Here is my understanding from a past experience on this exact matter. Nasdaq considers them to be equivalent means to achieve the same exact goal which is dividing the share ownership proportionally.
My understanding is that a split requires additional costs and time such as obtaining a new Cusip and promulgating information through broker networks.
I would assume the company simply wanted to save time and cost in effectuating the plan to create more shares. I've seen others do the exact same, really merely taking a more efficient road to get to the same destination.
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