CSQ
HoldHot AirCalamos Strategic Total Return Fund · Financial Services · United States · $3.3B cap · $3.7M/day traded
$20.62 -0.4% · close 13 Oct · scored 14 Oct
StockRank down 1.7 since 13 Oct.
Hot Air: Rising on momentum alone: weak business, rich price.
As of 14 Oct 2026, MoatMap's StockRank for Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund (CSQ) is 61/100, ranked against 24,000+ stocks in 35 markets (Quality 43, Value 44, Momentum 68, each scored against its sector).
Does StockRank work? Each month we publish how every decile did, whichever way it went. See the record →
ABOUT CALAMOS STRATEGIC TOTAL RETURN FUND
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The Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund is a closed-end management investment company that seeks to deliver a high level of total return through both current income and capital appreciation. Managed by Calamos Advisors LLC, the fund employs a flexible investment strategy, typically investing in a diversified portfolio of convertible securities, equities, and fixed-income instruments.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY (USD)
| Year | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | CAGR | TTM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | — | -601.2M | 171.2M | 863.8M | 723.7M | 105.6% | 78.8M |
| EPS | 6.52 | -3.82 | 1.07 | 5.37 | 4.50 | -8.8% | 6.63 |
| Shares | — | 158.9M | 160.3M | 160.4M | 160.4M | +0.9% | 160.4M |
| Debt | — | 800.5M | 800.5M | 941.0M | 1.1B | 9.5% | 1.4B |
| Equity | — | 2.2B | 2.2B | 2.8B | 3.3B | 15.7% | — |
| Op CF | — | 216.7M | 98.4M | 137.3M | 70.6M | -31.2% | 70.6M |
| Inv CF | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Fin CF | — | -228.6M | -176.3M | -57.3M | -88.3M | — | — |
Above its 200-day average and 2% below its 52-week high.
Calmer than 95% of stocks we rank over the past year (16% a year).
How this is worked out
StockRank judges the business. The price check reads only the chart: it is the price side of the Momentum score, in words.
The rules: Still falling is a new 52-week low in the last two weeks, at least 25% below the high. Finding a floor is no new low since. Turning up is 20 or more trading days without a new low, at least 10% off it, and back above a rising 50-day average. In an uptrend is above the 200-day average and within 15% of the high.
In 2,112 US drawdowns since 2001, buying while the price was still falling was followed by a further 20% drop 42% of the time. Waiting for a turn like this one cut that to 33%, at about 7% higher prices and with no better returns. Part of that cut is simply not buying: 13% of falls never turned, and waiting kept those out. Among turns that were bought, 38% still fell another 20%, and 33% of turns were followed by a new low within six months. The benefit was largest in crashes such as 2008 and 2020.
What it measures: day-to-day price moves over the past year, as a yearly figure, ranked against every stock we cover. Very calm under 20% a year, Calm 20 to 30%, Average 30 to 40%, Bumpy 40 to 55%, Very bumpy above that.
What we found: across about 13,500 stocks in 34 markets (2002 to 2025), past swings were a good guide to the next year's, and bumpier stocks fell further. How much further changed too much between eras to put a number on it.
Calm is not safe: a calm stock can still slide steadily.
Rules fixed before any data was fetched. Describes the chart, not a recommendation.
SCORE BREAKDOWN
FUNDAMENTALS
SECTOR PEERS
Closest peers in Financial Services, ranked by industry match, size, and score similarity. Cross-listings of CSQ are excluded.
| Ticker | Company | Mkt Cap | StockRank | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSQ | Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund(you) | $3.3B | 61 | Hold |
| AAMI | Acadian Asset Management Inc. | $3.2B | 62 | Hold |
| UTF | Cohen & Steers Infrastructure Fund, Inc | $3.1B | 63 | Hold |
| DNP | DNP Select Income Fund Inc. | $3.8B | 56 | Hold |
| GDV | The Gabelli Dividend & Income Trust | $2.5B | 57 | Hold |
| WT | WisdomTree, Inc. | $3.6B | 69 | Buy |
| EXG | Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Global Diversified Equity Income Fund | $2.9B | 54 | Hold |
| GBDC | Golub Capital BDC, Inc. | $3.2B | 51 | Hold |
| EVT | Eaton Vance Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund | $2.1B | 62 | Hold |
| ADX | Adams Diversified Equity Fund, Inc. | $3.2B | 71 | Buy |
Peer medians: ROE 9.7% · P/E 12.4x · Gross margin 100.0%
Company Deep Dive
Business segments breakdown, earnings transcript analysis, management credibility scoring, competitive landscape, and scenario modelling.