Fish, I don't buy this theory. mainly due to the fact that I don't believe the company would muddy the water and lose control of the float without first taking advantage of the dividend.
Getting to the Nasdaq price level would be relatively easy if they owned the float and offered a dividend.
It would make more sense to achieve that price level first, when in complete control of the float.
Process should go in this order.
1. Audit. 2. SEC Documents in order. 3. Dividend. 4. Float analysis (potentially releasing shares here). 5. Apply to Nasdaq/