The difference is that instead of exiting the method, it will set the movement factor to zero if the period is too small.
// Prevent dividing by zero
if (period <= Mathf.Epsilon) movementFactor = 0f;
else movementFactor = Mathf.Sin(Time.time * 2 * Mathf.PI / period);
transform.position = initialPosition + movementFactor * movementVector;