Cornerstone Total Return Fund New (CRF)

Very good stock except for the ultra high management fees. What happened 3 years ago that drove this to $14.00 is hard to figure. Manipulation I guess. They don't disclose how many institutional investors hold this stock.
Right now CLM is a better deal. Costs less ,slightly bigger divvy

SA: Cornerstone Total Return Fund reduces monthly dividend"

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3902893-cornerstone-total-return-fund-reduces-monthly-dividend

More terrible news for CRF

"Cornerstone Funds Announce Continuing Monthly Distributions and Reset Distribution [lower] Amounts for 2023"

" NEW YORK, Nov. 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cornerstone Strategic Value 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 2023.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cornerstone-funds-announce-continuing-monthly-203000155.html

CRF https://reorgdocumentlibrary.broadridge.com/Client/Client?data=0522/E29682/21924U300/c

Guess investors are waking up, smacking themselves in the head and are wondering why they didn't dump when this gimmicky bowser was selling for a huge premium to NAV.

At its core, these Cornerstone funds are just a tiny bunch of utterly ordinary blue chip stocks (like Apple, Amazon and MSFT) yielding about 1.5%.

From CRF's own site: "Although the Fund’s Common Stock has frequently traded at a premium to its net asset value during the past several years, shares of closed-end funds often trade at a discount from their net asset value." http://www.cornerstonetotalreturnfund.com/

Dang, what happened here

Ugliest chart ever... seriously!

Me too, but they like telling us how lousy our picks are, LOLOLOLOLOL after banking thousands per month, too funny

Prove it, lmao

I make 10's of thousands of dollars each month on high yield divvy stocks including this one.

Although I'm retired, I don't focus on yield. Investors should look for quality first and then growth. Thus I own large cap blue chips and index funds. Like my bio says, I've *never* bought a penny stock or any of the comical Cornerstone-type ultra high yield rubbish IHUBers fall for.

My horizon is long.

By IHUB standards the unusual thing about my style is I almost never trade my stocks except to take a tax loss and I haven't had one in more than a decade thanks to this remarkable bull market. My oldest holdings, blue chip multi-baggers such as Cintas and Rockwell Automation, have been in my portfolio for several decades. Pedigreed stocks like those increase their payouts almost every year. Last year I received two wonderful spinoffs from my Raytheon, Carrier (the 100+ year old air conditioning company) and elevator company, OTIS. CARR has since quadrupled and raised its payout TWICE.

This is still accurate about me.
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/profilea.aspx?user=42712

Have any favorites with room for growth and yield in this Frothy Market? Just added $SYY, also $TTD and $ GFL for purely growth no divi.

"chasing Yield almost always ends in loss" Yes. Read my many posts on IHUB ultra high yield investments such as mREITs, BDCs, and MLPs. Don't people wonder why Buffett doesn't seem to know about those "under the radar" double-digit dividend payers? Reality is, most investors will do far better in simple, low cost, S&P 500 index funds. Need cash? Just sell off a few shares.

The Cornerstone funds may be the worst, and most gimmicky of all.

---
BTW, I see plenty of shilling going on with such stocks on IHUB and especially on Seeking Alpha.

I sprinkle a few of these in there and buy perceived dips and am green and collecting monthly divi's, but chasing Yield almost always ends in loss of money. The Eaton Vance monthly payers and nice Yield have been sweet with great holdings. JMO

You've been stung by scammy pennyland rubbish and now you're thinking of moving into a new kind of rubbish, ultra high yield stocks. High yields almost always come with high risk. You should have learned that years ago with PSEC.

Right now I own about 19 individual stocks and I have a profit in every one of them. How is that possible? Because I only own blue chips and I hold them nearly forever. Blue chips like 3M, Comcast, Rockwell Automation, UPS, Berkshire Hathaway and more.

You are absolutely right. Hopefully we learn by our mistakes.
But I only own two pennies and only one has any hopes of success. I am not overloaded in pennies.

I can see what you buy, generally penny junk. You would have done vastly better over the years in an S&P 500 index fund, or by buying and holding a diversified portfolio of exchange-listed, large cap blue chip div payers.

CEF's can be good investments, just not the ultra high yield gimmicky ones that target retirees.

First of all let me say I did not attack you in any way or question your credibility. Lets get that straight first. I am also retired and I kind of like dividend stocks in general for the monthly or quarterly income.
I commend your investing prowness. I just trust the market in general a LOT LESS than you do. Thank You for your insight.

I feel a lot safer in a closed end fund where you are at least somewhat shielded from the MMS. Just hope the mgt team is up to the task. GLTU

I'm a retired lawyer who's been investing successfully in stocks since age 19, decades ago. My own portfolio of blue chips is at record high, along with the Dow and S&P 500. I'm very rarely wrong when it comes to stocks.

Your first question about CRF should be: How does CRF pay out such ridiculously high dividends when its underlying portfolio consists of mundane blue chips? For example, CRF's top three holdings were Amazon, Microsoft and Apple. They pay out about 1% in dividends.

Have you looked at its payout history going back to, say, the Great Recession in 2008?

These are not generally what you would consider a growth fund where the share value with somehow skyrocket someday. They have to distribute all the profits if there are any. Closed end is also a double edged sword. Less dilution and also less liquidity if you want to sell.
At least it prevents mass dilution by the MMS"

I know back in 2020 they had a dip back to $9.00 a share and seemed to be on a recovery back up to $13.00 at one point. Seems to me everything is risky these days with all the corruption in the market in general with no SEC oversight. I wouldn't just pick on CRF with the entire market being manipulated by crooks. I will look at your posts though.

Read all my posts on this board and those on CRF's sister fund, CLM. Both are extremely complicated, gimmicky, funds with a long history of cutting payouts.

I don't own either Cornerstone fund.

Not totally. educate me.

I have looked at 100's of dividend payers and most are reducing and some even eliminating their dividends. What is so specific or different about crf that you brought it up.

Do you understand how CRF generates its ultra high distributions?

Basically a reit like many others.

Do you know how CRF works?

Things will turn around. Patience is rewarded.
Covid has hurt a lot of industries and other dividend stocks are also reducing theirs.

"Cornerstone Total Return Fund decreases dividend by ~14%"

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3633325-cornerstone-total-return-fund-decreases-dividend-14

Need any proof? "CEFs are usually poor performers in bear markets."

The actual data which will determine the monthly Distribution Amount for 2020 will not be known until the end of October 2019. However, as an example, if the value of the net assets and the number of shares outstanding were the same as those on July 31, 2019, the monthly Distribution Amount for 2020 would be reset from $0.2053 per share to $0.1934 per share for CLM and be reset from $0.1985 per share to $0.1875 per share for CRF. The actual Distribution Amount for each Fund for 2020 may be higher or lower than those shown in the above examples.

https://ih.advfn.com/stock-market/stock-news/80513987/cornerstone-funds-announce-continuing-monthly-dist

Whoops: "CRFs are usually poor performers in bear markets." Meant to say that CEFs are usually poor performers in bear markets.

Gimmicks aren't saving CRF. As of Friday 5/25/19 its premium declined to 4.18% from an annual peak of 21.6%. CLM might well plunge to a deep discount in an extended bear market. Nowadays this fund is full of hot money that's quick to exit in bad times. https://www.cefconnect.com/fund/CRF

CRFs are usually poor performers in bear markets.

NEW YORK, May 10, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cornerstone Strategic Value Fund, Inc. (NYSE American: CLM) and Cornerstone Total Return Fund, Inc. (NYSE American: CRF), (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.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cornerstone-funds-announce-continuing-monthly-203000485.html

A better way to get CRF's NAV may be to use the symbol XCRFX. But I'm not sure that's up to date. Today that symbol shows the NAV as $9.75. If so, CRF is trading at a small discount.

I've often warned that CEF premiums can narrow or even disappear in bad times... but that drop is ridiculous! I'd certainly phone Cornerstone before making any kind of trade off those numbers.

What the heck? Why isn't reasonably current NAV for CRF available on Cornerstone's website or CEFConnect?

http://www.cornerstonetotalreturnfund.com/net-asset-value Shows NAV as of 12/14/2018

CEFConnect shows CRF NAV as of 12/7/2018 https://www.cefconnect.com/fund/CRF

$13.00's are on the way

DOW has crashed 500 points this morning on weak earnings driving down stocks across the board. Luckily CRF/CLM have given guidance to keep their monthly dividend the same.

Buying opportunities all over the place

Just Out From SA: "Equity CEFs: Are Cornerstone Funds Now Better Buys Than Some Eaton Vance Funds?"

Definitely worth reading... several times.

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4213387-equity-cefs-cornerstone-funds-now-better-buys-eaton-vance-funds

Who's going to DRIP CRF at NAV if NAV is higher than market price? Same thing with Rights Offerings? With CRF down 4% today vs about 2% for the S&P it appears the market premium is about gone. With Cornerstone funds getting precise NAV isn't easy.

Note that CEF's numbers are not current: "As of 10/22/2018. NAV as of 10/19/2018." https://www.cefconnect.com/fund/CRF

These are certainly interesting funds. (to watch, not to own)

LMMFAO that letter was penned was 6 years ago.

Complaint to SEC about Ponzi-like qualities of Cornerstone funds.

[July 20, 2012]

"Dear Mr. Champ,Congratulations on your recent appointment as director of the Investment Management division at the SEC.

I run a small investment partnership in New York and I would like to bring some facts about the Cornerstone Funds (the Cornerstone Total Return Fund, the Cornerstone Strategic Value Fund and the Cornerstone Progressive Return Fund, trading under the ticker symbols CRF, CLM, and CFP,respectively, and managed by Ralph Bradshaw) to your attention.

I believe that the Cornerstone Funds should be examined by the SEC due to the deceptive nature of their distribution policy, the opacity and lack of communication from management and the recent capital markets transactions the Funds have engaged in. I believe that the Cornerstone Funds are perhaps exploiting less sophisticated investors through a deceitful operation that gives excessive compensation to management with negative investment results for the Funds’ investors. Though it does not appear that the Cornerstone Funds are violating securities laws, per se, they are essentially a publicly traded Ponzi scheme.

I am passing along this information so that, to the extent that you deem appropriate, you may assist in protecting the innocent investors (both current and prospective) in the Cornerstone Funds.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter and please do not hesitate to contact me with any comments or questions.

Respectfully, Parsa Kiai"

Click for much more...including 15 pages of supporting material https://www.scribd.com/document/100643429/Cornerstone-Letter-to-SEC

CRF corporate update;


https://materials.proxyvote.com/Approved/MC2885/20180815/SAR_369013.PDF

Difference between CLM and CRF per Morningstar:

"Investment Objective Summary CLM
The Fund seeks long term capital appreciation through investment in global equity securities"

"Investment Objective Summary CRF
The Fund seeks capital appreciation with current income through investment in common stocks, preferred stocks and convertible stock of large, mid and small cap companies and investment grade US debt securities"

In practice the holdings of the two funds are quite similar from what I see.

Excellent buying op for the smart people

CRF hugely underperforming the S&P for past three months. S&P up 6.6%; CRF down 12.2%.

Last day to take advantage of the R.O after the dust settles we'll see a rapid rise to old territory and a strong finish leading to December. Once CRF and CLM are even Im dumping CRF (.23) for CLM (.2365) to get that extra .0065 dividend CLM offers.

June 5th CRF $16.91 CLM $17.05

I never saw 17 in the last year that I have owned it only just piercing 16. It's having a nice day today and so is the overall market!