Exploring Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NAVB) Investor Profile: Who’s Buying and Why?

You're looking at Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NAVB) because its investor profile is a fascinating, high-risk case study in micro-cap speculation, and the answer to who's buying is almost certainly not the big funds you track. As of November 2025, the company's market capitalization sits at a tiny $10.01K, with the stock trading near $0.0001 per share, yet someone is still trading it-so what are they chasing? Institutional ownership is practically non-existent, with only one institutional owner holding a mere 100 shares, which tells you the buyers are overwhelmingly individual, speculative retail traders looking for a Hail Mary turnaround. Honestly, the real story is the October 2025 news that Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. filed for bankruptcy, following a May 2025 attempt to extend the authority for a massive 1-for-50,000 reverse stock split to simplify its capital structure and avoid costly public reporting. Are these buyers betting on a miraculous reorganization, or are they simply trading the volatility of a distressed asset? Dive into the data to see the true motivations behind the trades.

Who Invests in Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NAVB) and Why?

If you are looking at Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NAVB) right now, you are looking at a classic, high-risk, micro-cap biotech situation that has been complicated by a recent bankruptcy filing. The investor profile is not what you'd see at a BlackRock or a Fidelity, so you need to adjust your lens. The simple takeaway is that the investor base is overwhelmingly retail, driven by speculative bets on a dramatic turnaround, not institutional fundamentals.

Institutional money has largely exited, or was never present in a meaningful way. Public data shows only 1 institutional owner holding a total of just 100 shares in the company as of a recent filing, which is essentially zero institutional conviction. This means the vast majority of trading and ownership is in the hands of individual investors-the retail crowd-who are chasing a high-leverage outcome. This is a tough neighborhood for traditional value investing, honestly.

Key Investor Types: The Retail Dominance

The investor base for Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. is a textbook example of a heavily retail-owned stock. When the institutional ownership is this minuscule, it means the stock's price movements are driven by sentiment, news, and social media chatter, not by large fund flow or fundamental analysis. This makes the stock highly volatile, and you should treat it as a pure speculation.

The current market capitalization is only about $10.01k as of October 2025, with the stock trading around $0.0001 per share in November 2025. This price level, combined with the low market cap, is a clear signal that the company has been largely abandoned by major money managers. The retail investor here is often a risk-tolerant speculator, not a long-term holder, and they are buying shares in the over-the-counter (OTC) market, not a major exchange.

• Retail Investors: The dominant force, seeking outsized gains from a low-priced stock.
• Institutional Investors: Practically nonexistent, holding less than 0.001% of the company.
• Hedge Funds: Absent, as the low liquidity and bankruptcy risk make it unsuitable for most mandates.

Investment Motivations: The Turnaround Thesis

The motivation for buying Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. is not based on current financial performance-the trailing twelve-month (TTM) revenue is near $0.0. Instead, investors are focused on the company's core technology and the potential for a massive, albeit unlikely, future payoff. This is a bet on the pipeline, pure and simple.

The primary attraction is the Manocept platform, which is designed to target the CD206 mannose receptor on macrophages for both immunodiagnostic and immunotherapeutic applications. The hope is that the company's pivot to therapeutic assets, following the disappointing results in the rheumatoid arthritis (RA) diagnostic trial in July 2024, will yield a blockbuster drug or diagnostic. They're betting on the Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NAVB): History, Ownership, Mission, How It Works & Makes Money story to eventually pay off, despite the massive hurdles.

Here's the quick math on the risk/reward: You are buying a company that filed for bankruptcy in October 2024. The $0.0001 stock price reflects the near-certainty of a total loss, but the potential for a 100x-1,000x return if a therapeutic asset is successfully monetized or partnered is the lure. It's a binary outcome.

Investment Strategies: Pure Speculation and Deep Value

Given the company's situation, the investment strategies are highly specialized and aggressive. You won't find a dividend yield here, and you won't find a solid value proposition in the traditional sense. The strategies boil down to two types of high-risk plays:

1. Speculative Trading: This is the most common strategy. Traders enter and exit quickly based on small news items, press releases, or even rumors. The volatility, fueled by the low float and retail dominance, allows for massive percentage swings on tiny price movements. This is short-term trading, defintely not long-term holding.

2. Deep-Value/Turnaround Investing: This strategy is a bet on the successful reorganization of the company following its bankruptcy filing. Investors are looking for a catalyst that will re-rate the stock, such as a major partnership for the Manocept platform or the successful completion of a reverse stock split, which the company extended authority for in May 2025. They are buying for pennies, hoping to hold for dollars.

To be fair, the company's financial state makes any investment a high-stakes gamble. The latest available full-year net loss was -$17.215 million in fiscal year 2022, and the company has been consistently unprofitable. The table below summarizes the key financial data that drives this speculative investment thesis:

The action here is clear: If you are considering an investment, you must treat it as a venture capital allocation-money you are prepared to lose entirely-and focus your research entirely on the clinical and corporate restructuring news, not the old income statement.

Institutional Ownership and Major Shareholders of Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NAVB)

You're looking for clarity on who is buying Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NAVB) and why, but the immediate takeaway is this: institutional interest is virtually non-existent, and that is a major red flag for a company that filed for bankruptcy in October 2025. The ownership structure is dominated by retail investors, with institutional holdings representing a negligible fraction of the total outstanding shares.

For a company trading on the OTC market, this low level of institutional investment is not entirely surprising, but the near-zero figure is stark. It tells you that the large funds, the ones with the deep research teams and capital, have essentially walked away from the stock, or never even considered it a viable investment.

Top Institutional Investors and Near-Zero Shareholdings

As of the most recent filings (reporting data up to the second quarter of the 2025 fiscal year), the institutional ownership of Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NAVB) is minimal. This is not a case of a few large funds holding a controlling stake; it's the opposite. The total institutional ownership stands at a mere 0.0001% of the company, with only one major holder identified.

Here's the quick math: the total number of shares held by institutions is just 100 shares.

The institutional investment is so small it barely registers. It's defintely a retailer-driven stock, which often means higher volatility and less rigorous due diligence driving the price.

Changes in Ownership: A Trend of Disinterest

When you look at the changes in ownership, the picture remains flat, which is telling. The top institutional holder, Ancora Advisors, LLC, showed a 0% change in their position as of their last report on June 30, 2025. This stasis indicates no significant accumulation or divestiture by the major players in the first half of 2025.

The real action isn't in buying or selling by institutions; it's in the company's fight for survival. On March 31, 2025, the company extended its Section 382 Rights Plan to protect approximately $170 million in U.S. federal Net Operating Loss carryforwards (NOLs) and about $9 million in R&D tax credits. This plan is designed to prevent an ownership change-a collective increase of over 50 percentage points by 5-percent shareholders-which would limit the use of those tax assets. So, the company is actively trying to deter large, concentrated buying, which is a major factor in the lack of institutional accumulation.

• Protect tax assets: The Section 382 Rights Plan is a defensive measure.
• Deter large stakes: It discourages any party from acquiring 4.99% or more of the stock.
• Reverse split authority: On May 21, 2025, the company extended its authority for a massive reverse stock split of up to 1-for-50,000 shares, a move often used to avoid delisting or to simplify capitalization for potential strategic partners.

Impact of Institutional Investors: The Silence is the Message

In a typical large-cap stock, institutional investors play a crucial role, providing liquidity, stabilizing the stock price, and holding management accountable. For Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NAVB), the impact is the opposite: the absence of institutional investors is the primary factor influencing the stock's profile and strategy. You can read more about the company's background and ownership structure at Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NAVB): History, Ownership, Mission, How It Works & Makes Money.

The lack of institutional backing means the stock is highly susceptible to retail investor sentiment and news flow, leading to extreme price volatility. More importantly, the company's strategic decisions-like the extension of the reverse stock split authority and the Section 382 Rights Plan-are aimed at internal corporate structure and survival, not at attracting major new institutional capital, especially after the October 8, 2025, bankruptcy filing. The market for this stock is driven by speculation and retail flows, not by the long-term, fundamental-driven buying that major institutions provide.

What this estimate hides is the significant risk: the institutional world has priced in the high probability of a total loss, hence the negligible investment. The risk here is existential, and the market is reflecting that. The low institutional float means a potential positive news event could cause an outsized, short-term spike, but the long-term outlook is dictated by the bankruptcy proceedings.

Key Investors and Their Impact on Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NAVB)

The investor profile for Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NAVB) is currently defined by two stark realities: extremely low institutional interest and a Chapter 11 Subchapter V bankruptcy filing on October 1, 2025. This means the typical analysis of large fund movements is largely irrelevant; the focus shifts to internal stakeholders and the company's defensive maneuvers to preserve its remaining value.

You need to understand that for a company in this situation, the primary buyers are often high-risk speculators or insiders, not major funds. The stock price was effectively $0.00 as of October 1, 2025, reflecting the dire financial state. The investor story here is less about growth and more about a complex restructuring process.

The Singular Institutional Presence and Insider Stakes

Institutional ownership in Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NAVB) is negligible, which is a massive red flag for any analyst. The most recent data shows only 1 institutional owner on file, collectively holding a mere 100 shares. This is not a vote of confidence; it's a statistical blip.

The largest named institutional shareholder is Ancora Advisors, LLC, but their position is minimal. Honestly, the most influential investors here are the insiders who have provided direct financing to keep the lights on. John K. Scott, Jr., a Director, is a key example, having provided a $750,000 loan to the company in late 2023, which was due in April 2025. That's a defintely more impactful position than a handful of institutional shares.

• Total Institutional Owners: 1
• Total Institutional Shares Held: 100
• Largest Named Fund: Ancora Advisors, LLC

Investor Influence: Defensive Measures and Bankruptcy

The influence of the existing shareholder base is best seen in the company's defensive actions during the 2025 fiscal year, which were aimed at protecting corporate assets from outside control. The Board's decisions were driven by a need to manage the capitalization table and preserve valuable tax assets, effectively limiting external investor influence.

Here's the quick math on their tax assets: Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NAVB) had approximately $170 million in U.S. federal Net Operating Losses (NOLs) and about $9 million in R&D tax credits as of December 31, 2024. To prevent an activist investor from triggering a change in ownership that would limit the use of these NOLs, the company extended its Section 382 Rights Plan on March 31, 2025. This plan discourages any person or group from acquiring 4.99% or more of the common stock. That's a clear signal: the company is actively trying to block any major new investor from taking a controlling stake.

Recent Moves: The Chapter 11 Catalyst

The most significant move by Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NAVB) in 2025 was the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. This action, on October 1, 2025, immediately changes the dynamic for existing shareholders. The focus shifts from the company's Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NAVB) to creditor negotiations, where common equity holders are often the last in line for recovery.

The extension of the reverse stock split authority in May 2025, allowing a ratio of up to 1-for-50,000, was a clear move to reduce the number of record holders below the SEC threshold, which would save on public reporting costs. This move, approved by a majority of shareholders, shows a collective decision to cut costs and hunker down. But, still, the bankruptcy filing overtakes all prior strategic moves. It's a complete reset.

The next step for you as an investor is clear: Finance needs to immediately review the Chapter 11 docket to assess the treatment of common equity in the proposed plan of reorganization. That's the only action that matters now.

Market Impact and Investor Sentiment

You need to know the bottom line up front: investor sentiment for Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NAVB) is definitively negative, driven by the company's recent Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing and its micro-cap valuation.

The company filed a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware on October 1, 2025. This action is the ultimate signal of distress, and it has mapped the near-term risk to a near-certain loss for most common shareholders. Honestly, the market is pricing in a complete wipeout of equity value.

As of November 14, 2025, the stock price was trading around $0.0001 per share, reflecting a market capitalization of just over $10.008K. That's tiny. The stock has seen a massive 97% decline over the past year, and its performance over the three months leading up to mid-November 2025 showed an -80.00% change. The overall risk profile is assessed as 'Highest,' and while technical analysis suggests it should be a sell candidate, its low price makes it a speculative 'hold or accumulate' only for those awaiting a highly unlikely turnaround.

• Stock Price (Nov 2025): $0.0001
• Market Cap (Nov 2025): $10.008K
• 1-Year Decline (as of May 2025): 97%

Institutional Ownership: A Ghost Town

The institutional investor profile is almost non-existent, which is a key indicator of a lack of professional confidence. Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NAVB) has only 1 institutional owner that has filed a 13D/G or 13F form with the SEC. These institutions hold a total of just 100 shares. The largest named institutional shareholder is Ancora Advisors, LLC, but the total position size is negligible given the company's situation. This isn't a stock where major funds are battling for control; they've already exited. One institutional owner holding 100 shares is defintely not a vote of confidence.

Recent Market Reactions and Corporate Maneuvers

The stock market's response to corporate actions in 2025 has been a continuation of the downward trend, culminating in the bankruptcy. Before the Chapter 11 filing, a major move was the extension of the reverse stock split authority on May 21, 2025. The Board extended its authority to implement a reverse stock split at a ratio of up to 1-for-50,000 shares until July 8, 2027. The stated goal was to simplify the capitalization table and, crucially, reduce the number of record holders to stay below the SEC threshold for ongoing public reporting, which saves significant costs.

Another strategic move was the extension of the Section 382 Rights Plan on March 31, 2025. This plan is designed to protect valuable tax assets-approximately $170 million in U.S. federal Net Operating Losses (NOLs) and $9 million in R&D tax credits-from being limited by an 'ownership change' under the Internal Revenue Code. This shows management was trying to preserve assets for a potential future, even as the stock price plummeted. It's a move to protect the balance sheet, not a signal of near-term revenue growth. For a more detailed look at the company's financial history, you can read Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NAVB): History, Ownership, Mission, How It Works & Makes Money.

Analyst Perspectives on Key Investors' Impact

In short, there is a distinct lack of consensus analyst coverage for Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NAVB), which is typical for a stock in this financial position. The few technical models available in November 2025 are overwhelmingly bearish, with one prediction suggesting the stock price could drop to as low as $0.000000073 USD. The impact of key investors is minimal because there are virtually no large, active institutional investors to drive the stock price. The only significant 'investor' action is the insider trading activity, which has historically involved both buys and sells, but the collective institutional presence is too small to influence the market in a meaningful, positive way. The market is driven by the corporate reality: Chapter 11 and a desperate need for a strategic partner to monetize the Manocept platform.