non-US companies (including those in emerging markets), and the Portfolio also may invest directly in equity and debt securities in addition to its investments in Underlying Funds. The Portfolio’s investment portfolio is concentrated in a relatively small number of holdings (generally 10 to 30). Investors can invest directly in Underlying Funds and do not need to invest in Underlying Funds through mutual funds or separately managed accounts.

The Portfolio may, but is not required to (1) enter into equity, total return and currency swap agreements; futures contracts and options on futures contracts (including with respect to index and commodities); and forward currency contracts; and (2) write put and covered call options on securities (including shares of ETFs), indexes and currencies, in each case for hedging purposes or to seek to increase returns, including as a substitute for purchasing an Underlying Fund.

The Portfolio may, but is not required to, effect short sales of securities. A short sale involves the sale of a security that the Portfolio does not own in the expectation of purchasing the same security (or a security exchangeable therefor) at a later date and at a lower price and profiting from the price decline. Similarly, when taking short positions with respect to securities through investments in derivative instruments, the Investment Manager is expecting the value of such securities to fall during the period of the Portfolio’s investment exposure.

Although the Portfolio is classified as “diversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), it may invest in a smaller number of issuers than other, more diversified, investment portfolios.

Summary Prospectus

2


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 or military conflict, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, social unrest, natural disasters, extreme weather, other geological events, man-made disasters, supply chain disruptions, deflation, inflation, government defaults, government shutdowns, the imposition of sanctions or other similar measures, recessions or other events could have a significant negative impact on global economic and market conditions. For example, a public health or other emergency and 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, may have severe negative impacts on markets worldwide. Additionally, general market conditions may affect the value of a Portfolio’s securities, including changes in interest rates, currency rates or monetary policies. Furthermore, the imposition of tariffs, trade restrictions, currency restrictions or similar actions (or retaliatory measures taken in response to such actions), or the threat or potential of one or more such events and developments, could lead to price volatility and overall declines in the US and global investment markets.

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.

Underlying Funds Risk: Shares of closed-end funds and ETFs may trade at prices at, below or above their net asset value. Shares of closed-end funds, in particular, frequently trade at persistent discounts to their net asset value. In addition, the performance of an ETF pursuing a passive index-based strategy may diverge from the performance of the index. The Portfolio’s investments in Underlying Funds are subject to the risks of the Underlying Funds’ investments, as well as to the general risks of investing in Underlying Funds. The Portfolio will bear not only the Portfolio’s management fees and operating expenses, but also the Portfolio’s proportional share of the management fees and operating expenses of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests. Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act allows the Portfolio to acquire the securities of another investment company, including an Underlying Fund, in excess of the limitations imposed by Section 12 of the 1940 Act, subject to certain limitations and conditions.

Short Position Risk: Short positions may involve substantial risks. If a short position appreciates in value during the period of the Portfolio’s investment, there will be a loss to the Portfolio that could be substantial. Short positions involve more risk than long positions because the maximum sustainable loss on a security purchased is limited to the amount paid for the security plus the transaction costs. However, the Portfolio’s potential loss on a short position is unlimited because, theoretically, there is no limit to the potential price increase of a security. In addition, the Portfolio’s short sales transactions are dependent on counterparties to its securities borrowing transactions and are subject to the risk of default by a counterparty, which could result in a loss of Portfolio assets used as collateral or the loss of monies owed to the Portfolio by a counterparty.

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,

Summary Prospectus

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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. Non-US securities may be subject to economic sanctions or other governmental actions or developments, exchange controls (including repatriation restrictions), confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) or problems related to share registration, trade settlement or asset custody, which could, among other things, effectively restrict or eliminate the Portfolio’s ability to purchase or sell certain foreign securities. To the extent the Portfolio holds securities subject to such actions, the securities may become difficult to value and/or less liquid (or illiquid). In some cases, the securities may become worthless.

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. Further, investments in securities of issuers located in certain emerging countries involve the risk of loss resulting from problems in share registration, settlement or custody, substantial economic, political and social disruptions and the imposition of sanctions or exchange controls (including repatriation restrictions). The securities markets of emerging market countries have historically been extremely volatile and less liquid than more developed markets. These market conditions may continue or worsen. Investments in these countries may be subject to political, economic, legal, market and currency risks. Significant devaluation of emerging market currencies against the US dollar may occur subsequent to acquisition of investments denominated in emerging market currencies.

Foreign Currency Risk: 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. The Portfolio’s investments denominated in such currencies (particularly currencies of emerging markets countries), as well as any investments in currencies themselves, could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, repatriation of funds or conversion of currencies. 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 does not intend to actively hedge the Portfolio’s foreign currency exposure.

Fixed-Income and Debt Securities Risk: The market value of a debt security may decline due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. The debt securities market can be susceptible to increases in volatility and decreases in liquidity. Liquidity can decline unpredictably in response to overall economic conditions or credit tightening.

Prices of bonds and other debt securities tend to move inversely with changes in interest rates. Interest rate risk is usually greater for fixed-income securities with longer maturities or durations. A rise in interest rates (or the expectation of a rise in interest rates) may result in periods of volatility, decreased liquidity and increased redemptions, and, as a result, the Portfolio may have to liquidate portfolio securities at disadvantageous prices. The Portfolio may be subject to heightened interest rate risk because the Federal Reserve has raised, and may continue to raise, interest rates.

The Portfolio’s investments in lower-rated, higher-yielding securities (“junk bonds”) are subject to greater credit risk than its higher rated investments. Credit risk is the risk that the issuer will not make interest or principal payments, or will not make payments on a timely basis. Non-investment grade securities tend to be more volatile, less liquid and are considered speculative. If there is a decline, or perceived decline, in the credit quality of a debt security (or any guarantor of payment on such security), the security’s value could fall, potentially lowering the Portfolio’s share price. The prices of non-investment grade securities, unlike investment grade debt securities, may fluctuate unpredictably and not necessarily inversely with changes in interest rates. The market for these

Summary Prospectus

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securities may be less liquid and therefore these securities may be harder to value or sell at an acceptable price, especially during times of market volatility or decline.

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.

Derivatives and Hedging Risk: Derivatives and other similar transactions, including those entered into for hedging purposes (i.e., seeking to protect Portfolio investments), may increase volatility, reduce returns, limit gains or magnify losses, perhaps substantially, particularly since most derivatives have a leverage component that provides investment exposure in excess of the amount invested. Swap agreements; forward currency contracts; over-the-counter options on securities (including options on shares of ETFs), indexes and currencies; and other over-the-counter derivatives transactions are subject to the risks of the creditworthiness of and default by the counterparty and consequently may lose all or a portion of their value due solely to the creditworthiness of or default by the counterparty. Over-the-counter derivatives frequently may be illiquid and difficult to value. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices for derivatives. These derivatives transactions, as well as the exchange-traded futures and options in which the Portfolio may invest, are subject to many of the risks of, and can be highly sensitive to changes in the value of the related reference asset, index or rate. As such, a small investment could have a potentially large impact on the Portfolio’s performance. In fact, many derivatives may be subject to greater risks than those associated with investing directly in the underlying or other reference asset. Derivatives transactions incur costs, either explicitly or implicitly, which reduce returns, and costs of engaging in such transactions may outweigh any gains or any losses averted from hedging activities. Successful use of derivatives, whether for hedging or for other investment purposes, is subject to the Investment Manager’s ability to predict correctly movements in the direction of the relevant reference asset or market and, for hedging activities, correlation of the derivative instruments used with the investments seeking to be hedged. Use of derivatives transactions, even if entered into for hedging purposes, may cause the Portfolio to experience losses greater than if the Portfolio had not engaged in such transactions. When the Portfolio enters into derivatives transactions, it may be required to post margin and make settlement payments while the positions are open, and the Portfolio may have to sell a security at a disadvantageous time or price to meet such obligations. Derivatives transactions are also subject to operational and legal risk.

Commodities-Related Investments Risk: Exposure to the commodities markets may subject the Portfolio to greater volatility than other types of investments. The values of commodities and commodity-linked derivative instruments are affected by events that may have less impact on the values of equity and fixed income securities. Investments linked to the prices of commodities are considered speculative. Because the value of a commodity-linked derivative instrument, such as a futures contract on a physical commodity, typically is based upon the price movements of the underlying reference asset, index or rate, the value of these instruments will rise or fall in response to changes in the underlying reference asset, index or rate. Prices of commodities and commodity-linked investments may fluctuate significantly over short periods for a variety of factors, including: changes in supply and demand relationships; weather; agricultural or livestock markets; agricultural or livestock disease or pestilence; trade relationships; fiscal, monetary and exchange control programs; and embargoes, tariffs, terrorism and international economic, political, military and regulatory developments.

Sector Risk: Implementation of the Portfolio’s investment strategy may, during certain periods, result in the investment of a significant portion of the Portfolio’s assets in a particular market sector, such as information technology companies, and the Portfolio would be expected to be affected by developments in that sector. Information technology companies generally operate in intensely competitive markets on a worldwide basis. Also, because technological development in many areas increases at a rapid rate, these companies often produce products with very short life cycles and face the risk of product obsolescence.

Summary Prospectus

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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 Opportunistic Strategies 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 and an index that is generally more representative of the types of the market sectors and/or types of investments in which the Portfolio invests. 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.

PerformanceBarChartData(2015:-3.8,2016:5.36,2017:17.74,2018:-12.72,2019:15.16,2020:9.47,2021:12.96,2022:-14.93,2023:10.29,2024:12.29)

Calendar Years ended December 31

  

Best Quarter:

2020, Q2

13.58%

 

 

Worst Quarter:

2018, Q4

-12.77%

Average Annual Total Returns
(for the periods ended December 31, 2024)

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, 2024) 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.

The Global Asset Allocation Blended Index is rebalanced quarterly and is a blended index constructed by the Investment Manager that is comprised of 60% MSCI World Index and 40% Bloomberg Barclays US Aggregate Index.

Summary Prospectus

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Inception
Date

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Institutional Shares:

3/26/2008

 

 

 

Returns Before Taxes

 

12.29%

5.43%

4.56%

Returns After Taxes on Distributions

 

9.24%

4.20%

3.31%

Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Portfolio Shares

 

8.77%

4.08%

3.26%

Open Shares (Returns Before Taxes)

3/31/2008

12.11%

5.16%

4.23%

R6 Shares (Returns Before Taxes)

 

12.29%

5.43%

4.56%

MSCI World Index

 

18.67%

11.17%

9.95%

(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Global Asset Allocation Blended Index

 

10.61%

6.69%

6.65%

(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Management

Investment Manager

Lazard Asset Management LLC

Portfolio Managers/Analysts

Stephen Marra, portfolio manager/analyst on the Investment Manager’s Investment Solutions team, has been with the Portfolio since February 2017.

Kim Tilley, portfolio manager/analyst on the Investment Manager’s Investment Solutions team, has been with the Portfolio since February 2017.

David Alcaly, portfolio manager/analyst on the Investment Manager’s Investment Solutions team, has been with the Portfolio since May 2023.

Summary Prospectus

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Purchase and Sale of Portfolio Shares

The initial investment minimums are:

   

Institutional Shares*

$

10,000

Open Shares*

$

2,500

R6 Shares

$

1,000,000

* 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 $10,000 for Institutional Shares or $2,500 for Open Shares.

 There is no minimum investment amount for Board members and other individuals considered to be affiliates of the Fund or the Investment Manager and their family members, discretionary accounts with the Investment Manager, affiliated and non-affiliated registered investment companies and, for R6 Shares only, certain types of employee benefit plans.

The subsequent investment minimum is $50 for Institutional Shares and Open Shares. There is no subsequent investment minimum for R6 Shares.

Open Shares investors investing directly with a Portfolio who meet the Institutional Shares minimum may request that their Open Shares be converted to Institutional Shares. Investors investing through a securities dealer or other institution should consult that firm regarding share class availability and applicable minimums.

Portfolio shares are redeemable through the Fund’s transfer agent, SS&C GIDS, 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 (Open and Institutional Shares only)
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 intermediary’s website for more information.

  

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Lazard Asset Management LLC • 30 Rockefeller Plaza • New York, NY 10112 • www.lazardassetmanagement.com