Dodge & Cox specializes in value investing[3] and often uses contrarian strategies by emphasizing companies which they believe have good long-term prospects but have suffered temporary setbacks.

[6] Co-founder E. Morris Cox, who worked at the firm into his 90s, objected to widespread practices he considered unethical during the early 20th Century history of investment banking and thus Dodge & Cox developed policies putting customer interests as a top priority.

[10] In August 2020, Dodge & Cox filed a registration statement with the SEC for an emerging markets stock fund.

[16] Due to their devotion to the principles of value investing, Dodge & Cox avoided the worst of the dot com bubble during the late 1990s and early 2000 by limiting their exposure to overvalued and then-trendy internet stocks, thereby significantly out-performing the broader market when the bubble collapsed.

[15] John C. Bogle of The Vanguard Group was a strong proponent of index funds, but singled out Dodge & Cox among a handful of active mutual fund managers he would recommend due to their low fees, sober management and avoidance of trends.