Alphabet’s (GOOGL) Google has officially changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, sort of. The name change only applies to residents accessing Google Maps in the U.S. while users in Mexico will continue to see the body of water labeled as the Gulf of Mexico. Expanding this further, anyone using Google Maps outside these two countries will see it labeled the Gulf of Mexico with the Gulf of America listed underneath that name in parenthesis.
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Alphabet changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to match those listed in government documents, as is the company’s practice. This comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order renaming the body of water to the Gulf of America shortly after taking office.
The renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America caused a minor spat between President Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. President Sheinbaum argued against the name change, suggesting Mexico should submit an old map to Google that still lists parts of the U.S. as Mexico and request a change.
Google Isn’t Taking a Side In the Gulf of America Debate
As far as Google is concerned, it’s just following protocol by updating the name of the Gulf of Mexico on its Map apps. Doing so puts it in line with U.S. government agencies that have already started calling it the Gulf of America, such as the Federal Aviation Administration and the Coast Guard. At this point, Google is better off changing to the new name for U.S. users to avoid confusion.
Interestingly, Apple (AAPL) isn’t following Google’s move. The Gulf of Mexico remains named as such on Apple Maps with no sign of the Gulf of America anywhere. It’s unclear if Apple intends to update this name or leave it as is.
Is GOOGL Stock a Buy, Sell, or Hold?
Turning to Wall Street, the analysts’ consensus rating for Alphabet is Moderate Buy based on 27 Buy and 10 Hold ratings over the past three months. With that comes an average price target of $215.85, a high of $235, and a low of $184. This represents a potential 16.6% upside for GOOGL stock.
