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:

Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities of small capitalization companies. The Investment Manager considers “small capitalization companies” to be those companies with market capitalizations, at the time of initial purchase by the Portfolio, within the range of companies included in the MSCI World Small Cap Index (based on market capitalization of the Index as a whole, which ranged from approximately $10 million

to $937 billion as of March 31, 2026). Equity security investments primarily include common stocks and also may include American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts and European Depositary Receipts.

The Portfolio invests primarily in equity securities, principally common stocks, of relatively small capitalization companies that the Investment Manager believes have strong and/or improving financial productivity at attractive valuations.

The accompanying bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in Lazard Global Small Cap Equity 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 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. Effective September 1, 2025, certain changes were made to the Portfolio’s principal investments strategies, permitting investment of a significant amount of the Portfolio's net assets in U.S. securities in addition to non-U.S. securities. The Portfolio’s performance information prior to September 1, 2025 relates only to the Portfolio’s prior principal investment strategies. 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.

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 U.S. and global investment markets.

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-U.S. Securities Risk: The Portfolio’s performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting the non-U.S. countries and companies in which the Portfolio invests. Non-U.S. 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. Non-U.S. securities may also subject the Portfolio’s investments to changes in currency rates, which can make the return on an investment increase or decrease, unrelated to the quality or performance of the investment itself. Non-U.S. 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. In addition, as a result of trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other similar governmental actions or developments, the Portfolio may be forced to sell or otherwise dispose of foreign investments at inopportune times or prices.

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.

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.