Fund Evaluator:

Calamos Total Return Bond A Overview

Calamos Total Return Bond A (CTRAX) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Intermediate Core-Plus Bond fund. Calamos launched the fund in 2007.

The investment seeks total return, consistent with preservation of capital and prudent investment management. The fund normally invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings) in a diversified portfolio of fixed-income instruments of varying maturities, including derivative instruments with economic characteristics similar to fixed-income instruments. It may invest up to 25% of its net assets in high yield debt securities, often referred to as "junk bonds." The fund may invest up to 35% of its net assets in foreign securities.

About Calamos Total Return Bond A (CTRAX)

There are 7 members of the management team with an average tenure of 12.27 years: Jon Vacko (2015), John Hillenbrand (2009), Eli Pars (2014), Chuck Carmody (2016), Christian Brobst (2021), John Calamos (2007), R. Matthew Freund (2016). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.

The fund has 1 primary benchmark: Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Calamos Total Return Bond A has 173 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 22.8% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.

Calamos Total Return Bond A is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond fund group. Calamos Total Return Bond A has 6.7% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.0%. There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 2.3% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 96.8% (90.0% domestic bond, 6.7% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Calamos Total Return Bond A has 0.9% of the portfolio in cash.

Assets Under Management

The fund has $8 million in total assets, which is below the $1 billion average for the Intermediate Core-Plus Bond category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.

CTRAX Performance and Fees

The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The Calamos Total Return Bond A expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Intermediate Core-Plus Bond category. Calamos Total Return Bond A has an expense ratio of 0.90%, which is 15% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a D. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.

High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. Calamos Total Return Bond A has a portfolio turnover rate of 13%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.1 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 181% for the Intermediate Core-Plus Bond category.

Recently, in the month of July 2026, Calamos Total Return Bond A returned -1.4%, which earned it a grade of D, as the Intermediate Core-Plus Bond category had an average return of -1.3%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all funds in that category.

Calamos Total Return Bond A has a trailing yield of 3.62%, which is below the 4.36% category average. The fund normally distributes its income monthly and its capital gains annually.

It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.

Calamos Total Return Bond A Grades

Year to date, the fund has returned -0.9%, 0.2 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of D. The fund has returned 2.3% over the past year (grade of F), 3.6% over the past three years (grade of D) and -0.3% per year over the past five years (grade of C) and 1.3% per year over the past 10 years (grade of F).

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