Strategy Objective
A US convertible strategy that leverages Calamos' capital structure research by investing predominantly in convertible securities, in order to generate consistent alpha and manage downside volatility. The strategy seeks to outperform the ICE BofA All US Convertibles Index over a full market cycle.
Key Differentiators
- In-depth capital structure analysis
- Rigorous top-down and fundamental research
- Proprietary credit and convertible research
- Team approach to management
Strategy Details
As of 3/31/26| Inception Date: | 10/01/79 |
|---|---|
| Strategy Assets*: | $2.0 B |
| Benchmark: | ICE BofA All US Convertibles Index |
*Strategy Assets reflect all assets that are currently being managed (collectively) under the strategy, which may contain multiple performance composites.
Portfolio
Sector Weightings
| Sector | % of Assets | ICE BofA All US Convertibles Index | Under/Overweight % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information Technology | 42.1% | 36.4% | |
| Industrials | 14.1% | 8.9% | |
| Utilities | 10.2% | 11.7% | |
| Health Care | 9.2% | 11.9% | |
| Financials | 6.1% | 10.3% | |
| Communication Services | 4.6% | 4.9% | |
| Consumer Discretionary | 4.5% | 7.3% | |
| Real Estate | 4.4% | 3.7% | |
| Energy | 2.8% | 2.3% | |
| Materials | 2.1% | 1.7% | |
| Consumer Staples | 0.0% | 0.9% | |
| Other | 0.0% | 0.0% | |
Representative Portfolio Ten Largest Holdings
| Company | Security Type | Sector | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lumentum Holdings, Inc. | Convertible Bonds | Information Technology | 5.7 |
| Western Digital Corp. | Convertible Bonds | Information Technology | 3.4 |
| Boeing Company | DECS,ACES,PRIDES | Industrials | 2.9 |
| MKS, Inc. | Convertible Bonds | Information Technology | 2.8 |
| Akamai Technologies, Inc. | Convertible Bonds | Information Technology | 2.8 |
| NextEra Energy, Inc. | DECS,ACES,PRIDES | Utilities | 2.2 |
| Digital Realty Trust, LP | Convertible Bonds | Real Estate | 2.2 |
| BWX Technologies, Inc. | Convertible Bonds | Industrials | 2.1 |
| CenterPoint Energy, Inc. | Convertible Bonds | Utilities | 2.1 |
| Cloudflare, Inc. | Convertible Bonds | Information Technology | 2.1 |
Characteristics
| Name | Calamos Portfolio | ICE BofA All US Convertibles Index |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Holdings | 101 | 419 |
| Portfolio Turnover (12 months) | 90.0% | N/A |
| Average Credit Quality | BB | N/A |
| Median Investment Premium | 27.4% | 13.1% |
| Median Conversion Premium | 33.2% | 42.5% |
Credit Quality of Bonds
| Class | % |
|---|---|
| AAA | 0.0% |
| AA | 0.0% |
| A | 2.7% |
| BBB | 14.7% |
| BB | 2.1% |
| B | 0.8% |
| CCC and below | 0.0% |
| Unrated Securities | 79.7% |
Performance
Annualized Total Returns
| Name | 1-Year | 3-Year | 5-Year | 10-Year | Since Inception (1/01/91) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Convertible (Gross) | 28.22% | 14.07% | 5.11% | 11.65% | 10.02% |
| US Convertible (Net) | 27.31% | 13.27% | 4.37% | 10.86% | 9.33% |
| ICE BofA All US Convertibles Index | 25.04% | 13.95% | 5.22% | 11.81% | 10.10% |
Calendar Year Returns
| Name | Qtr ending Mar 26 | YTD 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Convertible (Gross) | 3.22% | 3.22% | 20.17% | 10.79% | 11.65% | -20.12% | 6.46% | 49.49% | 20.46% | 1.60% |
| US Convertible (Net) | 3.04% | 3.04% | 19.32% | 10.00% | 10.89% | -20.68% | 5.70% | 48.43% | 19.63% | 0.89% |
| ICE BofA All US Convertibles Index | 3.72% | 3.72% | 17.98% | 11.14% | 12.87% | -18.71% | 6.34% | 46.22% | 23.15% | 0.15% |
Past performance does not guarantee or indicate future results. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted. Portfolios are managed according to their respective strategies which may differ significantly in terms of security holdings, industry weightings, and asset allocation from those of the benchmark(s). Portfolio performance, characteristics and volatility may differ from the benchmark(s) shown.
Returns and Risk/Rewards statistics presented reflect the Calamos Institutional Convertible Composite which is an actively managed composite investing in primarily high-quality US convertible securities. The Composite was created March 1, 2014, calculated with an inception date of January 1, 1991 and includes all fully discretionary, fee paying accounts, including those no longer with the Firm.
Unmanaged index returns, unlike fund returns, do not reflect fees, expenses or sales charges. Investors cannot invest directly in an index.
The ICE BofA All US Convertibles Index (VXA0) measures the return of all US convertibles.
Fees include the investment advisory fee charge by Calamos Advisors LLC. Returns greater than 12 months are annualized. Chart Data Sources: Calamos Advisors LLC.
Average annual total return measures net investment income and capital gain or loss from portfolio investments as an annualized average. All performance shown assumes reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions.
Risk/Reward
Risk/Reward Since Inception
| Name | Calamos Institutional Convertible Composite | ICE BofA All US Convertibles Index |
|---|---|---|
| Alpha | 1.10% | N/A |
| Beta | 0.88 | 1.00 |
| Annualized Standard Deviation | 11.27% | 12.17% |
| Upside Semivariance | 7.37% | 7.91% |
| Downside Semivariance | 3.92% | 5.16% |
| Sharpe Ratio | 0.65 | 0.61 |
| Information Ratio | -0.02 | N/A |
Since Inception Up/Down Capture Vs. ICE BofA All US Convertibles Index
Vehicles & Minimums
Vehicles and Minimums
| Vehicle | Minimum | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Separately Managed Accounts | $25 million | Available to new investors |
| Institutional Mutual Fund (CICVX) | $1 million | These investment offerings are intended for investors inside the United States. |
Literature
Fact Sheet
The US Convertible Strategy fact sheet provides a snap shot of the investment team, the investment strategy, performance, composition, ratings and returns.
Performance Review
A discussion of the Calamos US Convertible Strategy’s performance versus a benchmark, positioning, related market commentary, and outlook.
The Case for Strategic Convertible Allocations
John P. Calamos, Sr. and Eli Pars discuss the role of convertible securities within portfolios, the value of active management, and encouraging global trends within the convertible market.