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.

Calamos Dynamic Convertible & Income Fund

Calamos Global Total Return Fund

Calamos Convertible Opportunities And Income Fund

Calamos Global Dynamic Income Fund

Calamos Convertible And High Income Fund

Calamos Long/Short Equity & Dynamic Income Trust

METRO CHICAGO, Ill. , Dec. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Calamos Investments®* has announced monthly distributions and sources of distributions paid in January 2025 to shareholders of its seven closed-end funds (the Funds) pursuant to the Funds' respective distribution plans.

Calamos Investments Closed-End Funds (NASDAQ: CHI, CHY, CSQ, CGO, CHW, CCD and CPZ) Announce Monthly Distributions and Required Notifications of Sources of Distribution

Adams Diversified Equity Fund

Barings Global Short Duration High Yield Fund

Chevron

Enterprise Products Partners

General American Investors

abrdn Life Sciences Investors 

India Fund Inc

JPMorgan Chase & Co

New Linde PLC

Eli Lilly

Marathon Oil

Microsoft

Neuberger Berman MLP Income Fund, Inc.

NVIDIA

Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc

LMP Capital and Income Fund

Columbia Seligman Premium Technology Growth Func Inc

XAI Octagon Floating Rate & Alternative Income Term Trust

Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund

Exxon Mobil

For income investors, closed-end funds remain an attractive investment class that covers various asset classes and promises high distributions and reasonable total returns. Closed-end funds, or CEFs, are generally characterized by higher volatility and deeper drawdowns than the broader market. For these reasons, they are not suited for everyone. In this monthly series, we highlight five CEFs with solid track records that pay high distributions and offer "excess" discounts. We try to separate the wheat from the chaff using our filtering process to select just five CEFs every month from around 500 closed-end funds.

5 Best CEFs This Month For 8.5% Yield (November 2024)

BlackRock Science & Technology

Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Diversified Equity Income Fund

GAMCO Global Gold. Natural Resources & Income Trust

Liberty All Star Equity Fund

For income investors, closed-end funds, or CEFs, remain an attractive investment class that covers various asset classes and promises high distributions and reasonable total returns. CEFs are generally characterized by higher volatility and deeper draw-downs than the broader market. For these reasons, they are not suited for everyone. In this monthly series, we highlight five CEFs with solid track records that pay high distributions and offer “excess” discounts. We try to separate the wheat from the chaff using our filtering process to select just five CEFs every month from around 500 closed-end funds.

5 Best CEFs This Month For 9.5% Yield (October 2024)

BlackRock Enhanced Capital and Income Fund

Closed-end funds often pay relatively higher distribution yields to investors, but it can come at the sacrifice of lower NAV over time. Today, we're looking at two funds that have been able to pay out attractive distribution rates but also have seen their NAVs higher now than at inception. I believe both funds are strong long-term investments, balancing out more modest distribution yields that can allow for NAV to trend flat or potentially appreciate over time, as we've seen.

CSQ And CII: Attractive Distributions With Solid Track Records

The Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund offers a 6.98% yield, higher than most equity indices, and provides a viable income source for investors. Over the past decade, the fund has delivered a 267.61% total return, surpassing the S&P 500 Index's 207.73% return. The fund invests in common stocks, convertibles, and bonds, which provides it with options in the event of weak equity performance or rising interest rates.

CSQ: This High-Performing CEF Is A Good Choice For Domestic Exposure

ArrowMark Financial

ConocoPhillips

EOG Resources

Eaton Vance Enhanced Equity Income Fund

5 Best CEFs This Month For 9% Plus Yield (September 2024)

BlackRock Enhanced Equity Dividend Trust

Blackrock Health Sciences Trust

BlackRock Health Sciences Trust II

BlackRock Science and Technology Trust II

Blackrock ESG Capital Allocation Trust

NXG NextGen Infrastructure Income Fund

The broader equity market saw declines in early August but ended near all-time highs to finish off the month. I put some capital to work this month at the low, but not as much as I had planned initially, as the market swiftly recovered. Most of the moves this month were corporate action-driven events, primarily the BlackRock tender offers, as we finished up the first measurement period.

9 Closed-End Fund Buys In The Month Of August 2024

METRO CHICAGO, Ill. , Sept. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Boards of Trustees of four of Calamos Investments' closed-end funds (the Funds) today announced the issuance of an additional series of mandatory redeemable preferred (MRP) shares totaling $170 million.

Calamos Closed-End Funds (NASDAQ: CHI, CHY, CSQ and CCD) Announce Private Placements Totaling $170 Million of Mandatory Redeemable Preferred Shares

CSQ fund offers a 7.4% forward distribution yield with a 10-year average annual return of 11.6%. CSQ's Portfolio consists of equities, convertible securities, and high-yield corporate bonds with a 30% leverage. My main concern against the CSQ fund is its high equity allocation when equity valuations are at cyclical highs.

CSQ: Top Performing Fund But Beware High Equity Allocation

METRO CHICAGO, Ill. , June 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Calamos Investments®* has announced corrections to monthly distributions and sources of distributions paid in June 2024 to shareholders of its seven closed-end funds (the Funds) pursuant to the Funds' respective distribution plans.

CORRECTION: Calamos Investments Closed-End Funds (NASDAQ: CHI, CHY, CSQ, CGO, CHW, CCD and CPZ) Announce Monthly Distributions and Required Notifications of Sources of Distribution

Mexico Fund

Closed-end funds are like initial public offerings in that, an initial share amount is sold to the public. With a few exceptions, they are then “closed” to new capital, which explains where they get their name.

The 3 Best Closed-End Funds to Buy in May at a Discount

Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund (CSQ) has performed well but continues to trade at a narrow discount. The fund's portfolio is heavily tilted towards equity securities, with still meaningful allocations to convertibles and high-yield bonds. CSQ pays a monthly distribution with a rate of 7.76%, and they recently just crossed over $20 of cumulative distributions paid since inception.

CSQ: Impressive Track Record But Not Impressively Priced

Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund offers a 7.92% yield, providing income-focused investors with a high level of income and equity exposure. The fund has outperformed convertible securities and investment-grade bonds but underperformed large-cap stocks over the past few months. CSQ's leverage ratio is 30.56%, which is higher than many of its peers, but it also delivered better trailing five-year performance.

CSQ: Increasing Exposure To Magnificent 7 Bad For Diversification

Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund is a closed-end fund that invests in a diversified portfolio of common stocks, convertibles, corporate bonds, and preferred securities. The CSQ CEF has a solid record of nearly 20 years, providing its owners with high income and capital appreciation at the same time. We believe it is a solid, diversified fund for income investors. However, we would rate the fund as a "Hold" as its equity assets may be a bit overvalued while counter-balanced by fixed-income assets. So, overall, the fund appears fairly valued at this time.

CSQ: Best Of Both Worlds? Solid 8% Income And Capital Appreciation

Ellington Financial

EPR Properties

Gladstone Investment

PIMCO Corporate & Income Opportunity Fund

Today we'll discuss five monthly dividends with yields between 7.3% and 16.7%. But let's be careful—market participants are showing signs of greed right now.

Retirement Income: Earn Up To 16.7% Each And Every Month

Central Securities

For income investors, closed-end funds remain an attractive investment class that covers a variety of asset classes and promises high distributions and reasonable total returns. Closed-end funds, or CEFs, are generally characterized by higher volatility and deeper drawdowns than the broader market. For these reasons, they are not suited for everyone. In this monthly series, we highlight five CEFs with solid track records that pay high distributions and offer "excess" discounts. We try to separate the wheat from the chaff using our filtering process to select just five CEFs every month from around 500 closed-end funds.

5 Best CEFs This Month For 9% Yield (January 2024)

CSQ has a solid track record and offers a healthy distribution yield, but it also trades at a tight valuation. The fund's discount has barely budged since our previous update despite the market actually hitting correction territory briefly during this period. CSQ's distribution rate is sustainable and attractive, but the latest report shows that it is funded entirely by capital gains.

CSQ: Solid Performance And Sustainable Distribution

Virtus AllianzGI Diversified Income & Convertible Fund

Ares Dynamic Credit Allocation Fund

Eaton Vance Tax Advantaged Global Dividend Opportunities Fund

Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred Securities Income Fund Inc

Barings Participation Investors

5 Best CEFs This Month For 9.5% Yield (December 2023)

The Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund offers a high level of total return through a diversified portfolio of equities, convertible securities, and high-yield corporate bonds. The CSQ closed-end fund's recent performance has been reasonable, but it has underperformed compared to other options in the market. The fund's current distribution yield is not as high as some other funds, but it is reasonably competitive with equity closed-end funds.

CSQ: This Good Blended Fund Is Finally Trading At An Attractive Price

BlackRock Resources & Commodities Strategy Trust

Morgan Stanley India Investment Fund Inc

abrdn World Healthcare Fund 

5 Best CEFs This Month For 10% Yield (November 2023)

The Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund invests in a diversified portfolio of equities, convertible securities, and high-yield corporate bonds. The fund's market performance has been decent, but there are other funds that have outperformed it. The fund's bond allocation is weighted towards high-yield bonds, which have attractive yields but also higher risk.

CSQ: This Blended Fund Has Appealing Features, But Its Price Is Too High

Eaton Vance Tax-Advantaged Global Dividend Income Fund

Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Global Diversified Equity Income Fund

Nuveen Floating Rate Income Fund

Barings Corporate Investors

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund

Closed-end funds offer high income, diversification, and market-matching total returns for income-focused investors. Five CEFs with solid track records, high distributions, and attractive discounts are highlighted in this monthly series. The selected CEFs offer an average distribution rate of over 9%, have strong historical performance, and trade at an average discount of -6.5% to NAV.

5 Best CEFs To Buy This Month (August 2023)

Eaton Vance Senior Floating Rate Fund

Eaton Vance Floating-Rate Income Trust

Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund

Nuveen Floating Rate Income Opportunity Fund ETF

Nuveen Short Duration Credit Opportunities Fund

Nuveen Senior Income Fund

Reaves Utility Income Fund

We review CEF market valuation and performance through the second week of July and highlight recent market action. CEFs had a good week overall as NAVs gained, however, discounts remain sluggish. The net income profile of some CEFs has turned negative, owing to a high cost of leverage.

CEF Weekly Review: (Some) CEF Net Income Turns Negative

The Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund provides exposure to a flexible portfolio with an emphasis on equity positions and meaningful exposure to convertible and high-yield bonds. The fund's performance has been strong, delivering superior results against its blended benchmark. However, with rising leverage costs, future outperformance could be more challenging. Despite these challenges, the fund remains a solid hold for long-term investors. An alternative would be suggesting a more cautious approach by dollar-cost averaging in.

CSQ: Strong Track Record With An ~8.5% Distribution Yield

BlackRock Utilities Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust

Allspring Global Dividend Opportunity Fund

Eaton Vance Enhanced Equity Income Fund II

Nuveen Core Equity Alpha Fund

Putnam High Income Securities Fund

For income investors, closed-end funds remain an attractive investment class that covers a variety of asset classes and promises high distributions and reasonable total returns. Closed-end funds, or CEFs, are generally characterized by higher volatility and deeper drawdowns than the broader market. For these reasons, they are not suited for everyone. In this monthly series, we highlight five CEFs that have solid track records, pay high distributions, and are offering "excess" discounts. We try to separate the wheat from the chaff using our filtering process to select just five CEFs every month from around 500 closed-end funds.

5 Best CEFs To Buy This Month (June 2023)

News for Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund ETF (CSQ)