Exploring Scopus BioPharma Inc. (SCPS) Investor Profile: Who’s Buying and Why?

You're looking at Scopus BioPharma Inc. (SCPS) and wondering who is actually buying into a clinical-stage biopharma trading on the Over-The-Counter Pink Sheets (OTCPK), and honestly, the answer is a stark reality check on micro-cap investing: it's almost entirely a retail and insider game.

How do you make sense of a company with a minuscule US$16.833k market capitalization as of November 2025, especially when it posted a trailing twelve months (TTM) net loss of -$8.70M? Here's the quick math: the institutional investor class-the BlackRocks and Vanguards of the world-have essentially exited, with the SEC filings showing 0 institutional owners on the 13F/G forms. That means the trading volume, which has been extremely low, is driven by individual investors, plus any significant insider positions, like the historic, contentious ownership battles over millions of shares that have plagued the stock. So, the real question is, are you buying into the Duet BioTherapeutics platform's potential for malignant glioma treatments, or are you just trading a stock with 42.08M shares outstanding that is defintely prone to volatility based on retail sentiment alone?

Who Invests in Scopus BioPharma Inc. (SCPS) and Why?

You need to know who is buying Scopus BioPharma Inc. (SCPS) stock because their profile tells you everything about the risk you're taking. The direct takeaway is that this is not an institutional darling; it is a pure, high-risk, high-reward retail and insider speculation play. As of November 2025, Scopus BioPharma Inc. has 0 institutional owners who have filed 13D/G or 13F forms with the SEC, which is the clearest signal you can get.

Zero institutional ownership means the entire shareholder base is overwhelmingly composed of individual (retail) investors and company insiders. Institutions, like mutual funds and pension funds, avoid the stock for two primary reasons: first, the company trades on the OTCPK (Pink Sheets LLC) exchange, which often falls outside their investment mandates; second, the market capitalization is minuscule, standing at just $16.8K as of November 2025. That's a micro-cap that simply doesn't offer the liquidity or size required for a major fund to even consider it. It's too small to fail, but also too small to matter to BlackRock.

The Binary Bet: Motivations for Buying SCPS

When you see a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with virtually no revenue, the investment motivation is straightforward: it's a binary event bet. Investors aren't buying current earnings-because the company reported $0 in sales for the August 2025 period-they are buying the future potential of the drug pipeline. This is the core of the SCPS investment thesis.

Here's the quick math: you are betting that one of Scopus BioPharma Inc.'s lead candidates, like the immuno-oncology program DUET-01 for B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, will succeed in clinical trials. The upside, if a drug is approved or licensed, is massive, but the downside is a near-total loss, which is why the stock price is trading around $0.000400 as of November 2025. Also, don't look for cash flow from the company; it does not pay a dividend.

• Growth Prospects: Betting on clinical trial success for the Duet Platform.
• Dividends: Zero, making it unsuitable for income-focused investors.
• Market Position: Non-existent; the value is in the intellectual property (IP) and licensing agreements.

To be fair, you have to understand the Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of Scopus BioPharma Inc. (SCPS). to grasp the long-term vision these investors are buying into.

Investment Strategies in a Micro-Cap Biotech

Given the profile of the company-a tiny, clinical-stage biotech with no institutional backing-the strategies at play are highly speculative and fall into two main buckets, with value investing defintely not being one of them.

Long-Term Speculative Holding

This is the dominant strategy among the retail base. They buy shares, often a small number of dollars' worth, and hold them for years, waiting for a major catalyst. Their investment horizon is tied directly to the clinical trial timeline for assets like DUET-02 for solid tumors. This strategy requires patience and an acceptance that the investment could go to zero, but the potential return on a successful Phase 3 trial announcement could be a hundredfold. It's a lottery ticket, but one based on science.

Short-Term Volatility Trading

The extremely low share price and the OTC listing make Scopus BioPharma Inc. a target for short-term traders. These traders look for spikes in volume driven by press releases, like the November 2023 presentation of compelling data for a novel treatment for malignant glioma. They are not interested in the drug's eventual approval, only in the quick price movement following a news event. This creates high volatility, which is a risk for long-term holders but an opportunity for day traders.

Here is a summary of the investor profile as of late 2025:

Your next concrete step is to model the potential valuation of the Duet Platform assets under a successful Phase 2 trial outcome. Finance: Draft a high-low scenario Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) for DUET-01 by the end of next week.

Institutional Ownership and Major Shareholders of Scopus BioPharma Inc. (SCPS)

You're looking for the big money players in Scopus BioPharma Inc. (SCPS), but the truth is, the traditional institutional investor profile is effectively non-existent here. The direct takeaway is that Scopus BioPharma Inc., trading Over-The-Counter (OTCPK) after its Nasdaq delisting, has zero institutional owners that file the mandatory Form 13F with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This immediately tells you the stock's dynamics are driven by a very different set of forces than a typical large-cap biotech.

The Reality of Zero Institutional Ownership

In the financial world, a Form 13F filing is how institutions managing over $100 million in assets disclose their equity holdings. The fact that Scopus BioPharma Inc. has 0 such filers means the company is completely off the radar for major mutual funds, hedge funds, and pension funds. This is a critical piece of information for any investor.

Here's the quick math on the company's size: as of November 2025, the company's market capitalization is an ultra-small $16.8K. A net loss (TTM) of -$8.70M and an EPS (TTM) of -$0.31 further illustrate the early-stage, high-risk nature of this clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. No institutional money is buying because the stock is too small, too illiquid, and has too much fundamental risk for their mandates. It's a retail and insider game.

• No institutional safety net exists.
• Liquidity is extremely low.
• Volatility is inherently higher.

Concentrated Power: The Dominance of Insider Holdings

Since large institutions are absent, the ownership structure is highly concentrated in the hands of insiders and individual investors. The most significant reported shareholder is Dr. Morris C. Laster, a co-founder and former executive. As of a key proxy event, Dr. Laster and his associated group beneficially owned 6,006,000 shares of common stock. With the current shares outstanding at 42.08M, this single group holds approximately 14.27% of the company. This is a massive, controlling stake.

This level of concentrated ownership means the company's direction-its strategy, board composition, and future-is dictated by a very small group of people, not a diverse set of institutional portfolio managers. Dr. Laster's successful proxy contest in early 2022, which elected his nominees to the Board, is a concrete example of this power in action. This is what you call an activist investor, even if he's an individual.

Impact of Institutional Absence on Stock and Strategy

The absence of institutional investors has a dual impact on Scopus BioPharma Inc.'s stock price and strategy. First, the stock is prone to extreme price swings because a small number of trades can move the market-there is no deep pool of institutional capital to absorb selling pressure. Your risk profile here is defintely elevated.

Second, the company's strategy is less subject to the external pressure and due diligence (DD) that institutional investors typically impose. In the Q3 2025 biopharma market, total M&A transaction value reached US$38 billion, with a surge in public financings and a pivot toward earlier-stage assets. For a clinical-stage company like Scopus BioPharma Inc., institutional interest would normally drive a strategic push for a partnership or acquisition. Without it, the company must rely solely on its own cash runway and the decisions of its concentrated insider ownership to advance its Duet Platform. For a deeper dive into the company's financial stability, you should read Breaking Down Scopus BioPharma Inc. (SCPS) Financial Health: Key Insights for Investors.

What this estimate hides is the potential for a sudden, large private placement (PIPE) or a strategic acquisition, which could introduce institutional capital quickly, but until then, the stock's fate is tied to clinical data and insider actions.

Next Step: Monitor SEC Form 4 and 13D filings for Dr. Laster and other insiders, as their buying or selling is the only meaningful ownership trend to track.

Key Investors and Their Impact on Scopus BioPharma Inc. (SCPS)

The investor profile for Scopus BioPharma Inc. (SCPS) is unique, and you need to understand that its dynamics are driven almost entirely by individual investors, not large funds. The direct takeaway is this: there is essentially zero institutional backing, meaning the stock's volatility and direction are highly susceptible to retail investor sentiment and the actions of a few key individuals.

As of the 2025 fiscal year, Scopus BioPharma Inc. has 0 institutional owners or shareholders who have filed a Schedule 13D/G or 13F form with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This lack of institutional interest-funds like Blackrock or Vanguard are simply not on the register-is a direct result of the company's status as an over-the-counter (OTC) stock with a micro-cap valuation. The entire market capitalization is only around $16.83K as of November 2025, which is too small for most institutional mandates. This is a pure retail play.

The Outsized Influence of Individual Investors

In the absence of institutional money, the influence of a single large individual shareholder, or a group of them, becomes dramatically magnified. The most notable investor in Scopus BioPharma Inc. has been Dr. Morris C. Laster, a former CEO and director. His past actions demonstrate how a single individual can force a change in corporate direction, which is a key risk and opportunity for current shareholders.

Dr. Laster, together with his proxy participants, beneficially owned 6,006,000 shares of common stock, representing approximately 33.2% of the company's outstanding shares at the time of his proxy contest. This level of ownership is an activist stake (Schedule 13D territory), giving him significant leverage over company governance. He successfully used this influence to elect his nominees to the Board of Directors in early 2022. Here's the quick math: owning over one-third of the vote gives you immense power in a company with a total of roughly 42.08 million shares outstanding.

• 0 institutional owners mean no large, stabilizing anchor investors.
• Individual activist holds an approximate 33.2% beneficial stake.
• Stock price around $0.0004 (November 2025) reflects the high-risk, speculative nature.

Recent Moves and the Volatility Risk

The most recent insider trading activity is low-impact, with $0 worth of shares collectively bought or sold across 100 transactions in the last year, which suggests a period of quiet holding among insiders. However, the real recent move is the stock's extreme volatility. The stock price was around $0.0004 on November 19, 2025, but its 52-week high was $0.0100 and its low was $0.0002. That's a massive swing. The lack of institutional liquidity-the ability to buy or sell large blocks of shares without moving the price-is the primary cause.

When you have a market capitalization of only $16.83K, even small trades by retail investors can cause disproportionate price changes. This is why the stock can fluctuate 0% in a day, but still hold a -60.00% fall from a pivot top point in October 2025. The risk here is illiquidity, and the opportunity is that any positive news on their Duet Platform (their immuno-oncology program for treatment-resistant cancers) could trigger a massive, albeit short-lived, price spike due to the thin trading environment. You defintely need to understand the Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of Scopus BioPharma Inc. (SCPS) to gauge the potential for such a catalyst.

The key action for you is to monitor the SEC filings for any new Schedule 13D filings, as a new activist investor with a 5%+ stake would immediately become the most important factor in the stock's future, just as Dr. Laster was in the past.

Market Impact and Investor Sentiment

You're looking at Scopus BioPharma Inc. (SCPS) and trying to figure out who's making a bet on this micro-cap biotech, but the real story is who isn't: the institutions. The direct takeaway is that Scopus BioPharma Inc. is essentially off the radar for major funds, and the current market sentiment is overwhelmingly negative, driven by a highly volatile, low-volume trading environment.

As of the most recent filings, Scopus BioPharma Inc. has 0 institutional owners and shareholders that have filed 13D/G or 13F forms with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). That's a huge data point. It means major players like BlackRock or Vanguard aren't buying, which is typical for a stock trading on the OTC Markets (OTCPK) with a market capitalization of only about $16.83K as of November 2025. This isn't a stock for portfolio managers; it's a pure retail speculation play.

Recent Market Reactions and Volatility

The market's reaction to Scopus BioPharma Inc. is one of extreme caution and high risk. The stock price was trading at just $0.0004 per share on November 19, 2025, which is a fraction of its 52-week high of $0.0100. This kind of price action shows you the immense downside risk in a highly illiquid name.

The near-term technical picture is defintely negative. The stock has been hit with sell signals from both its short-term and long-term Moving Averages, which is why most technical models hold a negative evaluation for the stock's near-term performance. Honestly, when a stock falls -60.00% from a pivot top point in a single month, as it did from its October 13, 2025 high, you know the pressure is fierce.

• Stock price: $0.0004 (Nov 19, 2025)
• Market Cap: ~$16.83K (Nov 2025)
• Institutional Ownership: 0 (Per SEC filings)
• Recent Price Drop: -60.00% (From Oct 2025 high)

Analyst and Insider Perspectives

When you look for professional guidance, you hit a wall. Scopus BioPharma Inc. currently has no Wall St. Ratings and no recommendations from brokerage firms. This lack of coverage is a massive red flag; analysts only cover companies where there is enough institutional trading volume to generate commissions. The company's tiny market cap and OTC listing make it uneconomical for them to follow.

Here's the quick math on why this matters: no analyst coverage means no independent research to help set a fair value (DCF). What this estimate hides, though, is that the insider sentiment is technically Neutral, but that's based on mixed or low-impact activity, not a strong consensus of buying or selling. The real risk is that the only major investor activity you see is from insiders, which can be hard to interpret without a full picture of their long-term intent.

If you want a deeper dive on the underlying financial stability, check out Breaking Down Scopus BioPharma Inc. (SCPS) Financial Health: Key Insights for Investors. Still, the current investor profile is simple: it's a high-risk gamble for individual investors, not a strategic allocation for a fund. The lack of institutional backing is the biggest signal you have.

Your next step should be to look for any recent SEC filings that indicate a capital raise or a major clinical trial milestone, as those are the only two events that could shift this investor profile from 'zero institutional interest' to 'speculative buy.'