Cornerstone Total Return Fund, Inc. (CRF)

Cornerstone Total Return Fund is downgraded to Hold due to its current 23% premium and potential upcoming rights offering. CRF offers a high 17.6% yield via a managed distribution policy, with significant benefits for investors using the DRIP discount program. Holding CRF in tax-advantaged accounts allows investors to maximize DRIP gains and manage capital gains efficiently around rights offerings.

NEW YORK, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cornerstone Strategic Investment Fund, Inc. (NYSE American: CLM) (CUSIP: 21924B302) and Cornerstone Total Return Fund, Inc. (NYSE American: CRF) (CUSIP: 21924U300), (individually the “Fund” or, collectively, the “Funds”), each a closed-end management investment company, announced that in keeping with each Fund's previously adopted monthly distribution policy, each Fund is declaring the following distributions, which have been reset for the calendar year 2026.

Cornerstone Total Return Fund (CRF) offers a unique DRIP at NAV feature, enabling efficient compounding for income-focused investors. CRF's 17.5% yield and monthly payouts are best maximized by reinvesting distributions at NAV, especially when the premium to NAV is below 20%. Active management is recommended: accumulate CRF below a 20% premium, sell before rights offerings, and re-enter post-offering to avoid dilution.

NEW YORK, Aug. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cornerstone Strategic Investment Fund, Inc. (NYSE American: CLM) (CUSIP: 21924B302) and Cornerstone Total Return Fund, Inc. (NYSE American: CRF) (CUSIP: 21924U300), (individually the “Fund” or, collectively, the “Funds”), each a closed-end management investment company, announced that in keeping with each Fund's previously adopted monthly distribution policy, each Fund is declaring the following distributions:

We closed out the first half of 2025, making it an appropriate time to give the overall CEF space a fresh look for potential opportunities. As the broader equity indexes have been performing quite well, discounts in the CEF space have narrowed overall. The best relative value more broadly is in the municipal bond space and the "hybrid" funds.

I rate CRF a Hold for income-focused investors, given its high yield but declining share price and dividend over time. The fund trades at a significant premium to NAV, but the DRIP allows reinvested dividends to be purchased at NAV, offering a discount advantage. CRF underperforms the S&P 500 in total return, and its distributions are largely return of capital, risking long-term capital erosion.

Cornerstone Total Return Fund offers a diversified, large-cap equity portfolio with a simple, long-term investment approach and minimal portfolio turnover. The fund's high 18% yield is driven by regular distributions from net assets, not portfolio returns, causing a gradual share price decline over time. Dividend reinvestment at NAV or market price enables compounding, often resulting in total returns that outperform the S&P 500.

NEW YORK, May 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cornerstone Total Return Fund, Inc. (the “Fund”) (NYSE American: CRF) (CUSIP: 21924U300) is pleased to announce the completion of its one-for-three rights offering which expired on Friday, May 16, 2025 (the “Offering”). Under the terms of the Offering, record date stockholders were entitled to purchase one newly issued share of common stock of the Fund for every three rights held. The subscription price for each newly issued share was determined to be $6.97 which, under the terms of the prospectus, was equal to the greater of (i) 112% of net asset value per share as calculated at the close of trading on the date of expiration of the Offering and (ii) 80% of the market price per share at such time.

Dublin, April 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "eClinical Solutions Market 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The eclinical solutions market size has grown rapidly in recent years. It will grow from $8.29 billion in 2024 to $9.15 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.5%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to growth in healthcare digitalization, electronic health records (EHR), increasing regulatory compliance, increased need for efficiency and productivity, and increased healthcare integration. The eclinical solutions market size is expected to see rapid growth in the next few years. It will grow to $15.52 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.1%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to increasing interoperability and data exchange, telehealth and remote care, value-based care models, growing demand for population health management, and increasing adoption of precision medicine. Major trends in the forecast period include artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, technological advancements, innovative solutions, strategic collaborations, and healthcare integration solutions. The growth of the eclinical solutions market is expected to be fueled by the increasing number of clinical trials. In May 2023, according to ClinicalTrials.gov, the number of registered clinical trials studies increased from 399,499 in 2022 to 437,533, encompassing all 50 states of the United States and 221 countries globally. The surge in clinical trials, with 53% recorded in non-U.S. locations, is poised to drive the growth of the eclinical solutions market during the forecast period. Major companies in the eClinical Solutions market are concentrating on developing innovations, such as a comprehensive clinical trial management solution aimed at streamlining the research and development process, enhancing data integrity, and improving regulatory compliance. For example, in May 2024, EDETEK Inc., a US-based innovative clinical solutions firm, launched CONFORM eClinical Version 5.1, a comprehensive clinical trial management solution designed to enhance and simplify the clinical trial process. This integrated platform includes essential components like electronic data capture, randomization management, and an electronic trial master file, all focused on improving efficiency, data quality, and regulatory compliance. By providing a self-contained system that meets industry standards, CONFORM eClinical Version 5.1 allows sponsors to gain better control over study conduct, resulting in significant cost savings and quicker turnaround times. Major companies in the eClinical Solutions market are concentrating on developing innovations in eClinical Technologies, such as eClinical Platforms, to enhance data management, improve patient engagement, and streamline clinical trial processes. For example, in September 2023, Datacubed Health, a US-based eClinical technology firm, launched its eClinical platform app in China through a partnership with AppInChina for deployment across official Android and Apple app stores. This launch highlights the company's commitment to compliance, as it has established a legal entity in China and obtained the necessary licenses. The app has been tailored to meet local requirements and thoroughly tested for compliance with Chinese network security standards, backed by a secure SaaS infrastructure hosted on AWS Beijing. North America was the largest region in the eclinical solutions market in 2024. The regions covered in the eclinical solutions market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa. The countries covered in the eclinical solutions market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA. Reasons to Purchase:

Cornerstone Strategic Investment Fund and Cornerstone Total Return Fund announce 1-for-3 rights offerings, allowing shareholders to subscribe for new shares at a premium to NAV. The rights offerings are accretive to NAV per share, benefiting existing shareholders, but market prices typically drop during the offering period due to increased selling pressure. Investors can either sell shares before the ex-rights date to avoid price drops, or participate in the offering if the premium to NAV is above 12%.

NEW YORK, April 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cornerstone Strategic Investment Fund, Inc. (NYSE American: CLM) (CUSIP: 21924B302) (the “Fund”) announced today that, contingent upon final approval from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), it has set the close of business on April 21, 2025 as the record date (the “Record Date”) for determination of stockholders entitled to participate in the Fund's 1-for-3 rights offering. The Fund is issuing to its stockholders non-transferable rights entitling the holders to subscribe for an aggregate of 84,252,329 shares of common stock. Each stockholder will receive one non-transferable right for each share of the Fund held as of the Record Date.  Fractional shares will not be issued upon the exercise of the rights. Accordingly, the number of rights to be issued to a stockholder on the Record Date will be rounded up to the nearest whole number of rights evenly divisible by three. For every three rights a stockholder receives, he or she will be entitled (but not required) to purchase one new share of the Fund at a subscription price equal to the greater of (i) 112% of net asset value per share as calculated at the close of trading on the expiration date of the offering or (ii) 80% of the market price per share at such time.  Fractional shares will not be issued.  In addition to the shares offered in the primary subscription, the Fund may offer a 100% over-allotment to oversubscribing stockholders.  Stockholders who fully subscribe in the primary offering will have the option to oversubscribe for additional shares, to the extent available.

NEW YORK, April 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cornerstone Total Return Fund, Inc. (NYSE American: CRF) (CUSIP: 21924U300) (the “Fund”) announced today that, contingent upon final approval from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), it has set the close of business on April 21, 2025 as the record date (the “Record Date”) for determination of stockholders entitled to participate in the Fund's 1-for-3 rights offering.  The Fund is issuing to its stockholders non-transferable rights entitling the holders to subscribe for an aggregate of 39,475,678 shares of common stock. Each stockholder will receive one non-transferable right for each share of the Fund held as of the Record Date. Fractional shares will not be issued upon the exercise of the rights. Accordingly, the number of rights to be issued to a stockholder on the Record Date will be rounded up to the nearest whole number of rights evenly divisible by three. For every three rights a stockholder receives, he or she will be entitled (but not required) to purchase one new share of the Fund at a subscription price equal to the greater of (i) 112% of net asset value per share as calculated at the close of trading on the expiration date of the offering or (ii) 80% of the market price per share at such time.  Fractional shares will not be issued.  In addition to the shares offered in the primary subscription, the Fund may offer a 100% over-allotment to oversubscribing stockholders.  Stockholders who fully subscribe in the primary offering will have the option to oversubscribe for additional shares, to the extent available.

NEW YORK, March 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cornerstone Strategic Investment Fund, Inc. (NYSE American: CLM) (CUSIP: 21924B302) and Cornerstone Total Return Fund, Inc. (NYSE American: CRF) (CUSIP: 21924U300) (individually the “Fund” or, collectively, the “Funds”) have each filed copies of their annual report on Form N-CSR with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Each report includes audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024. The annual reports are available online at www.cornerstonestrategicinvestmentfund.com and www.cornerstonetotalreturnfund.com. Copies of these reports are also available free of charge upon request by calling 1-866-668-6558.

Cornerstone Total Return Fund (CRF) offers a high dividend yield of 15.6% with monthly payouts, making it ideal for income-focused investors. The fund trades at a premium to NAV but this allows dividends to be reinvested down at the fund's NAV. This provides an immediate capital gain on distributions. CRF is less resilient during market downturns due to its reliance on net realized gains for distributions, making it riskier in volatile markets.

NEW YORK, Feb. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cornerstone Strategic Investment Fund, Inc. (NYSE American: CLM) (CUSIP: 21924B302) and Cornerstone Total Return Fund, Inc. (NYSE American: CRF) (CUSIP: 21924U300), (individually the “Fund” or, collectively, the “Funds”), each a closed-end management investment company, announced that in keeping with each Fund's previously adopted monthly distribution policy, each Fund is declaring the following distributions.

The closed-end fund space saw a significant narrowing of discounts throughout 2024 as equity markets charged higher and now discounts remain tight heading into 2025. In particular, equity CEFs have seen significantly narrowed discounts along with taxable fixed-income, though municipal bond funds look relatively attractive after widening discounts in December. We are screening for funds with the deepest discounts and widest z-scores to find potential buys and funds that may be getting a bit pricey as sell candidates.