CYH to Sell Stake in Cedar Park Regional to Ascension in $460M Deal

Group 1 - Community Health Systems, Inc. (CYH) has agreed to sell its 80% stake in Cedar Park Regional Medical Center for $460 million in cash to Ascension Health [1][2] - The deal is expected to close by late Q2 or early Q3 of this year, aligning with CYH's strategy to streamline operations and focus on profitable assets [2][3] - CYH's ongoing evaluation of non-core assets and recent divestitures, including Mooresville Hospital and ShorePoint Health System, are part of its strategy to improve same-store metrics [3][4] Group 2 - The proceeds from divestitures are intended to enhance capital efficiency and reduce CYH's debt-to-capital ratio, which stands at 117.1%, significantly higher than the industry average of 92.3% [5] - CYH's stock has declined by 14.4% over the past year, compared to the industry's average decline of 4.2% [6] - CYH currently holds a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold), while other medical stocks like Addus Homecare, Aveanna Healthcare, and Option Care Health have higher rankings [7]