Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund

Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund operates as a Closed-End Investment Fund/Investment Trust. The Fund seeks total return through a combination of capital appreciation and current income by investing in a diversified portfolio of equities, convertible securities and high yield corporate bonds. Its investment services are provided through Calamos Advisors LLC. The company was founded on December 31, 2003 and is headquartered in Naperville, IL.

Investors are in desperate need of additional sources of income today to maintain their standard of living in the face of the highest inflation we have seen in years. Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund invests in a portfolio of common equities and bonds to achieve high total returns, which it then pays out to its investors.

CSQ CEF: Earn An Income At A Discount

CSQ invests mostly in equity holdings but carries a meaningful allocation to convertible and high-yield bonds. The market has been quite volatile, which is impacting this fund that will mostly follow around the broader market.

CSQ: Premium Persists, Keeping This A Hold For Now

During the past 16 weeks, Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund's price went up to almost $15 and then again dropped down to $14.35. It is currently trading at a discount of 2.72 percent. Although ICT stocks - which comprise almost 30 percent of its equity portfolio - are performing poorly, CSQ's price grew by almost 7 percent this year.

CSQ: High-Yielding Diversified Balanced Portfolio, Also Seems Sustainable

CSQ is currently trading at a slight premium, despite the overall market volatility. The fund is a flexible approach that can provide significant diversification across asset classes and sectors.

CSQ: Attractive Yield, Not Such An Attractive Entry Level

CSQ's majority of assets are invested in three sectors - ICT, Healthcare and Financial Services - which have high growth potentials in the coming years. CSQ offers steady pay-out and generates strong yield. The distribution seems sustainable, considering the return generated from high-yield bonds.

CSQ: Strong Yield, Healthy Total Returns Over The Medium And Long Run

CSQ offers investors a strong distribution that is paid monthly, with a respectable track record. The closed-end fund invests in just about everything but primarily is weighted towards equity positions.

CSQ: Attractive Distribution Paid Monthly, But Valuation Pushing Higher

The Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund primarily invests in common and preferred stocks of companies across all market capitalizations, convertible securities, and high yield corporate bonds. Of the five Calamos Closed-End Funds across various but related strategies, with 10 years of history, CSQ has the best CAGR for the 1, 3, 5, and 10-year periods.

Calamos Strategic Total Return: The Manager's Best Performer

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Investors received a bit of a reprieve in terms of losses as the market headed higher in March. I followed up February's 3 purchases with another 3 purchases for the month of March.

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CSQ finished off 2021 with total price returns over 30% and total NAV returns of nearly 29%. That performance beat the market, which is impressive as a more hybrid fund, though leverage contributed to this.

CSQ: Sell-Off Pushes This Fund To A 7.2% Distribution Yield

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A reliable selection criterion for building a portfolio of funds that are likely to produce above-average returns over the long haul is the goal of every CEF investor. For me, the flexible combination of a positive NAV since inception, discount on NAV, and leverage represents a practical rule of thumb for long-term CEF investing.

CEF Focus Investing - My Rule Of Thumb In Action

CSQ has a solid track record of performance, now hitting near all-time highs since its inception in 2004.

CSQ: Strong Performance From This Equity And Convertible Hybrid Fund

CSQ is a CEF with a current yield of 6.88%. Very attractive if the distribution is well supported. I continue my series on CEFs where I look beyond the yield.

Evaluating CEFs: CSQ Solid Distribution Coverage

CSQ is Calamos's mostly equity fund, and a sleeve of convertibles. This fund recently raised its distribution by ~10.8%.

CSQ: Distribution Boost Brings This Fund's Yield To 7.22%

NAPERVILLE, Ill., Jan. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Calamos Investments®* announced today the raising of the monthly distribution rate of Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund (Nasdaq: CSQ) from 9.25 cents per share to 10.25 cents per share payable on February 19, 2021. Representing an...

Calamos Investments Announces Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund (NASDAQ: CSQ) to Raise Monthly Distribution Payable in February 2021

CSQ combines a broad equity portfolio with a convertible security and corporate bond overlay. Convertible bonds combine some of the downside protection of bonds with upside potential from equity.

CSQ: Unique Strategy That Has Grown Income In A Challenging Environment

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NAPERVILLE, Ill., Dec. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Calamos Investments announced the Calamos Closed-End Funds board of trustees for each of CHI, CHY, CSQ, CGO, CHW and CCD (the "Trusts") has elected to terminate, effective December 17, 2020, the designation of Fitch Ratings, Inc. (Fitch) as...

Calamos Investments Closed-End Funds' (NASDAQ: CHI, CHY, CSQ, CGO, CHW, and CCD) Mandatory Redeemable Preferred Shares Announce Change in Rating Agency to Kroll Bond Rating Agency from Fitch Ratings

CSQ: An Attractive Monthly Paying Fund With An 8.37% Yield

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News for Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund ETF (CSQ)