Virtus Total Return Fund Inc. Announces Retirement Of Co-Portfolio Manager

HARTFORD, Conn., May 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Virtus Total Return Fund Inc. (NYSE: ZF) today announced that Randle L. Smith, CFA, senior portfolio manager and senior analyst at Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co., a subadviser to the fund, will retire as co-portfolio manager of the fund, effective June 30, 2017.

Connie M. Luecke, CFA, senior portfolio manager, of Duff & Phelps and David L. Albrycht, CFA, chief investment officer, Newfleet Asset Management, LLC, will continue as the fund's co-portfolio managers. Duff & Phelps and Newfleet are subadvisers of the fund.

"Throughout his career at Duff & Phelps, Randle has been an astute and diligent analyst in the global electric, natural gas, and transportation infrastructure industries, and his expertise has served our investors well," said Nathan I. Partain, president and chief investment officer of Duff & Phelps. "We wish Randle well and will miss his thoughtful insight and guidance, and we know that Connie and Dave will continue to provide fund shareholders the benefit of their experience and perspective."

About the Fund

The Virtus Total Return Fund Inc. (formerly known as The Zweig Fund, Inc.) is a diversified closed-end fund whose investment objective is capital appreciation, with current income as a secondary objective. The fund has a current target allocation of approximately 60 percent equity securities, primarily invested globally in owners/operators of infrastructure in the communications, utility, energy, and transportation industries, and 40 percent fixed income, designed to generate high current income and total return through the application of active sector rotation, extensive credit research, and disciplined risk management. The fund also pursues an options overlay strategy that seeks to generate additional income through the use of index-based, out-of-the money put and call spreads. Virtus Investment Advisers, Inc. is the investment adviser to the fund and Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. and Newfleet Asset Management, LLC are the subadvisers.

For more information on the fund, contact shareholder services at (866) 270-7788, by email at closedendfunds@virtus.com, or through the closed end fund section on the web at www.virtus.com.

About Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. has more than 35 years of experience managing investment portfolios, including institutional separate accounts and open- and closed-end funds investing in utilities, infrastructure, real estate investment trusts (REITs), and master limited partnerships (MLPs), and international equity. For more information, visit www.dpimc.com.  

About Newfleet Asset Management

Newfleet Asset Management provides comprehensive fixed income portfolio management in multiple strategies. Newfleet Multi-Sector Strategies, which manages assets in the Virtus Total Return Fund, leverages the knowledge and skill of a team of investment professionals with expertise in every sector of the bond market, including evolving, specialized, and out-of-favor sectors. The team employs active sector rotation and disciplined risk management to portfolio construction, avoiding interest rate bets and remaining duration neutral to each strategy's stated benchmark.

Fund Risks                                                                                                                     

An investment in a fund is subject to risk, including the risk of possible loss of principal. A fund's shares may be worth less upon their sale than what an investor paid for them. Shares of closed-end funds may trade at a discount to their net asset value.  For more information about the fund's investment objective and risks, please see the fund's annual report. A copy of the fund's most recent annual report may be obtained free of charge by contacting "Shareholder Services" at the phone number or email address below.

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SOURCE Virtus Total Return Fund Inc.