The EMKT fund primarily targets equity investments in companies that conduct their main business operations within emerging market nations, specifically those recognized by the MSCI Emerging Markets universe. While its core holdings consist of common stocks, the fund also has the flexibility to incorporate preferred and convertible securities, alongside depositary receipts. The investment methodology prioritizes identifying businesses whose valuation appears low when measured against their earnings, cash flows, or asset base. Although the fund is authorized to invest across various market capitalizations, its portfolio may occasionally exhibit a higher concentration in larger companies, depending on prevailing market conditions. Furthermore, due to its bottom-up stock selection process, rather than top-down allocation strategies, the portfolio might, at times, show a significant weighting in particular sectors or regions. As a standard operating procedure, at least 80% of the fund's net assets are committed to emerging market-linked securities. EMKT originated from a conversion of the Lazard Emerging Markets Core Equity portfolio, commencing with an asset base of $123.8 million.
