ELAN - Merck potential animal health spin could be next after J&J split up

Johnson & Johnson's (NYSE:JNJ) decision to split into two companies may just be the tip of the iceberg. Merck & Co. (NYSE:MRK) could also look to spin off its animal health unit after bulking it up, Oppenheimer & Co. analyst Jared Holz said in an interview on Friday on CNBC. “I think Merck is also a potential interesting company to look with their animal health business," Holz said. "The company has been adamant, they expect to announce even more deals over the short to medium term. At least it sounds like spinning off animal health for Merck could be one thing to look forward to." Spins of animal health units have been relatively common with big pharma including the creation of Elanco Animal Health (NYSE:ELAN), an animal health company with a $15.6B market cap that was spun off of Eli Lilly & Co. Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS), which sports a $102B market cap and

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Merck potential animal health spin could be next after J&J split up